Rancho las Aromitas y Agua Caliente

From time to time, interesting artifacts turn up in the storage boxes and cubby holes of a 111 year old company. This summer, we found a folded, worn and water stained map in our storage vault. Now restored and framed, it is a wonderful addition to our Granite Rock archives. On March 2, 1907, Policronio Estolastico de Guadalupe (Lupe) Anzar, his wife Maria G. Anzar, and  Robert E. Easton signed this map of a planned division of the “Rancho las Aromitas y Agua Caliente” land, then owned by the Anzars.  

The name of the rancho means "little perfumes and hot spring" and refers to a sulfur springs next to the Pajaro River. Lupe Anzar was a son of Juan Miguel Anzar, who was given the 8,660-acre land grant in 1835 by Mexican Governor José Castro. Maria “Mariquita” Anzar was the daughter of  Angelo Zanetta, whose residence still stands in the historic plaza of San Juan Bautista. Robert Easton was a civil engineer and surveyor, and managed the giant Sisquoc Ranch owned by John T. Porter and Thomas B. Bishop.  A Santa Cruz native, he also served as a director of Granite Rock Company.  His brother -in- law was Warren Porter, director of Granite Rock Company.  Robert Easton’s brothers, Kimball G. Easton and Stanley A. Easton, had also been directors of the company and both partnered with company founder Arthur Wilson on construction ventures during the 1890’s.

The map was drawn in pencil and ink on 36 by 44 inch, fine cotton fabric which was sized and treated to a very smooth finish for reproduction. It depicts an area of San Benito County bordered on the  south and west by Monterey County, to the north by Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties, and to the east by a “Part of Rancho San Antonio”.  It shows the railway, Chittenden Station, and the “New County Road” (now Highway 129) that follow the path of the Pajaro River. Aromitas Avenue, the Bardue Ranch, the Cole and Carr properties and Rialto Oil Refinery are shown, along with a private road (now Anzar Road),  house and lake on the Anzar property, and the route of a planned “Monterey, Fresno and Eastern Railway” along  what is now Highway 101. The map depicts a proposed division of the Anzar land into seven parcels ranging from 335 to 640 acres. A large portion of this property is now a part of Granite Rock Company.

If you are interested in seeing this beautiful map, you are welcome to drop by our Corporate Office, located in Watsonville at 350 Technology Drive.