Livestock have grazed on the grasslands of Southern California from the time the first Europeans arrived in the 1700s until the present day. Within a few years of the establishment of the first Spanish missions, thousands of horses,...
moreLivestock have grazed on the grasslands of Southern California from the time the first Europeans arrived in the 1700s until the present day. Within a few years of the establishment of the first Spanish missions, thousands of horses, cattle, and sheep grazed on the coastal mesas, inland valleys, and mountain foothills. After the Mexican revolution in 1821 and the subsequent secularization of the missions, the California rancheros continued raising livestock on the open range. Thus, during the Spanish and Mexican periods, from the 1770s until the 1840s, the base economy of California depended on open-range cattle. During this time, cattle were primarily raised for their hides, some used locally, but the majority brought by the thousands to the coastal ports and traded to Americans for transport to the United States East Coast. After the American takeover of California in 1848 and the discovery of gold in Northern California the following year, the cattle industry continued to prosper by producing meat to feed the thousands of emigrants and gold-rushers in Northern California. Although impacted by droughts in the 1860s, the cattle meat industry continued to be viable until the 1880s. In the late nineteenth century, as a result of the rampant promotion of Southern California by land speculators and several years of exceptional rains that supported dry-land farming, much of the prime agricultural land of Southern California was homesteaded by American farming families. These farmlands were the former free-range livestock pastures of the Spanish, Californio, and earliest American settlers. Although dry spells at the end of the century forced many families to give up dry farming and some farm areas reverted to livestock grazing, most of the livestock industry was concentrated in the interior of Southern California by the turn of the twentieth century. Many of these lands were the former ranchos of the Mexican period that had transferred to American ownership from the 1860s through the 1880s. Large tracts such as Jamul, Cuyamaca, Cuyamaca, Laguna, Santa Maria (Ramona), San Vicente, Santa Ysabel, San José (Warner's), and San Felipe continued as large cattle enterprises into the twentieth century. During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, there were new challenges to maintaining a viable ranching enterprise that necessitated constant flexibility, egotiation, and adaptation. One recurrent theme is the movement of cattle throughout the inland ranges to take advantage of seasonal pasturage and to meet business needs. Another recurrent theme of this period’s ranching history is the interpersonal negotiation and cooperation that were inherent in such a flexible and adaptive system. Twentieth-century ranching in Southern California was significant economically. However, it was also interwoven with a vibrant social system that maintained the family and friendship ties within which the economic system operated. After World War II, increasing population and escalating land values put tremendous pressure on the Southern California cattle industry. The few remaining coastal ranches, such as Peñasquitos and Rancho Bernardo, were sold in the 1960s and 1970s for residential and commercial development. Many of the inland ranches were subdivided to distribute to children and grandchildren. Children who had no interest in continuing ranching in Southern California often sold their portions. In contrast to the coastal situation, the backcountry ranches have primarily been sold to land preservation conservancies and public agencies. It is the premise of this study that the story of ranching in the San Diego region is important historically. Equally important, however, the ranching story contains important lessons for today’s world. First it is the story of a foundation economy for Southern California’s “cow counties” explaining much about how the San Diego county region developed into its present form. Second, it is a story of how an industry adapted to the variable environmental conditions in the San Diego region. Third, ranching history tells the story of incredibly hardy and resourceful people who, faced with challenges and shortages, figured out a way to “make it work.” Thy were the original recyclers. Fourth, ranching is the story of how economic, social, and family ties blended together to form the fabric of a community, a concept that is particularly relevant to today’s fragmented society. And finally, ranching has left an indelible imprint on the environment that, for better or worse, needs to be acknowledged, understood, and considered in land management planning. For these reasons, which will be further explored in the pages of this report, ranching history and its physical remains on the landscape are important cultural resources that need to be preserved in the San Diego region.
