ISLA GUADALUPE CHAIN OF TITLE

ISLA GUADALUPE CHAIN OF TITLE

• January 8, 1839. Isla Guadalupe is ceded from the Mexican Government to Mexican citizens, Jose Castro and Florencio Ferrano, both Mexican citizens. They receive not just Guadalupe island but also all the smaller islands in the region as well.

• 1845. By 1845 Jose Castro had sold 50% of his stake in the islands for $500 in gold. Documents at the Bancroft Library, Berkeley show the island is owned in 1845 by the Western Livestock Company out of Boston Massachusetts.

• 1873 Guadalupe Island Company is incorporated in California. It acquires the island and offers 500 shares of stock @ $50/share ($500,000).

• 1885. Mexican Consul-General Juan N. Navarro, sends a letter to the Guadalupe Island Company demanding the owners to “appear before us in Baja to explain how you acquired Isla Guadalupe.” Shortly there after, the Guadalupe Island Company disbands and the island officially becomes part of Mexico. [Note: Navarro (1823-1904), was born in Morelia, Mexico, and graduated from medical school in Mexico City. He enlisted in the Mexican army and became a colonel. He was later elected senator; in 1863 he was appointed Consul General at New York, a position he held for 38 years.]

• August 16, 1928. the Mexican government declares the island a reserve, making it one of the oldest reserves in Mexico.