Rancho San José y Sur Chiquito
She later transferred the title to a group of about 10 Mexican soldiers at no cost, who according to legend might have received it in payment of a gambling debt incurred by José Abrego.
The land was by then used by Chinese, Japanese, Azores, and Anglos for a variety of purposes, including ranching, dairy, farming, mining, whaling, a granite quarry, and an abalone cannery.
The village, named Ichxenta, was occupied until the end of the Carmel Mission era, when the native population was decimated by disease and forced assimilation.
[8][9] Governor Juan Alvarado granted two square leagues of land in 1839 to Marcelino Escobar, Alcalde (or mayor) of Monterey.
It was named for two bodies of water: San José Creek near Point Lobos and El Río Chiquito del Sur.
[10] Two of Escobar's ten children, Juan and Agustin, obtained possession of the rancho shortly afterward, and sold it on August 26, 1841 to Doňa Maria Josefa de Abrego for about three cents an acre.
[7][8] She later transferred the title to a group of about 10 Mexican soldiers at no cost, who according to legend might have received it in payment of a gambling debt incurred by José Abrego.
[11] While waiting for his case to be decided, Castro sold his 8,876 acres of land in 1854 to Joseph S. Emery and Abner Bassett for $700, leaving to them the legal fight for ownership.
[12][13] The Public Land Commission denied Castro's claim on August 28, 1855, apparently invalidating Escobar's grant in 1839 and all transactions since then.
President Grover Cleveland signed the land patent on May 4, 1888, 35 years after Castro filed his original claim with the court.
[16] On September 6, 1888, shortly after the patent for Rancho San Jose y Sur Chiquito was approved, all those excepting Gregg and the squatters banded together to form the Carmelo Land and Coal Company.
In 1899 he had a narrow gauge railroad built from nearby San Jose Beach to Coal Chute Point to transport sand for shipment by sea to glass manufacturers in Alameda.
He obtained "two leagues" totaling about 4,400 acres (1,800 ha) on March 7, 1889, including the land from the Carmel River to Sobranes Creek on the south, and from the Pacific Ocean to the coastal mountains on the east.
Over time the ranch grew to 1,800 acres (730 ha), from south of the Carmel River past San Jose Creek and included all of the Yankee Point area.
[24] The ranch extended from the coast along the east side of Highway 1 and over the 1,300 foot (400 m) coastal ridge into Malpaso Creek Canyon.
[32][33] The California State Coastal Conservancy bought two parcels of the ranch totaling 100 acres (40 ha) in the 1980s along with land at Kasler Point west of Highway 1.
Their goal was to demonstrate the effectiveness of Monterey County's transfer of development credit (TDC) program, which was implemented as part of the 1986 Big Sur Coast Land Use Plan.
But after giving up the right to build a home on Kasler Point, the Conservancy was unable to convert the resulting two development credits on Victorine Ranch.
[25] Allan and his wife Satie appreciated the natural beauty of the point and were concerned about the growing number of visitors who wanted to see the rare Monterey Cypress trees and scenic coastline.
In 1899, they put up toll gates, prohibited camping, and charged visitors 50 cents a vehicle (about $10 today) to enter the point.
[7] Duncan McDuffie of the Save-the-Redwoods League hired the internationally known landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to research Point Lobos and report on the areas most noteworthy of preservation.
Olmsted's report described Point Lobos as "the most outstanding example on the coast of California of picturesque rock and surf scenery in combination with unique vegetation, including typical Monterey cypress.
"[36] Point Lobos gained the attention of the newly established California State Park system, who considered taking the land using eminent domain.
The state promptly set about erasing evidence of human intrusion on the land, removing man-made structures like the abalone cannery, the railroad used to haul sand, and a number of homes and shacks, excepting a single fisherman's cabin.
The 9,898 acres (4,006 ha) property stretches southeast about 11 miles (18 km) from the Carmel River south to the Los Padres National Forest.
Environmentalists were concerned that it would be converted to an estate-type development like that done for Rancho San Carlos (later named the Santa Lucia Preserve) next to the Palo Corona Ranch.
[43] The Park district and the DPR have joined to purchase the remaining 2,088-acre middle portion of the ranch from The Nature Conservancy and the Big Sur Land Trust for its appraised value of $10.2 million.
[45][46]: 325 The "front range" portion of the ranch at the mouth of the Carmel River had been originally owned by Joseph W. Gregg when Castro's patent was approved.
[48][49] The land contains one of the world's largest native Monterey Pine forests, endangered Gowen cypress, and rare maritime chaparral plant community.
[41] A consortium of local agencies and non-profits signed a memorandum of understanding in 2017 that they will work together to open up the connected properties to the public.
