Ranchos of California
The Spanish and later Mexican governments encouraged settlement of Alta California (now known as California) by giving prominent men large land grants called ranchos, usually two or more square leagues. Land-grant titles (concessions) were government-issued, permanent, unencumbered property-ownership rights to land called ranchos.
Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves after the landed gentry of Spain. Their workers included Californian Native Americans who had learned to speak Spanish, many of them former Mission residents.
Spain made about 30 grants between 1784 and 1821, and Mexico granted about 270 more between 1833 and 1846. The ranchos established land-use patterns and place names that are still in use in California today. Rancho boundaries became the basis for California's land survey system, and can still be found on modern maps and land titles.
Ranchos were partially based on geography, such as access to river water. Land development in the 20th and 21st century often follow the boundaries of the ranchos, and often retain the original name. For example, "Rancho San Diego," an unincorporated 'rural-burb' east of San Diego, or "Rancho Bernardo", a masterplan suburb in the city of San Diego.
During Spanish rule (1769–1821), the ranchos were concessions from the Spanish crown, permitting settlement and granting grazing rights on specific tracts of land, while the crown retained the title. The ranchos, that is, the settlement by individuals of tracts of land outside presidio, mission, and pueblo boundaries, began in 1784, when Juan José Domínguez got permission from Spanish Governor Pedro Fages to put his cattle on the 48,000-acre (190 km2) Rancho San Pedro. The land concessions were usually measured in leagues. A league of land would encompass a square that is one Spanish league on each side – approximately 4,428 acres (1,792 ha). The Spanish and Mexican governments made a large number of grants from 1785 to 1846.
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