CAL POLY LAND ACQUISITIONS
From the late 1500’s to the early 1700’s, Spanish explorers entered the San Luis Obispo area, then occupied by the Chumash Indians. The Spanish laid claim to the land in 1772 and Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded, permanently establishing lands for crops and herds of cattle, sheep, and horses. California became Mexican territory in 1822, and the mission lands surrounding San Luis Obispo were divided and granted to qualified applicants of early California Spanish or Mexican descent (Stechman 1985).
Prolonged drought from 1862 to 1864 resulted in property sales “for a fraction” of their earlier value (Stechman 1985). Many of the “ranchos” passed into the hands of sheepmen whose animals were hardier than cattle and could survive depleted lands. Problems confirming land ownership, impact of drought, competition among immigrants for land purchase and the subsequent division of lands by original rancho grantees among their heirs, resulted in the fragmentation of the ranchos and Mission lands into increasingly smaller parcels. Continued settlement of the county through the late 1800’s and early 1900’s intensified the process of land subdivision and transfers, giving rise to many agricultural enterprises in the area. Dairy ranching and grain and hay production were followed by the introduction of vegetable crops and vineyard cultivation.
World War II brought another dramatic change in local land use. In 1938, the State National Guard began buying farms and ranches for the establishment of Camp San Luis Obispo. By 1942, the U.S. Army owned large tracts of land which lead to the decline of sheep and dairy ranching, and the rise of beef cattle, irrigated cash crops and residential and recreational uses of the land.
Cheda Ranch consists of land at one time under direct control of the Mission. Cheda Ranch was the home of an early pioneer family. John A. Cheda immigrated around 1872 and purchased the former Chapman place, approximately 160 acres along Stenner Creek extending northward to the steel railway bridge. In 1907 the Cheda family acquired the Dies property, about 200 acres on both sides of the railroad west of the creek. The last purchase of 103 acres in 1912, covered the area from the Dies land to Highway 1. The entire Cheda Ranch consisted of approximately 466 acres and included water rights to the creek. The land was operated as a dairy of about 40 cows; heifers and dry cows grazed on the foothills, and small areas of land were dedicated to hay and bean cultivation.
In 1951, Cal Poly purchased 366 acres of the Cheda Ranch for the purpose of fulfilling a much needed home for dairy student projects, which had outgrown facilities on the campus (Stechman 1985). The remaining acreage of the ranch was acquired by the university the following year. In 1964, Cal Poly was granted ownership of an additional adjacent 32.5 acres, which were under ownership of the State of California Department of Corrections, bringing the total land area of today’s Cheda Ranch to 495.5 acres.
Main Campus
There is no area of the Cal Poly Main Campus that has not been changed by human influence. Changes to farmland and urban areas are obvious. Access to the remaining area (riparian, coastal scrub, oak woodland) by domestic grazing animals has most likely occurred at some point in the past.
In 1894, the Southern Pacific Railroads coast route came to San Luis Obispo and the railroad became the economic base for the town. The economy of the area at the time was dependent upon farming. To ensure future economic growth and stability, and with the hope of increasing the railroad, San Luis Obispo built a vocational school on a 281 acre farm in 1902. By 1908 the school, which had grown to a junior college, acquired the C. Johnson land (311 acres). Further expansion came with the purchase of the Lowe properties (281 acres) in 1912 and the R. Johnson property (628 acres) in 1918. The Fiscalini property (177 acres) was purchased in 1929, and by 1938 the California Polytech Institute owned 1,116 acres. In 1942, an additional 114 acres were acquired from the Garcia properties. These properties make up the bulk of the Cal Poly Main Campus today. By 1953, Cal Poly had become a 2,823 acre campus, with 656 acres used for academics, 1,642 acres used for rangeland and operations, and 525 acres for cultivation of crops. Cal Poly’s initial growth can be attributed to those who wanted more land for agricultural purposes and grazing (Stechman 1985). The agricultural lands of Cal Poly Main Campus are now managed by the College of Agriculture.
Peterson Ranch
The Peterson Ranch was once part of the 3,500 acre Rancho Potrero de San Luis Obispo. The first records date back to the late 1820’s when Estevan Quintana acquired 2,000 acres (Stechman 1985). The land passed through several owners and managers until in 1936 Millard and Silvia Alberti Peterson acquired the ranch from Milton and Alena Righetti. During the time when the Petersons occupied the ranch, the range supported about 20 horses and 80 cattle, and the small flats adjacent to the creek were farmed for hay.
