Juan Maria Osuna, a former Spanish soldier of fortune was elected Alcalde, or Mayor, of the Pueblo of San Diego, (population 150) in the first election under Mexican law. Osuna had coveted a certain piece of land north of San Diego and in 1845, Pio Pico, the last Mexican Governor of California, granted Osuna title to the two square leagues of land (8,825 acres) which Osuna named Rancho San Dieguito.
In 1906, the Santa Fe Railway purchased the Osuna Ranch and planted 4,000 acres with 3,000,000 eucalyptus tree seedlings in order to produce wood for railroad ties. The venture proved unsuccessful when it was discovered eucalyptus wood would not hold the spikes. Fortunately, the trees were left to flourish and later citrus groves were added.
The original name of The Inn was La Morada. Designed in 1924 by Lillian Rice, one of the first woman architects in California, it consisted of a main building with twelve guestrooms and a small dining room. It was used by the railroad as a guesthouse for prospective land buyers.
In 1941, George Richardson purchased the property and decided to develop a small, elegant resort where guests from all over the country could enjoy the beautiful surroundings. He changed the name to The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, added the Library along with many of the guest cottages and the gardens and walkways.
Steve Royce, a former pitcher with the New York Giants under John McGraw, and later a successful attorney and hotelier, bought The Inn in 1958. Royce had owned and managed the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, the Huntington in Pasadena and served as managing director of the Hotel del Coronado and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
The Royce family continues to own and operate The Inn under the direction of the Innkeeper Duncan Royce Hadden.
For more information and reservations: (800) 843-4661
P.O. Box 869 · Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067 · (858) 756-1131 · Fax (858) 759-1604
