camp pendleton logo by Paul G. Durrance, Chairman Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores Docents In branding lingo, it was the “flying T” and the “hanging O”. That symbol of a “T’ sitting on top of an “O” featured prominently on signs, badges and in books throughout Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton has long been recognized as an old 1884 historic cattle brand by only a few Old California Rancho history enthusiasts. Before President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Camp Joseph H. Pendleton in September 1942, it’s vast hills and verdant valleys was the largest rancho in San Diego County, California, totaling 133,441 acres. The rancho was named Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, or Saint Margaret and the Flowers. On this massive rancho, thousands of cattle and horses sported this brand. In 1882, Richard O’Neill, with the help of his partner James Flood, purchased the Ranch from the prominent Don Juan Forster family after the Don’s untimely death. The Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores was shy of quality cattle causing Richard O’Neill to journey to Texas to purchase several thousand head of cattle. The cattle purchased in Texas bore the “T and O” brand and Mr. O’Neill decided to use the brand and left it on the cattle. In those days there were no brand laws in the state of California. Not An original branding iron, Rancho Santa until 1913 did California Margarita; photo by Deb Hellman require brands to be registered with the Department of Agriculture. Some suggest that the “T” stands for Texas and the “O” stands for Oklahoma or the “O” stands for O’Neill but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In December 1844, Richard O’Neill registered his Rancho Margarita brand with the County Recorder of San Diego County, initially for the horses and then the cattle. When he www.oceansidechamber.com
registered his “T and O” brand he registered it “O and T”, or upside down. Over the years that registered “O and T” brand has been resurrected as the “T and O” brand. Merely conjecture, but some old cowboys always read the brands from the bottom up. This might explain the confusion and how we have the hanging “O” and the flying “T” today. Prior to 1942 when the Rancho assets were divided up between the Floods, Baumgartners and O’Neills, the Flood family received the use of the good name of Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores and the “T and O” brand through legal documents. The story goes that Mr. J. Baumgartner Jr. phoned Mrs. Flood and asked her if she had any idea what she was going to do with her brand and she said “No, not really; I thought maybe we would keep it, but if you want it you can have it.” Mr. Baumgartner promptly registered the “T and O” brand (located on the left hip of the steer) with the California Department of Agriculture. When the Marine Corps acquired the rancho property in 1942, it was given permission to continue the use of the “T and O” brand as the Camp Pendleton logo. After acquisition of the rancho lands, the brand was initially painted on all vehicles and carved into tables and chairs at the Ranch House when it was used as an Officer’s Club. This historic brand, which at one time graced livestock on land holdings totaling 220,058 acres, is a reminder of the historic bygone days of early San Diego County and of the baronial cattle ranches that once dotted the landscape. This brand recalls the ranchos littered with cattle tended to by hard riding Vaqueros who would brand the cattle during spring and early summer rodeos, and the rancho life and times of Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores that has long since vanished. CAMP PENDLETON – Celebrating 75 years
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