Cal Poly had sought this property for several years in the mid 1940’s. In 1950, with the death of Millard Peterson, final arrangements were made on the sale of the ranch to Cal Poly. Since its acquisition by the university, the Peterson Ranch has been home to the purebred Hereford cattle herd.
Serrano Ranch
Serrano Ranch also was part of the 3,500 acre Rancho Potrero de San Luis Obispo (Stechman 1985). The Serranos, along with the Herreras, gained title to the lands of Rancho Potrero by 1880. The western portion of the ranch at the time included the headwaters of Stenner Creek, while the eastern portion drained into Arroyo del Potrero, later renamed Brizzolari Creek. During the early 1900’s the ranch was divided among various heirs, and in subsequent years the lands were managed by different people. In 1925, Victor Bello bought what is now known as Serrano Ranch. Bello never occupied the land, leasing it out instead. In 1941, Cal Poly leased the ranch for cattle grazing and in 1944, the ranch was sold to Walter Wells, who reinstated the Cal Poly lease and held the property until Cal Poly purchased it in 1950. Cal Poly has used the Serrano Ranch for livestock grazing since the purchase.
Past and present impacts on the land in Chorro Creek Ranch have played various roles in changing the physiognomy of the vegetative composition of the area. Over time, the land has been used as a source of sustenance for Native Americans, for military purposes, as grazing land for livestock, and as crop land. Chorro Creek Ranch has a rich history which dates back to utilization by the Chumash Indians and subsequent Spanish settlement. There are no records indicating that Chorro Creek Ranch was ever under the control of the missions, thus it is unlikely that the land was used for agricultural purposes before 1822 (Stechman 1985). The original grant for Rancho El Chorro was issued to Captain John Wilson and James Scott in October of 1845. The acreage of the grant was 3,167 acres, and the ranch was used primarily as rangeland for cattle, sheep and other livestock (Stechman 1985).
Rancho El Chorro changed ownership for the first time in 1866 when it was purchased by Ellen Hollister. The ranch was then primarily used for sheep production, and later to farm the alluvial soils of the valley and raise beef and dairy cattle on the less suitable crop lands. The ranch was purchased by Joseph Giuseppe and Charles Walters between 1894 and 1900, who also used the ranch for grazing beef and dairy cattle. Henry Gilardi assumed management of the ranch in 1923 and during that time the land was leased to Barney Minetti and Joe Barta, who raised dairy cattle and grew crops (Stechman 1985).
In 1938, the State National Guard began buying properties in the valley for establishment of an Army training camp, later known as Camp San Luis Obispo. The majority of Chorro Creek Ranch was appropriated that year, with the rest being acquired in 1942. The land continued to be managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until 1961, when the army leased 582 acres of the land bordering Chorro Creek to Cal Poly. The following year the lower lands were leveled, and in 1963 a reservoir and two wells were constructed to provide water for crops and Angus cattle. In 1964, Cal Poly leased an additional 123 acres of the ranch. As part of a program to reduce holdings of excess federal lands, Chorro Creek Ranch was granted to Cal Poly by the U.S. government in March of 1968 (Stechman 1985).
Escuela Ranch
Escuela Ranch was granted to Cal Poly in 1967 as a rangeland parcel by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare (Stechman and Flanagan 1978). Cal Poly was initially granted 1,727 acres with about 1,420 acres suitable for grazing. Additional lands have since been added to the ranch, which now totals 1,820 acres (Stechman 1985). Prior to 1967, Escuela Ranch was subjected to heavy grazing pressure while under military lease to local ranchers.
Walters Ranch
Like other Cal Poly properties, the history of Walters Ranch is characterized by human impact. From the time the Chumash first settled the area to the present livestock operations, human use has shaped the land.
When California became a Mexican territory in 1822, the lands previously owned by the Spanish mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa were divided into Ranchos San Luisito and El Chorro, which covered what is now known as Walters Ranch (Stechman 1985).
In 1900, Charles Walter and Giuseppe Gilardi formed a partnership and purchased lands originally part of the Ranchos San Luisito and El Chorro. Upon the death of Charles Walter, the land was split with the northern half being retained by his widow Mary, and the southern half kept by Gilardi. In 1942, the U.S. government claimed these lands for military facilities and, when the war ended, the lands were declared surplus and divided among California state agencies, including Cal Poly and the Department of Parks and Recreation. Cal Poly was granted Walters Ranch in 1982 by the Department of Parks and Recreation, and since then it has been used by the student agricultural enterprise program (Stechman 1985).