Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente


Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente was a Mexican land grant in present day Kern County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Francisco Lopes, Luis Jordan and Vicente Botiller. The name means "Cottonwoods and Hot Springs Ranch" in Spanish. The native riparian Fremont Cottonwood grow around natural springs. Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente lay between two other Mexican Land Grants in the Tehachapi Mountains, Rancho El Tejon and Rancho Castac. The rancho is now a part of the Tejon Ranch.

History

A grant was made to Pedro Carrillo by Governor Manuel Micheltorena in 1843, that included Hungry Valley, Cañada de los Alamos and Peace Valley, the later area of the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area, Gorman and the Tejon Pass, but Carrillo failed to comply with any of its conditions. In 1846, Governor Pío Pico declared that, "Taking into consideration the seven months granted to citizen Pedro Carrillo to stock the land granted to him in conformity with the colonization laws, and of the injury caused to the industry of the country on account of his not occupying it, the denunciation of the tract of the Alamos and Agua Caliente in favor of the applicants may take place, to whom the proper title shall be issued," and on the same day a title was issued to them. The grant was patented to Agustin Olvera in 1866. This grant covered a different section of land than the first.
In 1865 Edward Beale purchased Rancho los Alamos y Agua Caliente from Agustin Olvera, Cristobal Aguilar, and James L. Gibbens. Beale would acquire three other Mexican Land Grants to create the present day Tejon Ranch.