Santa Barbara County History Transcribed by Peggy Hooper This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter. All persons donating to this site retain the rights to their own work. Source: A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, California by Yda Addis Storke Published in 1891 in Chicago by the Lewis Publishing Co. RANCHOS. (Santa Ynez Valley) The Rancho San Carlos de Jonata, otherwise known as " the Buell Ranch," is a tract of land of almost square shape, comprising 26,634.31 acres, lying on the north bank of the Santa Ynes. It is estimated to contain 10,000 acres of fine, rich, sandy loam soil, well watered by the Shasta Ynes and numerous creeks. This rancho is owned by H. I. Willey and others. This is used for grazing, although the lowlands are good grain lands, suitable for corn, wheat, barley and beans. The northwest portion, known as Red Rock, contains large bodies of asphaltum as yet undeveloped. The Rancho Corral de Cuati was granted to Augustine Davila, and confirmed to Maria Antonio de la Guerra y Lataillade, 13,300.24 acres � United States patent 13,322.29 acres. The main county road runs from north to south through its eastern portion, the distance to Gaviota being twenty miles, and to Los Alamos eight miles. The surface is rolling hills, mostly tillable, but used chiefly for grazing. This rancho, together with La Zaca, carried in 1881 the following stock: horses, 20; cattle, 1,114; sheep, 3,400. The Rancho La Zaca was a grant of 4,480 acres, made to Maria Antonio de la Guerra y Lataillade in 1838 � United States patent 4,458.10 acres. Its chief industry is stock- raising. At the head of La Zaca Creek is Zaca Lake, a beautiful sheet of water of about 100 acres area, 2,000 to 3,000 feet above the sea. The College Rancho, otherwise Rancho Canada de Los Pinos, is owned by the Roman Catholic Church, being under the control of the bishops. It was a grant of 35,499 acres. The rancho is a nearly square tract of land, on the north bank of the Santa Ynes. Two living streams, the Santa Agata and the Canada de Los Pinos, flow through it. The elevation above the sea is about 596 feet. Its shipping points are Gaviota Pass and Los Alamos, each about sixteen miles distant. Some 15,000 acres are rich, arable lands, especially adapted for wheat-growing. This land has produced about 1,600 pounds of wheat to the acre. This rancho is the site of the old Santa Ynes Mission, now fallen into disuse. One mile from the mission is the College of Our Lady of Guadalupe, organized to educate missionaries for the conversion of the Indians. On this rancho is the town of Santa Ynes, already described. The Rancho San Marcos is a tract of nearly circular form, comprising 35,573.10 acres, granted to Nicholas A. Den, June 8, 1846. By the San Marcos toll-road the nearest point to Santa Barbara is twelve miles distant. Its surface is very rugged, therefore stock-raising is about the only industry practicable. Quail, pigeon, deer, bear, California lion, trout and other game is very abundant in its wild fastnesses. This rancho is owned by the Pierce Brothers. The San Marcos Sulphur Springs are found seven miles northwest of Santa Barbara. They have a temperature of 120� F., and are used locally for skin diseases, etc. The Rancho Jequepis was granted to Joaquin Villa and confirmed to Antonio- Maria Villa. It is a tract of 8,919 acres, divided into two nearly equal portions by the Santa Ynes River. The surface of this rancho is much broken, and is used almost entirely for grazing. The Rancho Los Prietos y Najalayegua was originally granted to Francisco Dominguez by the Mexican government, with very indefinite boundaries. Owing to the rugged and mountainous character of the land embraced within its confines, the rancho was considered of very little value and was not presented to the land commissioners for con- firmation. Finally falling under the control of Thomas Scott, he secured the passage of an act of Congress securing the title to said grant in 1866. Then followed several years of litigation, during which the grant owners tried to secure a location of the grant on the south side of the Santa Ynes mountains and adjacent to the pueblo lands of the city of Santa Barbara. Many settlers who had located on these lands, attempting the securing of title to them as pre-emptors and homesteaders, contended that the grant should be located north of the Santa Ynes. In the midst of this contest the development of the quicksilver interests north of the mountains gave promise of great results; and, influenced by this consideration, the grant owners consented to a location of the grant to the northward of the mountains. This was consequently done, and patents were issued accordingly. The Rancho Las Lomas de la Purificacion, lying south of and across the river from the College Rancho, was granted to Agustin Janssens, December 27, 1844, and contains 13,320 acres under United States patent. It is owned by the heirs of the T. W. Moore estate. This is chiefly grazing land. By San Marcos toll-road, which traverses the rancho, it is twenty-two miles from Santa Barbara. The Rancho Nojogui (in general wrongly written Nojoqui) adjoins the Rancho de Jonata, from which it is separated by the Santa Ynes River. It was granted to Ray- mundo Carrillo, April 27, 1843, containing 13,522.04 acres � United States patent, 13,284 acres. This rancho is finely situated in and about a well-watered canon, and along the county road leading through the mountain to the Gaviota Pass and Las Cruces. It is well watered by the Santa Ynes and its tributaries. It is owned by the Pierce Brothers, and the heirs of Dr. de la Cuesta. It contains excellent farming and grazing lands. The principal crops are wheat, flax and barley. Najogui is about eleven miles from Gaviota, twelve from Los Alamos, and forty-six from Santa Barbara. On the Canada Najogui, about five miles northeast of Las Cruces, and about 1,009 feet above the sea, are the beautiful falls of Najogui, leaping down 700 feet, which have been compared to the storied falls of Minnehaha.