Majors, Joseph L.

Joseph Ladd Majors (1804-1868) was a frontiersman/trapper who came to the Santa Cruz area ~1840. Through marriage into the Castro family, he acquired the land grant that became Rancho San Agustin from his new brother-in-law Jose Bolcoff. Soon after, Majors acted as proxy allowing fellow frontiersman Isaac Graham to buy the adjacent Rancho Zayante. As a naturalized Mexican citizen, although Majors was initially arrested in the 1840 "Graham Affair", he was not imprisoned. He did later (1842), however, sign a grievance letter (Elliott, p.10) against the Alta California/Mexico government written by ten men - including Graham - who were imprisoned and/or otherwise involved in the 1840 arrest.

• History Pages: 7 - The Frontiersmen
• Santa Cruz: The Early Years (1980 book), 107-109
• Marion Pokriots, The Joseph Majors story: Santa Cruz ranchero & American alcalde (2005 book)
• Son Robert died from a wound suffered in a famous gunfight in front of what is now Lulu Carpenter's on Pacific Avenue (SWC Chapter Five, item 4).
• Son John P. was a Soc. of Pioneers member.
• In 1850 Majors was elected to be first County Treasurer.
• Two Majors grandsons, Tom and Joe, bought ranch land up the coast in 1917. The ranch gave its name to today's Majors Creek.

Rowland gives Majors' Spanish name as Jose Mechas.