Birthplace: Monterey, California, USA
Life span: 1815-1893
Joaquin Tomas Estrada was born in 1815 in Monterey, Alta California (then capital of California) the third child and second son of Don Raimundo and Josefa Vallejo de Alvarado. The Estrada family was very influential in early California history. His older half brother, Juan Bautista Alvarado was serving as governor of California at the time and a maternal uncle served as General of the Army of Alta California.
On September 27, 1841, the Mexican Governor Manuel Jimeno granted 17,734 acres to 26-year-old Joaquin Estrada. The Santa Margarita Rancho was rated “first class” was taxed at a maximum premium for $1.25 an acre (‘second class ranches’ were taxed at $1.00 an acre).
Married to Maria de Jesus, Joaquin Estrada made his home at the adobe house, which he used as his ranch headquarters. Dudley Ross in his book “Devil on Horseback” tells of horse races that Jack Powers and other “bravos” had at Rancho Santa Margarita around 1858. Rancho Santa Margarita and Joaquin Estrada were famous for its huge rodeos and fiestas lasting several weeks. Rancho Santa Margarita became one the most famous ranchos for its elaborate fiestas and rodeos. Great feats of horsemanship by the vaqueros and caballeros (gentlemen) were common. A two-tiered viewing stand was erected by the creek, next to the arena for guests to watch the activities. In the evening, a grand Baile (ball or dance) was enjoyed after dinner. Once Joaquin Estrada brought a circus to the ranch to provide entertainment for his guests and one fiesta reportedly lasted a month.
Estrada devoted his time to raising large herds of Mexican cattle. With a growing family, servants and vaqueros living on the ranch, farming was done chiefly to supply food for the ranch tables. Cattle hides and tallow were sold and traded. Seamen referred to the hides loaded for shipment to east as “California Bank Notes”.
As the days of hide and tallow were waning, Estrada made much of his wealth in the cattle that were driven to the gold fields after the Gold Rush began in 1848.
In December 1846, a meeting was held at the Santa Margarita Rancho between Pio Pico (the last Mexican Governor of California) and General Jose Castro to discuss what could be done after the American Flag had been raised in Monterey, declaring Californian independence from Mexico. Later that same year Captain (later General) George C. Fremont came to the Santa Margarita Rancho and detained Joaquin Estrada and his Major Domo, Jose de Jesus Pico (Governor Pio Pico’s cousin) believing their allegiance was with Mexico. Both were released a few days later after promising to help Fremont keep order in the area.
While the Gold Rush sat off a demand for southern California cattle to be driven to the mines (for food) and ushered in a brief period of prosperity for the old Rancheros, including Estrada, this demand fell off in the latter half of the 1850's, and the expensive life-style enjoyed by men like Estrada could no longer be maintained. Against this backdrop, the State of California, established in 1850, chose to put the tax burden on landowners; this meant that a disproportional tax burden fell on the large landowners of southern California, like Estrada. The biggest financial burden that hit Estrada and old Californio rancheros was the demand placed on them by the Land Act of 1851, which required that they "prove" the titles to their Mexican land grants. This was very expensive (required hiring English-speaking Anglo attorneys) and so drawn out; taking an average 17 years for the final judgment to come down. In the meantime, expenses mounted and the rancheros like Estrada borrowed against their land, and finally, were forced to start selling it off. Estrada filed his claim before the United States Land Commission December 28, 1852. The Commission approved in 1854 and the District Court upheld the approval in 1855, but apparently not for the whole amount of property in Estrada's initial claim. He made an appeal of the Commission's findings in 1857, which was denied. A patent was finally issued to Estrada for Rancho Santa Margarita, April 9, 1861 for 17,734 .94 acres.
Joaquin Estrada was elected to San Luis Obispo County’s first Board of Supervisors in 1852. He also served as County Treasurer (1853-1854), County Recorder and County Auditor (1850).
In the journal, “Up and Down California" W.H. Brewer comments on May 4, 1861 of passing through the Santa Margarita area. "The mission of Santa Margarita was in ruins. It is the seat of a fine ranch which was sold a few days ago for $45,000. The owner, Don Joaquin de Estrada, lives now at Atascadero Ranch, where we camped. This last ranch is all he now has left of all his estates. Five years ago, he had sixteen leagues of land (each league over 4,4000 acres, or over 70,000 acres of land), 12,000 head of cattle, 4,000 horses, etc. Dissipation is scattering it at the rate of thousands of dollars for a single spree. Thus the ranches are fast passing out of the hands of the native population." It seems that once Joaquin Estrada received clear title from the Land Commission, he promptly sold to the Anglos, Martin and Mary Murphy.
Joaquin Estrada died in 1893 and is buried on a hill near ‘Estrada Gardens’ at the foot of the Cuesta Grade, two miles north of San Luis Obispo. He had eleven children. Some of the names connected to Joaquin Estrada are Vallejo, Abrego, Spence, Castro, Lugo, Carrillo, Leese, Larkin, de al Guerra, Ortega, del la Torre, Bonilla, Pacheco, Sepulveda, Alviso, Fuentes, Malrin, Arguella, Narvaez, Frisbie, Hernadez, Flores, Barrios, Olivas, Pico, Cota, and many more.
This content is courtesy of http://www.santamargaritahistoricalsociety.org/
