Originally home to the Kumeyaay people 12,000 years ago, the Osuna Ranch has seen multiple eras, including the Mexican Rancho period. In 1831, the Silvas family unofficially acquired the land and built the Adobe. Juan Maria Osuna, the first mayor of San Diego, received the property in a 8,824-acre land grant from the California Governor in 1845. The Santa Fe Railway purchased the property by 1906, and the Adobe was rehabilitated by architect Lilian Rice in 1924.
In 2006 the Rancho Santa Fe Association purchased the Osuna Ranch and 28 of its surrounding acres with specially designated Open Space funds "to maintain our community character and preserve our history.” Credited with bringing the equestrian element to Rancho Santa Fe, the ranch also houses historic stables for 50 horses and a top-rated horse training facility. The Osuna Adobe is the cradle of Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, and California. Rancho Santa Fe Association is proud to be its stewards of preservation. Today, the Osuna Adobe and its surrounding property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Courtesy of the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society Archives. (1950)
