Capitan Grande Reservation

The Capitan Grande Reservation is a Kumeyaay Indian reservation in San Diego County, California, jointly controlled by the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians and the Viejas Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians.

[3] The reservation was created by President Ulysses S. Grant, via executive order in 1875 for local Kumeyaay people.

[1] Its name comes from the Spanish Coapan, which was what the area west of the San Diego River was called in the 19th century.

[2] In 1931, the state flooded the heart of the reservation, creating El Capitan Reservoir.

[3] Many Kumeyaay families had homes in the flood zone, and they petitioned Congress to prevent the loss of their land; however, Congress gave San Diego the right to buy the land without the local Kumeyaays' knowledge or consent.