|
|
|
|
|
1837 – Gov. Alvarado grants Rancho Santa Ana to Crisogono Ayala and Cosme Vanegas. The Rancho Santa Ana Land Grant
Rancho Ojai is located on the east side of the upper Ventura River. Rancho Santa Ana is located on the west side of the river.
The two Mexican land grants were made in the same year.
Crisogono Ayala submitted a petition to California governor Jose Figueroa for
Rancho Santa Ana on May 10, 1834. His
address to the governor was splendid, “Mr. Commandant General and Superior
Mayor, Citizen Jose Figueroa!” The
petition was jointly submitted by
Ayala and his father-in-law “Pablo Banegas.”
“Pablo” was his familiar name, while his formal name was Cosme.
The “B” of his last name reflects the pronunciation at the time of
“Vanegas.”
They
explained to the governor that they had “a small number of cattle . . .
amounting to nearly three hundred head.”
They requested the grant because grazing land in the Santa Barbara area
was becoming scarce, and they desired “the larger increase of our said
cattle.” They were also
interested in cultivation of “seed crops” and the planting of a vineyard.
Ayala described his fitness for the grant by explaining that he had
“the honor of having served during thirteen years the glorious career of the
arms [sic]; and the parents of both applicants praise themselves of having been
the first pioneers and settlers of the country. . . .”
The
land requested was awkwardly described as “the place known by the name of
Santa Anita [sic], upwards as far as the spot where the two sierras join as they
divide the Matilija river.” The
governor was provided with a sketched map.
The area was understood to be part of the lands of Mission San
Buenaventura. Accompanying the
petition was a letter from Father Blas Ordas, which stated that the land was
“not improved” and “vacant.”
Ayala’s petition, however, was to end in frustration.
Governor Figueroa responded on July 7, 1834, with a statement that Dona
Josefa Carrillo de Dana, Don Nicholas Gutierrez and Don Feodoro Areyanes had
also requested the same land! As a
consequence, “the proceedings on this matter shall be suspended for the
present time.”
Jose Figueroa was the seventh Mexican governor of California, and he served from
1833 to 1835. Three men followed as
governors in confusing succession: Jose Castro (1835-36), Nicolas Gutierrez
(1836), Mariano Chico (1836), and then Nicolas Gutierrez once again in the
second half of 1836.
This unsettled situation did not end until Juan Bautista Alvarado assumed the
office of governor on December 7, 1836, in what was considered by many as a
revolt against the “Supreme Government of Mexico.”
He remained in “revolt” from 1836 through July 9, 1837, when the
central government recognized the legitimacy of his holding the office.
He then continued in office through his full term until December 31,
1842. He was only 27 years old when
he became governor; and, as things turned out, he was the only Mexican governor
of upper California to serve a full term!
The
impression that Alvarado brought order out of chaos is only partially true, for
political leaders in Southern California rose up against him militarily, and he
was required to assert his authority through force of arms.
During the spring of 1837, Alvarado attended to the affairs of his office
while residing in Santa Barbara.
It was at this time that Crisogono Ayala decided to renew his request for Rancho
Santa Ana. His second petition was
dated February 10, 1837. Governor
Alvarado responded on April 14, 1837, stating that “Crisogono Ayala is hereby
declared owner and proprietor of the land called Santa Ana.”
There seems to have been some mix-up, and Cosme Vanegas (left out of the
original order) was added as a co-owner on May 10, 1837. 24
by Richard Hoye Home
| Events | History| Exhibits
| Docents
| About | Maps
| Cam | Sponsors
| Links |
