Rancho San Francisco was a land grant in present day northwestern Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County, California. It was of 48,612 acres (196.7 km2) by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Antonio del Valle, a Mexican army officer, in recognition for his service to the state of Alta California. It is not related to the city of San Francisco.
The rancho was the location of the first documented discovery of gold in California in 1842, in Placerita Canyon. The current cities of Santa Clarita and Piru lie within the boundaries of Rancho San Francisco, later known as the Newhall Ranch. The adobe headquarters of the rancho, and the site of the discovery of gold (known today as the "Oak of the Golden Dream"), are designated California Historical Landmarks. The rancho included portions of the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, Topatopa, and Sierra Pelona Mountain ranges.
Read more about Rancho San Francisco: Early History, Gold Discovery, Later History, Historic Designations
Famous quotes containing the words san francisco, san and/or francisco:
“San Francisco is where gay fantasies come true, and the problem the city presents is whether, after all, we wanted these particular dreams to be fulfilled—or would we have preferred others? Did we know what price these dreams would exact? Did we anticipate the ways in which, vivid and continuous, they would unsuit us for the business of daily life? Or should our notion of daily life itself be transformed?”
—Edmund White (b. 1940)
“Mining today is an affair of mathematics, of finance, of the latest in engineering skill. Cautious men behind polished desks in San Francisco figure out in advance the amount of metal to a cubic yard, the number of yards washed a day, the cost of each operation. They have no need of grubstakes.”
—Merle Colby, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“Swan/Mary Rutledge: Oh no, no. I’m not running away. I came here to get something, and I’m going to get it.
Col. Cobb: Yes, but San Francisco is no place for a woman.
Swan: Why not? I’m not afraid. I like the fog. I like this new world. I like the noise of something happening.... I’m tired of dreaming, Colonel Cobb. I’m staying. I’m staying and holding out my hands for gold—bright, yellow gold.”
—Ben Hecht (1893–1964)