Corral de Piedra, San Luis Obispo County
historic place
Corral de Piedra in San Luis Obispo County takes its name from an early stone corral. Mission San Luis Obispo padres built this large, circular corral in the Edna Valley in the late 1700s. They used it for handling cattle and thrashing grain. This land later became the Rancho Corral de Piedra, a Mexican land grant of over 30,911 acres. Governor Juan B. Alvarado granted a portion in 1841 to José María Villavicencio. Governor Pio Pico made an additional grant in 1846. The rancho was located between present-day San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande. Following the Mexican-American War, the grant was patented to Villavicencio in 1867. Corral de Piedra was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1978. This site represents a significant period in California's land history.