Spanish rodeos on the Peninsula

When Anza was granted permission to open a route across the Colorado Desert, he brought hundreds of beef cattle along to bolster the industry in California. These cattle were the longhorn breed, able to protect themselves and were well-suited to survive in the wilderness. They were to be used mainly for their meat and hides. These cows were not good milk producers, but the Spanish were big meat-eaters so the lack of dairy products was no loss to them.

Some cattle was left at the San Gabriel Mission and a few were taken to Monterey. After getting cattle to Monterey, a few settlers were chosen to establish the San Francisco area. Again, a few animals were moved with the settlers, and these were the beginning of the herds that were to feed the colonists at the Mission Dolores (San Francisco) and Mission Santa Clara (San Jose). The conditions were ideal for these cattle, and they rapidly increased in numbers.

Mission Dolores had domain over the land from the northern tip of the Peninsula to the San Francisquito Creek (Palo Alto). In addition to using pasturage north of San Bruno Mountain, the fathers used this vast area south of San Bruno Mountain to let their cattle roam and graze. The Presidio raised mainly horses, although there were some cattle. There arose, at times, conflicts in ownership of the animals, so both the Presidio and the Mission began branding their animals. To keep the animals identified, the Presidio branded their cattle and horses with a "R” for Rancho del Rey. The Mission branded their cattle with an "F” that stood for Franciscan.

Annual roundups, called rodeos, were required to locate and brand each owner’s cattle. The animals were driven by vaqueros to a location where they were processed, with many taken to a matanza or slaughter area, where they were killed and skinned. Their hides were dried and the tallow boiled down to be used for candles. The hide and tallow industry became a main source of revenue for the Missions as these products could be sold to merchant vessels. Cash was scarce, but hides and tallow could be substituted for currency and credit.

As difficult as all of this procedure was, there was time and opportunity for celebration. It was an excuse for the neighbors to get together for a fiesta, often lasting several days. There were horsemanship contests, dancing, feasting and drinking.

When Mexico obtained independence from Spain, the era of the rancho began. Before 1821, fewer than 20 ranchos had been granted by Spain, but this changed when the Mexican government began rewarding individuals with land as recognition for serving Mexico. By the 1840s, it was estimated that 500,000 cattle were on the land in California. An increased outlet for the goods these cattle produced, their hides and tallow, came in the form of trade with the Yankee merchants from the East Coast of the United States.

The rancho owners now had a means of acquiring household furniture, mirrors, nails, cloth for clothes as well as ready-made clothes, etc. The cow hide became known as the "Mexican dollar” and it was used to buy the supplies that the government had not been furnishing to the settlers. Although the hide was worth hard cash, not much actual money was exchanged by the ship-owner and the rancho-owner. The tallow and hides were loaded on the Yankee clipper along with orders from the rancho-owner for staples and household goods on the faith that the ship captain would return the next year with the supplies. The rancho-owner remained "land rich,” but money poor due to this arrangement.

The increased number of ranchos presented an increased problem of keeping track of the cattle and horses. Each rancho owner was now required to develop a brand for his rancho, and the rodeo became an even more necessary event to sort out cattle and return them to their rightful owner for branding. The rodeo now became a really big event in California. A Juez de Campo (Judge of the Plains) and a Mayordomo official needed to be present at the rodeo to sort out disputes and maintain order when conflicts of ownership arose. After California became a state in 1850, most of the ranchos were broken up and, while the rodeo continued to occur each year, it was not the celebration it had been in the Rancho era.