HomeMy WebLinkAboutJun14SLOWhatToday, maps are underappreciated unless you’re planning a trip to a new
location, or trying to navigate through a strange community, or work as a
surveyor. Yet, mapping was an early imperative for those searching for new
lands and unknown riches. Beautifully illustrated, filled with mysterious signs
and images, maps are really works of art and imagination. For centuries, and
even today, some of the most intriguing mapping looks upward into the skies.
For our community, the rudimentary maps in the Clerk’s office, accompanying petitions for town
lots, are not nearly as beautiful, but fascinating in their depiction of the community’s suburban
and sometimes rural character in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The small maps,
generally of the block, are drawn on fragile vellum or trace paper. Often, names of the owners
of adjoining property or lots are included in these maps. Some will indicate where a dwelling
or structure of some sort exists and one even notes a “sepulcher.” A noticeable feature is the
rectangular alignment of streets, which at the time were more often a dream than a reality.
In a few, a small square indicates some sort of structure still existed in the street. Several
petitions for larger acreage show a lot boundary as the “town limits.”
Many of the descriptions are rudimentary “metes and bounds” narratives, with some referencing
a neighbor’s property line, a tree, fence, the Arroyo (San Luis Creek) and such. Blocks (about
3 acres) and most often containing six lot numbers are currently recorded on a spreadsheet.
Using the petitioner’s last name, a few residents are shown to own multiple properties. Many
requests have no block and/or lot designations.
A recurring statement was a note of improvements or promise of improvements on vacant
land and occupancy/farming by the petitioner. Clearly, property was intended for residents.
If improvements were made (usually a dwelling and/or “a substantial board fence”), there
is an estimate of cost. A few were initially rejected as there were no improvements on the
requested land or another had already received a Certificate of Purchase. Accuracy of such
improvement costs may have been modest so as to maintain a low tax assessment. Robert
R. Harris, Hubert C. Ward, and George Larkin were the most prominent local surveyors. The
1874 Harris and Ward Map is a standard historical map for history buffs.
Of course, nothing was free (then or now). Fees depended upon the size of the request with $5
for properties under ½ acre; $10 if more or up to two acres; from 2 to 5 acres were assessed
$15. Any parcel beyond five acres was in the $20+ category. A few special assessments
below $5 are usually associated with transfers within families.
If approved by the governing board, proof of ownership was a Certificate of Purchase. The
clerk made a note on the petition and/or issued a separate document with the town/city seal.
This proof of ownership included a caveat of a deed costing an additional $2.50. If a deed was
issued, notice of such usually was written on the certificate and/or original petition. A deed
was available after a six-month wait for any adverse claim. Thus, modern property searches
relying solely on the recordation date (an optional practice) do not necessarily provide proof
as to the date of acquisition.
If you’d like a copy of the spreadsheet detailing the
petitions, please contact me: jacarotenuti@gmail.com
History of San Luis Obispo By: Joseph A. Carotenuti
City Historian/Archivist, Volunteer
An article on the evolution of the
office of Mayor by our Historian/
Archivist is in this month’s Journal
Plus Magazine.