DIVISION ONE — PRK-PASADNIAN. 77 



alty of ten per cent, net of all the crude oil extracted from these lands," 

 free of all expense to them except that they must ' ' furnish their own 

 casks." — Wilson and Griffin were themselves members of this Oil Company. 

 The consideration for this grant was only One Dollar, besides the "royalty," 

 and the grant was "limited to the term of twenty-five years." [Book 9 p. 

 490 of Deeds.] But I have found no evidence that any oil wells or even 

 prospective borings were ever made on the ranch, though "smelling com- 

 mittees ' ' have several times sniffed over the ground and thought they found 

 oil "odor" down around Columbia hill. 



September 12, 1866, Eliza G. Johnston conveyed to John S. Griffin all 

 her right of pasturing, herding and grazing 500 head of live stock on the 

 Rancho San Pasqual which had been granted in her deed from B. D. Wil- 

 son and wife on December 11, 1862. Consideration, $2,500. [Book 8, p. 

 213, of Deeds.] 



On March 3, 1869, B. D. Wilson deeded to Phineas Banning all his 

 right, title, interest, share, claim or demand whatsoever in the Rancho San 

 Pasqual. Consideration, $35,000. [Book 12, p. 237.] 



On March 10, 1869, Phineas Banning deeded to John S. Griffin, [Book 

 12, p. 311] all his right and interest acquired by deed from B. D. Wilson, 

 only seven days before. Consideration, $30,000. 



On October 13, 1869, Phineas Banning deeded to Benjamin D. Wilson 

 [Book 13, p. 628] the same property rights and interests described in Wil- 

 son's conveyance to Banning on March 3, and in Banning 's conveyance to 

 Griffin on March 10, as above given. But this time it is described as " the 

 Rancho de San Pasqual, in the township of San Gabriel" — this being the 

 first mention of San Gabriel township in any of the deeds. Consideration, 

 $35,000. The explanation of these last three peculiar and apparently con- 

 flicting transactions is this : Banning, Griffin and Wilson were intimate 

 friends and all engaged in very large trading, speculative or business enter- 

 prises. They often borrowed large sums of money or credit from each 

 other, giving a deed or mortgage as ' ' collateral ' ' security — sometimes put 

 on record and sometimes not. 



On September 23, 1870, John S. Griffin deeded and quit-claimed to B. 

 D. Wilson [Book 15, p. 482] an undivided half interest in all of the Rancho 

 San Pasqual that had not before this date been sold by deed or contract to 

 third parties. Consideration, $1. It seems that prior to this the Monks 

 tract of 2,000 acres, the Grogan tract of 5,000 acres, and the Raab tract of 

 30 acres had been sold, besides the " Fair Oaks" tract conveyed to Griffin's 

 sister, and some lesser parcels to relatives of Wilson. There was also a 

 parcel occasionally mentioned as the " Widney tract," but not found of 

 record. 



On June 20, 1872, Griffin and Wilson deeded to Prudent Beaudr}^ 

 [Book 21, p. 26] a parcel of hilly land on the west bank of the Arroyo Seco, 



