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The County of Orange was established in 1889 by founders William Spurgeon and James McFadden. The City of Santa Ana became the county seat the same year. Prior to its formation, the Orange County lands were part of Los Angeles County .
Further back in history, California lands were organized into Spanish land grants or "Ranchos". In the case of Orange County, there is record of José Antonio Yorba and Juan Pablo Peralta (nephew) being granted Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana in 1810, year of the commencement of the war of Mexican Independence . Santiago de Santa Ana is recorded as the only Orange County land grant given under Spanish Rule .
Other surrounding land grants in Orange County were granted and recorded after 1821, that is, after the war of Mexican Independence and by the Mexican government. Some modern day cities in Orange County retain the names of the Mexican land grants as agreed upon in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo .
List of Orange County Ranchos [ edit ]
Grant
Granted
Grantor
Grantee
Area(s)
Rancho Los Nietos
1784, 1833 partitioned into 5 ranchos
Spanish Governor Pedro Fages , partition by Mexican Governor José Figueroa
José Manuel Nieto
Ranchos: Los Alamitos , Las Bolsas , Los Cerritos , Los Coyotes , Santa Gertrudes , Rancho Palo Alto
Santiago de Santa Ana
1810
Spanish King Ferdinand VII -Governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga
José Antonio Yorba
Santa Ana , Costa Mesa , Orange , Tustin , El Modena , Olive
Cañón de Santa Ana
1834
Mexican Governor José Figueroa
Bernardo Yorba
Yorba Linda , Yorba Hacienda
Los Alamitos
1834
Mexican Governor José Figueroa
Abel Stearns
Los Alamitos , Long Beach , Seal Beach
Las Bolsas
1834
Mexican Governor José Figueroa
Maria Catarina Ruiz
Huntington Beach , Westminster , Garden Grove ,
Los Coyotes
1834
Mexican Governor José Figueroa
Juan José Nieto
Buena Park , Stanton , Cerritos , La Mirada
San Juan Cajón de Santa Ana
1837
Mexican Governor Juan Alvarado
Juan Pacífico Ontiveros
Anaheim , Fullerton , Placentia
La Habra
1839
Mexican Governor Juan Alvarado
Mariano Reyes Roldan
La Habra
La Bolsa Chica
1841
Mexican Governor Juan Alvarado
Joaquín Ruíz
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve , Huntington Beach , Sunset Beach
San Joaquín
1842
Mexican Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado
José Antonio Andres Sepúlveda
Upper Newport Bay , Newport Beach , Corona del mar , southern Irvine
Niguel
1842
Mexican Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado
Juan Ávila
Laguna Canyon , Laguna Niguel , Laguna Beach , Laguna Hills , Dana Point
Cañada de Los Alisos
Mexican Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado
Jose Antonio Fernando Serrano
Lake Forest , Irvine , Orange County Great Park , Jose Serrano Adobe , Orange County District 5.
Misión Vieja
1845
Mexican Governor Pío Pico
John (Don Juan) Forster
Mission Viejo ; San Juan Capistrano —(on land to south with no title grant)
Boca de la Playa
1846
Mexican Governor Pío Pico
Emigdio Vejar
San Clemente ; Dana Point and Capistrano Beach —(on land to west with no title grant)
Lomas de Santiago
1846
Mexican Governor Pío Pico
Teodosio Yorba
Northern Irvine , Silverado , Modjeska Canyon , Black Star Canyon
Trabuco
1846
Mexican Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado
Santiago Argüello
Trabuco Canyon , Coto de Caza , Trabuco Creek
References [ edit ] Beers, Henry Putney, (1979). Spanish & Mexican records of the American Southwest : a bibliographical guide to archive and manuscript sources , University of Arizona Press, Tucson
Pleasants, Adelene (1931). History of Orange County, California. Vol. 1 , Los Angeles, CA : J. R. Finnell & Sons Publishing Company External links [ edit ] See also [ edit ] 
