Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining clai... Page 1 of 254 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining claims, railroad grants, land scrip, homesteads" See other formats https://archive.org/stream/landincalifornia00robirich/landincalifornia00robirich_djvu.txt 11/28/2016 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining clai... Page 2 of 254 LAND IN CALIFORNIA The story of mission lands, Spanish and Mexi­ can ranches, squatter rights, mining claims, rail­ road grants, land scrip, homesteads, tidelands. By W.W.ROBINSON LAND IN CALIFORNIA By W.W.ROBINSON The story of land ownership in California from the days when the Indians were in possession to the present. The author discusses the mis­ sionary empire, the ranches under Spain and Mexico, the role of the United States Land Commission, the squatter movement, mining claims, railroad lands, and the title stories of San Francisco and Los Angeles. He also describes the various types of land allocations, including homesteads, preemption claims, desert entries, military bounty warrants, federal townsites, swamp and overflowed lands, national forests, and tidelands. In addition, this book includes the story of California's settlers, subdividers, and title companies. The material is drawn from origi­ nal sources, including printed ma­ terial and manuscripts found in archives, official records, the files of title companies, and libraries. A volume in the Chronicles of https://archive.org/stream/landincalifornia00robirich/landincalifornia00robirich_djvu.txt 11/28/2016 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining clai... Page 3 of 254 California. ws. ' From the collection of the 111 relinger v jibrary t P San Francisco, California 2007 LAND IN CALIFORNIA Chronicles of California LAND IN CALIFORNIA https://archive.org/stream/landincalifornia00robirich/landincalifornia00robirich_djvu.txt 11/28/2016 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining clai... Page 4 of 254 THE STORY OF MISSION LANDS RANCHOS, SQUATTERS, MINING CLAIMS, RAILROAD GRANTS LAND SCRIP, HOMESTEADS By W.W.ROBINSON UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley and Los Angeles UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS BERKELEY AND LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON, ENGLAND COPYRIGHT, 1948, BY THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO MY WIFE IRENE ROBINSON Foreword THE CHRONICLES OF CALIFORNIA are projected as a series in which qualified scholars may https://archive.org/stream/landincalifornia00robirich/landincalifornia00robirich_djvu.txt 11/28/2016 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining clai... Page 5 of 254 write on well­defined segments of the state's his­ tory. Some books, like the present one, will follow a particular theme through the whole span from earliest times to the present. Others will develop subjects that are chronologically more compact, such as the story of the discovery of gold and the Gold Rush. Conjointly the volumes will touch on practically all phases of California's experience. This series is under the general editorship of Herbert E. Bolton and John W. Caughey. It is launched by the University of California as an enduring commemoration of the state's centen­ nial. Preface IN THE collection and choice of material for Land in California, and in its writing, I am indebted to many persons, some of whom gave good advice upon the preparation of the manuscript as a whole, others of whom lent a hand upon particular parts. John Walton Caughey suggested the project and was most helpful in keeping me in the straight and narrow path during the course of my effort. Herbert Eugene Bolton, with encouragement and counsel, and Robert Glass Cleland, with friendly and interested assistance, played important parts in enabling me to carry through this study. Frederick Webb Hodge was generous with help on the Indian phase, J. N. Bowman gave excellent pointers and helped me avoid some pitfalls on rancho and Land Commission subjects. Leslie E. Bliss, Robert O. Schad, and Carey S. Bliss, of the Huntington Library; George P. Hammond and Eleanor Bancroft, of the Bancroft Library; Mabel R. Gillis, of the California State Library; Lawrence Clark Powell, of the University of California Library, Los An­ geles; Laura C. Cooley, of the Los Angeles Public Library; Anna Begue Packman, Secretary of the Historical Society of Southern California; Helen S. Giffen, of the Society of California Pioneers; and Ella L. Robinson, of the South­ west Museum Library, were all good enough to place in­ teresting and important library resources at my disposal. https://archive.org/stream/landincalifornia00robirich/landincalifornia00robirich_djvu.txt 11/28/2016 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining clai... Page 6 of 254 C. W. Calbreath, of the United States District Court, San Francisco; P. M. Hamer and W. L. G. Joerg, of the National Archives, Washington, D.C.; Joel David Wolf­ sohn, of