Description
The collection consists of materials concerning the review of several Mexican and Spanish land grant claims in California
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The three ranchos represented in the collection are: Rancho Santiago
de Santa Ana (Orange County, Calif.), Rancho Lomas de Santiago (Orange County, Calif.), and Rancho Arroyo Seco (Sacramento
County, Calif.).
Background
Following the end of the U.S.-Mexico War, the signing of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, and the entry of California
into the union in 1850, the United States Land Commission proceeded to evaluate and review all extant land ownership titles
in the state. Because many California ranchos had been granted to individuals before 1850, the Land Commission found itself
reviewing over eight hundred Mexican-era land grant claims concerning private ownership of the ranchos in California to determine
their boundaries and title under the United States government.
Availability
Collection is open for research.