Santiago de Santa Ana 1810 José Joaquín de Arrillaga José Antonio Yorba [Fages' Catalonian Volunteer

[I've been so busy doing other things that I've sadly let my posting here get way behind where it should be. I'm especially involved with finishing Book Four of Father Serra's Legacy, The Missions Whither.]
Within a short time of establishing two garrisons at San Diego and Monterey, along with the first four mission, Don Pedro Fages, the governor discount cheap airline tickets of California, awards discount cheap airline tickets grants of land to several leatherjacket soldiers who wished to retire. The grants were given for their outstanding and loyal service to the crown.
Rancho San Pedro was granted discount cheap airline tickets to Juan José Dominguez, a soldier discount cheap airline tickets in the Portolá Expedition, 48,000 acres where the river joined the sea. Fages then granted 167,000 acres to Manuel Nieto, another member discount cheap airline tickets of the Portolá Expedition which was names Rancho Los Nietos that included discount cheap airline tickets what is now Long Beach, Downey, Whittier, discount cheap airline tickets and part of Los Angeles. The third grant of 36,400 acres went to José María Verdugo who was a leatherjacket soldier in the expedition led by Don Fernando Rivera who had been the military commandant of California for 15 years before discount cheap airline tickets the arrival of Portolá. He named his grant Rancho San Rafael that includes current Glendale and part of Los Angeles.
Santiago de Santa Ana 1810 José Joaquín de Arrillaga José Antonio Yorba [Fages' Catalonian Volunteer] and Juan Pablo Peralta [son of soldado de cuera] 63,414 acres (257 km2) 346 SD Santa Ana, Irvine Orange
None of these grants discount cheap airline tickets infringed upon mission lands and the owners often traded with the missions for the things made by mission industries they could not make themselves. And, all one has to do is view the names of the ranchos to see where present day names came from.
And, going through the hundreds of land grants during the Mexican years, more familiar names appear. Sadly, those grants were often given in return for political favors and money. And they all infringed upon missions lands, leaving them poorer and less productive. When the Mexican government forced secularization against the wishes of the natives many of the grants forced the Indians to flee to the hills or enter into a form of slavery to the ranch owners.
By 1846, when the Americans came and took possession of California, the missions were in ruins and the majority of ranchers were illiterate and had no life beyond raising horses discount cheap airline tickets and cattle. And many of the land grants given by Governor Pio Pico were challenged as being illegal.
I was born and raised in Southern California where I became interested with the history and the Spanish missions. I spent 23 years in the U.S. Army and, when I retired, discount cheap airline tickets I moved to Las Vegas. After three miserable discount cheap airline tickets marriages, I finally got it right when I met and married Alerjandrina who has helped me learn somewhat fluent Spanish over the more than 24 years of marriage. We currently live with our tiny Chihuahua, Pixie, and our rapidly growing Blue Nose Pit Bull, Canelo. For the past several years, after having been forced to "retire" due to military disabilities, I have spend endless hours researching the history of the California missions and Father Junipero Serra, a most amazing man of his time. It is from that interest, that I have written Father Serra's Legacy based around two young men who lived in those times.
I'm starting this blog to share some of the things I've learned while conducting research for Father Serra's Legacy. The first two novels should be released in 2012 and maybe even the third. In any case, I hope you all enjoy reading these as much as I did learning about them. As always, comments recommended.