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Francisco Sanjuro / Pedro Zabala / Early Subdivison of Rancho Arroyo Seco

Interesting hand drawn map of the southern part of Rancho Arroyo Seco on the west side of the Salinas River in central Monterey County, drawn by Salinas Surveyor John Cox, dated November 14, 1876.

At the top of the map, the note "Zabala's ?? of Arroyo Seco Rancho.  As noted below, Pedro Zabala was a Basque 49er, whose home is mentioned by John Steinbeck in East of Eden.  While unmentioned on the map, the land was likely owned in whole or part by Francisco Sanjurjo, a noteworthy member of a small but influential group of well-to-do Spaniards that settled in post-Gold Rush California.

Along with Domingo Pujol and Juan Murrieta, Francisco Sanjurjo bought large tracts of California Rancho lands, developed successful livestock and farming operations thereon, while also subdividing and leasing lands. This tightly-knit community of latter-day Spanish "Californios" made substantial investments in the Salinas Valley of Monterey County, and also purchased rancho lands in San Luis Obispo County and the Temecula Valley.   Sanjurjo' was the owner of Rancho Arroyo Seco, a 16,500-acre Mexican land grant in the Salinas Valley, in modern-day Monterey County, where he was involved in stock raising, subdivision of ranch lands for sale to others, leasing agricultural lands, as well as irrigation projects and conflicts over water rights. As an absentee owner who was often tending to other business in San Francisco (he was a partner in a cigar manufacturing business there), Sanjurjo relied on farm managers, real estate brokers and attorneys to manage his Arroyo Seco affairs. 

The map is centered on the area which would become Greenfield, California, south of the Arroyo Seco River and west of the Salinas River.  The area covered by the map appears in this Diseño map of the Rancho Arroyo Seco.

The map is heavily annotated, including pencil notes showing a later division, including  the "Lower Stage Road" and"projected Railroad line and a telegraph line.  The names of local home owners, roads, the locations of houses, barns and corals and other structure are shown.  Some of the pencil notes also likely show the location of irrigation canals.

With the extension of the Southern Pacific Railroad down the Salinas Valley to Soledad in 1874, townsites grew south from Salinas, promoted by their founders with advertising in eastern and European newspapers and notices. A county directory compiled within a year of the extension of rail service to Soledad offered the following description of the landscape and its people during that transitional period.

The stage line shown is likely that of the Coast Line Stage Company, which operated the line from Soledad on the Salinas River southward across the Rancho.

The map was prepared in conjunction with the active subdivision, irrigation and ranching which was occurring in the area in the 1870s and relates to a portion of the documents archived here.

Pedro Zabala

Pedro Zabala (1824-1917), a native of Bilbao, was a 49er who came to California via Chile, arriving in San Francisco on February 20, 1849. After a stint in the mines, he opted to settle in Monterey County where he focused on farming and cattle ranching.

Zabala married Anna Hartnell, daughter of pioneer William E. P. Hartnell, in 1859.  They had 15 children (only six of whom would eventually survive their hearty Basque progenitor). John Steinbeck, who was born in Salinas, mentions a Zabala House in his book East of Eden: “He walked to Stone Street where the Catholic church is and turned left, went past the Carriaga house, the Wilson house, the Zabala house, and turned left on Central Avenue at the Steinbeck house.”

Rancho Arroyo Seco  / Greenfield, California

José Joaquín de la Torre, a former alcalde of Monterey and secretary to Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá, was granted Rancho Bolsa del Potrero y Moro Cojo in 1822 by Governor Solá and Rancho Arroyo Seco in 1840 by Governor Alvarado. In 1845, under Alvarado's orders, de la Torre led a successful raid on Los Angeles, capturing several political figures. De la Torre also commanded troops in the 1846 Battle of Olompali.

After California was ceded to the United States post the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ensured land grants would be honored. De la Torre filed a claim for Rancho Arroyo Seco in 1852 under the Land Act of 1851, and the grant was patented to him in 1859.

In 1902, John S. Clark and the California Home Extension Association purchased 4,000 acres from the historic Rancho Arroyo Seco, land originally deeded to Joaquín de la Torre in 1840 during the Mexican land grant era. This acquisition was aimed at creating a new community in California.

By 1905, this land was put up for public sale in Los Angeles. Individuals had the opportunity to buy parcels: one acre with water rights for approximately $37.50, and an additional offer included a town lot with any purchase of 2.5 acres, integrating residential and agricultural prospects for new settlers.

Clark didn't just acquire the land; he also ensured the water rights, forming the Clark Colony Water Company to oversee the distribution of water from Arroyo Seco, crucial for the settlement's agriculture and sustainability.

The fertile conditions and reliable water supply attracted settlers from various backgrounds, notably Danish and Swiss, transforming the area into a diverse community. The intended name for the town, "Clark City," was rejected by the U.S. Postal Service due to the redundancy of names in California. Instead, the settlement was named after Edward Greenfield, a prominent figure and president of the California Home Extension Association, marking his influence and legacy in the region's development.