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Our History
Rancho Guejito, Est. 1845
Native Americans of the Yuman linguistic group made their homes on and hunted the land that was to become Rancho Guejito thousands of years before recorded history. After the Spanish invasion of the San Diego area in 1769, many Native Americans took refuge on those same future ranch lands to escape the European onslaught.
Ranch Guejito was founded in 1845, years before California was admitted as a state. At that time, California was just a distant province of Mexico. The Mexican Provincial Governor, Pio Pico, granted the original 13,288 acres to the customs official, José María Orozco, who then promptly began a cattle operation that continues to the present day.
José María Orozco: The original owner of the Rancho Geujito Land Grant was a true man of the west in 1840's California.
Subsequent owners of the ranch added thousands of acres to the original Mexican land grant to reach the current size of nearly 23,000 acres. (36 square miles)
The current owner purchased the ranch over fifty years ago and has spent many millions of dollars preserving the property and increasing the efficiency of the agricultural operations.
Wildfire prevention and installation of firefighting assets have been a key part of the ranch program to combat the fire threats associated with surrounding urbanization and climate change. Preservation of nature, along with sustainable ranching and agriculture have been a priority for Rancho Guejito since its founding in 1845. That isn’t just a marketing slogan. Much time, energy, and money go into making that a reality.
Rancho Guejito Landgrant: Gifted to José María Orozco in 1845.