the Bureau of Land Management, Washington, Oil x Preface D.C.; and D. M. B. Peatross, of the Public Survey Office, Glendale, extended their help. Charles K. Adams and W. W. Reyburn threw light on railroad titles. Robert J. Woods allowed me to browse contentedly in his lush Californiana. William W. Clary was generous with his material on tidelands. A number of men in the title insurance business in various California cities gave special help, among them: Benj. J. Henley and the late Donzel Stoney, of San Fran­ cisco; Jos. D. Forward and George Heyneman, of San Diego; W. W. McEuen, of El Centro; Allen S. Mob ley, of San Luis Obispo; L. R. Petti John, of Hanford; C. J. Hironymous, of Stockton; Stuart O'Melveny, W. Herbert Allen, Walter Clark, Lawrence Otis, and Ben Utter, of Los Angeles; George P. Anderson, of Ukiah; Geo. A. Parker, of Santa Ana; and Floyd Cerini, Executive Secre­ tary of the California Land Title Association. In the reprinting of part of "The Strange Case of Thomas Valentine" permission was obtained from the Automobile Club of Southern California, through Phil Townsend Hanna, editor and general manager of West­ ways, in which the article originally appeared. Through the courtesy of Edward Weston, three of his photographs are used. The drawings for the chapter vignettes are the work of Irene Robinson. Title Insurance and Trust Company, Los Angeles, also permitted reproduction of a number of pictures from its Historical Collection. Constance Riebe gave secretarial assistance. Lucie E. N. Dobbie, University of California Press, gave editorial help. W. W. ROBINSON https://archive.org/stream/landincalifornia00robirich/landincalifornia00robirich_djvu.txt 11/28/2016 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining clai... Page 7 of 254 Los Angeles, 1948 Contents CHAPTER PAGE I. Whose California? i II. First Owners 5 III. Missionary Empire 23 IV. Four Square Leagues 33 V. First Rancheros . 45 VI. Gifts of Land 59 VII. Chain of Title 73 VIII. The Land Commission 91 IX. Shotgun Titles 111 X. Titles in El Dorado 133 XI. Land Grants to Railroads 147 XII. Land for Settlers 163 XIII. Land Scrip 177 XIV. The State as Owner 185 XV. Buying and Selling California 199 XVI. Insurance of Title 213 XVII. Title Story of Two Cities 229 APPENDIX I. Boundary and Property Provisions of the https://archive.org/stream/landincalifornia00robirich/landincalifornia00robirich_djvu.txt 11/28/2016 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining clai... Page 8 of 254 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 249 II. Act for the Admission of California into the Union 252 III. Act to Ascertain and Settle the Private Land Claims in the State of California 253 BIBLIOGRAPHY 259 INDEX 275 Illustrations PAGE Diseno showing Cahuenga Pass and part of the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles County 47 Diseno of Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres, Los Angeles County 54 Diseno of Canada de los Nogales, Los Angeles County . 62 California in 1846 68 Diseno of Rancho Canada de los Alisos, Orange County 70 Diseno of Rancho La Merced, Los Angeles County . 96 Diseno of Rancho Tajauta, Los Angeles County . 104 Diseno of Rancho Santa Anita, Los Angeles County . 108 The Ygnacio Martinez Adobe, Rancho El Pinole, Contra Costa County 117 The Raimundo Yorba Adobe, Rancho Rincon, San Bernardino County 117 https://archive.org/stream/landincalifornia00robirich/landincalifornia00robirich_djvu.txt 11/28/2016 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining clai... Page 9 of 254 New Almaden Mining Camp, Santa Clara County . 118 Store at New Almaden 118 John Temple's Conveyance of Rancho Los Cerritos, 1866 119 Bodega Coast, by Edward Weston 120 Tomato Field, Monterey County, by Edward Weston . 120 Owens Valley, by Edward Weston 121 Foothill Scene, Southern California 121 San Francisco Water Lots, 1856 122 Oil Wells at Summerland, Santa Barbara County . 122 Transfer of Valentine Land Scrip, 1875 123 San Luis Obispo, about 1890 124 Claremont and Mt. San Antonio, about 1907 . 124 [xiii] CHAPTER I Whose California? THE STORY OF California can be told in terms of its land. Better still, it can be told in terms of men and women claiming the land. These men and women form a pro­ cession that begins in prehistory and comes down to the present moment. Heading the procession are Indians, stemming out of a mysterious past, speaking a babel of tongues, and laying claims to certain hunting, fishing, and acorn­gathering areas possessory claims doomed to fade quickly before conquering white races. https://archive.org/stream/landincalifornia00robirich/landincalifornia00robirich_djvu.txt 11/28/2016 Full text of "Land in California, the story of mission land, ranches, squatters, mining cl... Page 10 of 254 Following the brown­skinned Indians are Spanish­ speaking soldiers, settlers, and missionaries who, in 1769, began coming up through Lower California and taking over the fertile coast valleys and the harbors of California.