History of Rangeland Management in California

Abstract

On the Ground • Spanish colonists brought cattle to California when they landed in San Diego in 1769, with two hundred head of cattle arriving by overland routes. • Mexico, achieving independence, established rules to petition for land grants in California, paving the way for additional settlers by making land grants easier to obtain. • The Gold Rush resulted in cattle numbers quadrupling and sheep numbers increasing more than 60-fold between 1850 and 1860. • Multiple uses, such as agriculture crop production, impacted California rangelands. • Public policies now influence management of approximately 38 million acres of privately and publicly owned rangelands.