Rancho San Jose was a 22,340-acre (90.4 km²) Mexican land grant to Ygnacio Palomares and Ricardo Vejar created in 1837 in northeastern Los Angeles County. The Rancho San Jose covered much of eastern Los Angeles County. Today, the communities of Pomona, LaVerne, San Dimas, Diamond Bar, Azusa, Covina, Walnut, Glendora, and Claremont are built in whole or part on land that was once part of the Rancho San Jose.^[1][2][3]

Contents 1 History 2 Historic sites of the Rancho 3 Ygnacio Palomares 4 Ricardo Vejar 5 Luis Arenas 6 References

[edit] History

Ygnacio Palomares and Ricardo Vejar, both sons of native Spaniards, owned a considerable amount of horses and cattle, which they kept at Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas owned by Maria Rita Valdez de Villa. The place was too crowded for the livestock of three families, so Palomares and Vejar sought to get their own land.

In 1837, Mexican Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado granted the land to Palomares and Vejar. The Rancho was created out of land seized from the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in 1834 as part of the Mexican government's decree of secularization. The boundaries were laid out by Palomares and Vejar on March 19, 1837, the feast day of St. Joseph, thus leading the men to name the ranch after the saint.^[4] Father José Maria de Zalvidea accompanied the party from the San Gabriel Mission, performing the first Christian religious ceremony in the Pomona Valley when he performed a benediction for settlers of the rancho under an oak tree located at what is now 458 Kenoak Place in Pomona.^[4]

Luis Arenas, Ygancio Palomares' brother-in-law, joined up with Palomares and Vejar, and they petitioned governor Juan Alvarado for additional grazing lands. The 1 league (4,431-acre (17.93 km²)) addition was granted on March 14, 1840 and became known as the San Jose Addition. In 1846, Arenas sold his one third share to Henry Dalton of Rancho Azusa de Dalton.

A claim was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1852 and the grant was patented to Dalton, Palomares and Vejar in 1875.^[5][6][7][8]

Palomares and Vejar conducted a sheep and cattle ranch on the Rancho San Jose land, also growing crops for consumption by the residents of the ranch. In the early 1860, a severe drought struck the Los Angeles area, and decimated the ranch's population of sheep and cattle. Ygancio Palomares died in 1864, and his widow began selling the ranch land in 1865. Vejar lost his share by foreclosure to two Los Angeles merchants, Isaac Schlesinger and Hyman Tischler, in 1864. In 1866, they sold the ranch Louis Phillips.^[9]

[edit] Historic sites of the Rancho

Due in part to the slower growth of eastern Los Angeles County, and the early activities of the Historical Society of Pomona Valley, many of the historic buildings of the Rancho San Jose remain in existence today, several of them operated by the Historical Society. Historic sites of Rancho San Jose include the following:

• La Casa Primera de Rancho San Jose - the original adobe home of Ygnacio Palomares built in 1837; now operated by the Historical Society of Pomona Valley
• La Casa Alvardo - an adobe home built in 1840 by Palomares' close friend, Yganacio Alvarado, near the Casa Primera
• Ygnacio Palomares Adobe - the second and larger adobe home built by Ygnacio Palomares between 1850 and 1855; now operated by the Historical Society of Pomona Valley
• Phillips Mansion - mansion built in 1875 by Louis Phillips, who bought 12,000 acres (49 km²) consisting of the southern part of the Rancho in 1864; Phillips went on to become the richest man in Los Angeles County; the mansion is now operated by the Historic Society of Pomona Valley
• San Dimas Hotel - railroad hotel built by the San Jose Ranch Company in 1887 in anticipation of a land boom that went bust; the hotel never had a paying guest and became a private residence; now operated by the City of San Dimas

[edit] Ygnacio Palomares

Ygnacio Palomares ( - 1864) was the son of Cristobal Palomares. Ygnacio Palomares married Maria Concepcion Lopez in 1832. Ygnacio Palomares was active in Los Angeles politics in the 1830s and 1840s. He served as Juez de Campo (Country Judge) in 1834, and in 1840. He was Juez de Paz (Justice of the Peace) in 1841 and a regidor (councilman) in 1835, and again in 1838. He was an elector in 1843, voting for Santa Ana for the President of Mexico. In 1844, he was Captain of the Defensores (militia) and the following year he served as an alternate in the assembly. He was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1848.

[edit] Ricardo Vejar

Nepomuceno Ricardo Vejar (1805 - 1882) was born in San Diego, the son of Francisco Salvador Vejar, a soldier in San Diego. The family moved to Los Angeles (Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas) in 1810. Ricardo Vejar served as Juez de Campo (Country Judge) in Los Angeles in 1833. Ricardo Vejar married Maria Bendita Soto. Vejar owned a one third share of Rancho San Jose and was also the owner of Rancho Los Nogales. Vejar was compelled to give up the deed to his section of Rancho San Jose to his creditors in 1864. He lived the rest of his years in the Spadra area with his family. He died in poverty in 1882.

[edit] Luis Arenas

Luis Arenas came to California, possibly in 1834, with a group of colonists. He was married to Josefa Palomares (1815 - 1901)^[10], the sister of Ygnacio Palomares. He was the alcalde of Los Angeles in 1838. On November 8, 1841, Luis Arenas received the Rancho El Susa land grant from Governor (pro-tem) Manuel Jimeno. In 1844 Henry Dalton purchased El Susa from Arenas, and also Arenas one third interest in Rancho San Jose. Luis Arenas son, Cayetano Arenas, was secretary to Governor Pio Pico and was the grantee of Rancho San Mateo.

[edit] References

• Rancho San Jose

Coordinates: 34°09′00″N 117°47′24″W / 34.150°N 117.790°W / 34.150; -117.790