lands and ranchos. Mexican Ranchos When Mexico gained independence from Spain and took ownership of California in 1821, it was soon evident that the era of mission-domination of virtually all land was over. Although the Yorbas-Peraltas retained the 65,512 acres they had been granted by the Spanish, adjacent land became available. By 1837, 35-year-old Jose Sepulvada was awarded an enormous tract and five years later was again awarded land. Combined, his ownership extended almost 47,000 acres, including north to the Santa Ana Mountains, east to today's 55 Freeway, and south to Laguna Beach. It was later discovered that this grant did not include the land surrounding Newport Bay and the oceanfront at Newport Beach, for each was considered worthless.<ref>Baker, Gayle Newport Beach", HarborTown Histories Publications, Santa Barbara, CA, 2004, ISBN (print) 0-9710984-3-3 (e-book) 978-0-09879038-3-9, p. 8-9</ref> Like most California ranchos, Sepulveda's Rancho San Joaquin was soon largely self-sufficient, producing most of its everyday needs by growing virtually all its produce and beef cattle. Sepulveda focused his attention on his grasslands, largely ignoring the abundance of the ocean adjacent to his property. Comfortable on horseback, he probably never even ventured near the water, a fact noted by a bemused Richard Henry Dana in his recounting of this era in Two Years Before the Mast: "These people have no boats of their own. . . . It is difficult to fish from the back of a horse." Sepulveda lived the life of a wealthy ranchero. He claimed to have 3,000 horses and 14,000 cattle. He loved to host large family reunions on his enormous rancho, proudly showing off his 14 children. He was an avid gambler, and legend has it that he won $25,000, 1,000 horses, 500 heifers, and 500 sheep on one race. He grew rich when the Gold Rush of 1849 brought hungry prospectors. For a while, his wild, rangy, Mexican cattle were prized, and he profited from driving them all the way to San Francisco. In 1852, six years after the United States took possession of California, a law was passed requiring each ranchero to prove ownership to retain his land. Requiring expensive surveys and court appearances, Sepulveda's lavish lifestyle left him short of cash. A devastating three-year drought increased his problems. Plagued by his debts and the death of much of his herd, Sepulveda sold his rancho in 1864 to Flint, Bixby, Irvine, and Company, beginning the long-lasting