Rancho La Espada

USA / California / Lompoc /
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A sub-division of Rancho Punta de la Concepcion, it was granted by Governor Juan Alvarado in 1837, to Anastacio Carrillo. The ranch passed through a number of hands until it was purchased by Captain Robert Sudden in 1883.

In 1966, the Air Force acquired the land from the Sudden family through a condemnation process and a legal dispute, which landed in federal court, over the amount paid to the family. The Air Force wanted the land to create a larger buffer zone for South Base rocket launches. It is still used for cattle ranching and is some of the most intact ranching landscape on the California coastline.
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Coordinates:   34°32'43"N   120°31'37"W
This article was last modified 11 years ago