The Ranch Era - Lake Forest, CA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The plaque says, "California's mission system lasted 65 years. by 1834, the adobe buildings and walls had begun to decay and the labor force was all but gone. Having already broken away from Spanish rule, Mexico confiscated the mission's assets and acreage, redistributing them as privately-owned ranchos.

Retired soldiers and other petitioned the Mexican governor of California, Pio Pico, for their own land grants. In 1842, one of those soldiers, Jose Antonio Fernando Serrano, received Rancho Cañada de los Alisos. Spanning nearly 11,000 acres, it included the land you are standing on. The Serrano family built five adobe homes on their rancho, including this one. Life on the rancho revolved around managing crops, cattle, and prizes racing horses. As with the Acjachement and Tongva, it also meant relying on local natural resources, like clay soil for adobe bricks and water from Aliso and Serrano Creeks. That reliance could spell doom when resources evaporated. Great droughts occurred in the 1850s and and 1860s. Pastures withered and the herds starved. Rancho finances were as parched as the soil."

Group that erected the marker: OC Parks Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Lake Forest, CA, USA URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   05/13/2021 bluesnote visited it