YORBA
A BIT OF FAMILY HISTORY BEGINNING IN CALIFORNIA 1769
Jose Antonio Yorba born July 20 1743 San Sadurni de Noya Spain accompanies the Portola expedition 1769. Yorba was a young corporal who married Maria Josefa Grijalva in San Francisco on May 17, 1782. Marias father, Juan Pablo Grijalva, an adventuresome soldier from Sonora, Nueva Espania ("New Spain" before Mexico was established in 1820-21, Sonora was part of the Spanish territory called Nueva Espania. The Sonora area is now part of Mexico.) and his son-in-law, Jose Antonio Yorba, are thought to have grazed cattle in the Santiago Creek area in the 1790s. He lived with his family in San Diego, but he is known to have built a house on the banks of the Santa Ana creek in 1796 (Grijalva is considered to have been in this area as early as 1784). It was probably used as a base for the Grijalva and Yorba cattle operation in what is now northern Orange County.
In 1802 a land grant of 62,516 acres was recieved by the Yorbas known as Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. The Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana stretched northerly for 25 miles, from the ocean to the mountains. Its western boundary followed the southeast bank of the Santa Ana River. The property was bow-shaped, being two and a half miles wide at the ocean end and six and a half miles wide in the middle.
August 4 1801 Bernardo Yorbas was born. Bernardo was the third son of Jose and Marias. In 1834 he recieved a land grant of his own further up the Santa Ana Canyon, where he built a large adobe house. He named his ranch Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana and his new house San Antonio, after his favorite saint. The 13,328-acre grant contained some truly beautiful land. When traveling the Riverside Freeway through Santa Ana Canyon, look to the north to see the meandering Santa Ana River, the trees along the valley floor, and the hills and canyons which rise to the north.
Pictured below is the Don Bernardo Yorba Adobe built in 1835 and pictured here around 1895. To the right is the main building with rear wing barely showing in the center. To the left, is the adobe designated as "otra casa vieja," seperate from the main building but used as a part of the family habitation. It was in the form of a hollow square and is said to have contained 100 rooms with luxurious living quarters, as well as homes for the servants, workshops, warehouses for food, clothing and other supplies. Large orchards, vineyards and its own water power mill.
When he died in 1828 his 7,000 head of cattle were appraised at $84,000 and his other holdings at over $30,000.00
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The brand pictured below is one of the three brands
(the other two pictured above)
once belonging to the Yorba family.
I am proud to say this brand is once again in use
and registered within the state of California.
You'll see it on both our horses and our cattle.
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Angela Yorba-Davidson
CS Heck No Gray Star & Jessies Little San
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Here is a nice article which was written by a cousin and published in Somo Primo
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Do you have an interest in Vaquero style horsemanship?
If so, then please visit my good friends Jeremy and Brandie Dunn at JB Cattle CO.
Brandie & Jeremy have clinics planned for both Advanced and Beginner horsemanship
as well as offering colt starting, cattle working clinics and Roping Fiesta's.
Please also Visit
