Rancho Janal

History

José Antonio Estudillo (1805 – 1852), the son of José María Estudillo, was born at Monterey and became prominent in political affairs. In 1825 Estudillo married María Victoria Dominguez, daughter of Sergeant Cristobal Dominguez, who was the grantee of Rancho San Pedro. The Estudillos were absentee ranchers, living in Pueblo de San Diego. He was alcalde of San Diego in 1836-1838 and was elected as the inaugural San Diego County treasurer in 1850, although he refused the office and Philip Crosthwaite was appointed to fill the office in his place.

With the cession of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Janal was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was patented to Victoria Dominguez et al. in 1872.

Elisha Spurr Babcock, Jr., who also built Hotel del Coronado, purchased Rancho Janal in 1883, and built lower Otay Dam for the Southern California Water Company in 1900. Henry G. Fenton, a subcontractor of Babcock, bought 3000 acre of Rancho Janal in 1926.

References

References

1. Ogden Hoffman, 1862, ''Reports of Land Cases Determined in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California'', Numa Hubert, San Francisco
2. R.W. Brackett, 1939,''A History of the Ranchos of San Diego County, California'', Union Title Insurance and Trust Company.
3. [http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb109nb422&chunk.id=c01-1.3.6.4&brand=oac United States. District Court (California : Southern District) Land Case 226 SD]
4. [http://www.slc.ca.gov/Misc_Pages/Historical/Surveyors_General/reports/Willey_1884_1886.pdf Report of the Surveyor General 1844 - 1886] {{webarchive. link. (2013-03-20)