Ranching in Los Peñasquitos Canyon

By Mary Lueking

As we have been discussing the Friends’ 40-year anniversary, we started thinking about the history of the canyon before the Friends group started up in 1984. Starting in the late 1700s and continuing for over 200 years, ranching was the primary way of life in what is now Southern California.

I went into our newsletter archives to see what I could learn about that ranching era in our canyon. I found several articles that were published in our early newsletters that referenced the period and pulled four out to share here.

First is an article written by John Northrop entitled Ranching in Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve and the Johnson-Taylor Adobe. It was first published in the May 1989 newsletter. Northrup provides a comprehensive history of the area starting with grazing of sheep in 1770. In around 1860, cattle were introduced to the area and continued to be part of the canyon’s history until the 1980s.

The second article is a long, three-part series written by Eve Ewing entitled Days of the Great Yankee Cattle Barons: Growing up on the Peñasquitos. It was originally published in the January, March, and May 1988 newsletters. As child in the 1940s, Eve spent a lot of time in the canyon and developed life-long friendships with many of the residents. She had a very colorful way of telling a story. (Note: no attempt was made to correct the spelling or grammar so it appears as it was written to preserve the colorful vernacular).

Bovine Blues was printed in January 1986 and describes the issues encountered when development of the surrounding area started encroaching on the free range of the cattle industry.

The final article, Last Roundup in Peñasquitos by John Northrop, describes the exit of the cattle from Peñasquitos Canyon. It was printed in August, 1989.

You can find all articles here.

The last remnant of the cattle corrals and loading chute are still visible near the ruins of the El Cuervo adobe at the west end of Peñasquitos Canyon.

Remnants of the cattle fence by the El Cuervo Adobe at the west end of Peñasquitos Canyon