Sign In

19th Century Rancho El Cajon Partition Map

Finely executed hand drawn 19th Century copy of G.M. Wheeler's map illustrating the Partition of Rancho El Cajon, covering a significant portion of El Cajon and neighboring communities East of San Diego.

The map illustrates the earliest subdivisions of  Rancho El Cajon, undertaken as part of the process which resulted in the confirmation of these lands to their owners by the State of California, following the cession of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War.

The map outlines the location of Rancho El Cajon, its principal sudivisions, topographical features, roads and the location of many of its earliest residents.  The recently surveyed San Bernardino Meridian is also shown running through the map.

The map shows the earliset dam, a number of Adobe houses, springs and other man made features.

Within the map, a number of early residents are noted, including:

• (Levi) Chase
• (Isaac) Lankershim
• White Adobe
• Tasker
• Bower
• Meredith
• Little
• Lamb
• Clark
• A number of Hills
• Magee
• Lewis
• Ward

The present example was part of the archive of an early San Diego Real Estate lawyer and was likely used in connection with litgation involving an early San Diego Railroad line.

Rancho El Cajon

Rancho El Cajon was originally part of the lands of the San Diego Mission, which was part of an eleven square league grant to  María Antonia Estudillo, wife of Miguel Pedrorena in 1845. The grant was originally called Rancho Santa Monica, and later renamed Rancho El Cajon. Miguel Pedrorena (1808–1850), a native of Madrid, Spain, who came to California from Peru in 1838, operated a trading business. He married María Antonia Estudillo, daughter of José Antonio Estudillo, alcalde of San Diego. 

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 El Cajon was filed by Thomas W. Sutherland, guardian of Pedrorena's heirs (his son, Miguel, and his three daughters, Victoria, Ysabel and Elenain) with the Public Land Commission in 1852, confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the grant was patented in 1876.

In 1868, Los Angeles land developer Isaac Lankershim (location named on the map) bought the bulk of the Pedrorena's Rancho El Cajon holdings, employing Major Levi Chase, a former Union Army officer, as his agent. Chase received from Lankershim 7,624 acres  known as the Chase Ranch. Lankershim hired Amaziah L. Knox, a New Englander whom he had met in San Francisco, to manage Rancho El Cajon.

Rarity

The map is very rare.  The El Cajon Historical Society likely also holds a copy of the map.