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Don Juan Forster: The Englishman Who Became a Californio Ranchero

An English teenager arrived in Mexican California, married into the Pico family and ended up with the biggest ranch in the south.

Who Was Don Juan Forster?

John Forster, known in California as Don Juan, was born in Liverpool in 1814 and died on February 20, 1882. He became a Mexican citizen, a merchant and one of the largest landowners in Southern California. The Wikipedia biography of Forster has the main outline.

From Liverpool to Los Angeles

At about 16 he left Liverpool for Guaymas, Mexico, to work for his uncle James Johnson. In 1833 he traveled overland to Los Angeles. In 1836 he became a Mexican citizen and worked as a shipping agent at San Pedro, and the next year he married Ysidora Pico, sister of future governor Pio Pico. The two sources give 1836 and 1837 for the wedding. In March 1843 Mexico named him captain of the port of San Pedro.

Building Land Through the Pico Connection

Through his link to Governor Pio Pico, Forster received several grants in the 1840s, including Rancho Trabuco, Rancho Mission Viejo and Rancho Potreros de San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, plus Rancho de la Nacion and Rancho Valle de San Felipe in San Diego County. In 1844 he and James McKinley bought the former Mission San Juan Capistrano at public auction for $710, and he lived there until 1864. In September 1846 he helped Pio Pico escape to Mexico and then oversaw Pico's Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores.

The 212,000-Acre Rancho

In 1864 Forster bought Pico's roughly 133,000-acre Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores y San Onofre. Added to his roughly 79,000-acre Rancho Mision Vieja y Trabuco, it gave him about 212,000 acres, the largest single-owner ranch in Southern California, and he moved his family there. The Gold Rush had made cattle valuable: steers worth about $2 for their hides sold for $50 or more in San Francisco, and Forster profited from that demand.

The Key to Forster's Rise, and Why It Slipped Away

Forster's success came from relationships and timing, and his decline came from the cost of holding so much land. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's summary of his career reaches the same conclusion.

The record is candid about the losses. By 1856 he had given up Rancho de la Nacion after years of borrowing at 3 percent interest, and in the 1870s his schemes did not pay.

  • Marry and network: his marriage into the Pico family opened the door to grants.
  • Use official posts: his role as port captain and his help to Pio Pico positioned him close to power.
  • Sell into the boom: Gold Rush demand drove up cattle prices.
  • Buy at scale: in 1864 he added Pico's rancho to his own holdings.
  • Know the costs: fencing 212,000 acres drained his capital and droughts killed cattle.
  • Be careful with schemes: his 1873 recruitment trip to England and the Netherlands failed.

Forster City and the Railroad

The scheme is worth a closer look because it shows the limits of his judgment. In 1873 Forster traveled to England and the Netherlands to recruit settlers, offering 160-acre plots with cattle, horses and supplies. Dutch inspectors were unimpressed and the colonization scheme failed. Forster City on the north coast had three families by 1876 and about 35 registered voters in 1882, and it lasted only a few more years. In 1880 the California Southern Railroad began building across his ranch along the Santa Margarita River, and by early 1882 he could hear the track being laid from his home. He died before the line was finished. His sons were forced to sell the ranch not long after.

Death, Sale and Honors

Forster died on February 20, 1882, at Rancho Santa Margarita. Fencing, droughts and failed settlement efforts had exhausted his credit, and his sons were forced to sell the ranch to San Francisco financier James Clair Flood. The Hall of Great Westerners page records his induction in 1996. Fellow ranchero Manuel Dominguez managed to keep his rancho largely intact, as the Dominguez biography notes. For more California ranching stories, visit farm.FM's ranching section and a farm.FM story about the rancho era.

Timeline

  1. 1814Born in Liverpool, England
  2. 1833Arrives in Los Angeles overland
  3. 1836Becomes a Mexican citizen (marriage to Ysidora Pico is dated 1836 or 1837)
  4. 1844Buys Mission San Juan Capistrano at auction with James McKinley
  5. 1856Gives up Rancho de la Nacion after years of debt
  6. 1864Buys Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores
  7. 1873Recruiting trip to Europe fails
  8. 1882Dies; family sells the ranch to James Clair Flood

Frequently asked questions

Who was Don Juan Forster?

John Forster (1814-1882) was an English-born Californio rancher and merchant who assembled about 212,000 acres of ranchos in Orange and San Diego counties.

How big was Forster's ranch?

After buying Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores in 1864, he held about 212,000 acres combined with Rancho Mision Vieja y Trabuco, the largest single-owner ranch in Southern California.

Why did Don Juan Forster lose his ranch?

Fencing the huge acreage drained his capital, droughts destroyed his cattle and failed settlement efforts exhausted his credit. His sons sold to James Clair Flood after his death.

Who was Forster's wife?

He married Ysidora Pico, sister of Governor Pio Pico. Sources give 1836 and 1837 for the wedding.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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