Ranching was popular for the Spanish Californians who loved the outdoor life on horseback. Most of the California herds were developed from a small head of 200 cattle which was brought to California in the early 180's. As bridges were non-existent, a deep stream had to be crossed. Old vaqueros (cowboys) talk of accounts where cattle were forced to swim when a ford (or shallow place ) could not be found. They selected a shallow spot, one with sand bars, and bunched the cattle on the river bank. One rider would lead them into the stream, while the other vaqueros forced the rest of the herd to follow. When the depth for swimming was reached, the riders would slip out of their saddles and grasp the pommel, so that their weight would not submerge the bronco's head. If by chance they lost their grasp on the saddle, their last resort was to grab for the horse's tail and hope their mounts would reach the shore.
At times the vaqueros who were swimming their horses on the flanks of the herd were not able to get them onto the opposite shore so attempts to reassemble them had to be made. At times the frightened cattle would swim around in circles and never reach the shore line. Captain John Sutter reported the drowning of 200 cattle out of a herd of 2,000 which he had purchased from the Russians at Fort Ross near New Helvetia.
Early Californians called their large land grants "ranchos" if used for cattle-raising, and "haciendas" if used for agricultural purposes.
The official survey of Rancho Los Putas in May 1857 confirmed the grant to be 44,383.78 acres in size or 10 leagues in all.
Cattle were the real wealth for the owners, even though they were slaughtered for their hides and tallow. The meat had little value until the "gringos" came west searching for gold. Some meat was salted and sun-dried, called "carne seca", or what we call jerky today. It had good food value on long journeys.
The dried hides and tallow were transported by the Dons to the seacoast and then traded for luxuries brought in sailing vessels. Silk from China, silver from Mexico, which the Dons used to decorate their saddle and horn trappings. Non-perishable foods and rare household furnishings were also available although sugar was in short supply.
The lager herds which could not be domesticated were called "ganados" many of which were seen only once or twice a year by their owners. Annual slaughterings were known as "matanzas." The cattle were herded into a central valley where the vaqueros killed and skinned the animals selected by the Dons. The hides were pegged to the group, flesh up, and left to dry in the sun. These hides became known as California bank notes with a trading value of three dollars apiece.
The tallow (or suet) from the slaughtered animals was melted down and poured into a laced bullock hide called a "bota" and weighed up to 500 pounds, more or less. A stick was placed through the melted tallow which served as a handle after the tallow hardened. About 25 pounds of allow, called "arrola" had a trading value of $2.00. A fat animal could yield 50 to 100 pounds of tallow. The meat was discarded except for an occasional choice cut.
The "matanzas" were held during the Spring or fall months of the year, which was also an occasion for a fiesta, horse races and rodeos.
In the spring, the young calves were branded, each calf was given the brand of its mother. THe "fierro" or iron brand was used to sear the hide, and a second mark called "senal" was slit in one ear of the animal. The brand called "vesta" was the selling brand to designate the hides when sold, and also to determine ownership whenever an argument arose.
It was Spanish custom for daughters, at the time of marriage, to be given their inheritance in cattle and their own family brand.
Perhaps the first heads of cattle purchased by the Vacas and Penas came from Commandante Vallejo who helped the settlers. It was reported that the owned form 12,000 to 15,000 head of cattle at the time. Family accounts later tell that more cattle were purchased. Antonio Pena, a brother of Senor Pena, accompanied by Vaca brothers, journed to Old Mexico, via Los Angeles on horseback. They purchased and drove back, with help of Indian vaqueros, an unknown large number of cattle, some horses and four Jennys.
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