2000
2010
WELCOME
Welcome to the Annual Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo! As we celebrate the
10th Anniversary of what has become America’s Richest Two-Day Rodeo,
all of us at Rancho Mission Viejo are honored to have you join us.
THE ROOTS OF RODEO
The roots of rodeo reflect the legacies of the
land our family and I have been blessed to
own and manage since 1882. Dating back to
the Spanish and Mexican period of California
history and then to the early 1800’s when
Don Pio Pico, the last Mexican Governor of
California and his family owned this land,
there have been rodeos for as long as there
have been cattle and “vaqueros” (or cowboys)
here in south Orange County.
In the days of the great ranchos,
during the annual Spring roundups and
brandings, the “vaqueros” had the
opportunity to display their considerable
horsemanship skills. In fact, the word
“rodeo” was traditionally pronounced
“ro-day-oh” and comes from the Spanish
word rodear, which means “to surround.”
After branding the cattle, often there
would be time for competition during
which the “vaqueros” demonstrated their
riding and roping skills.
Following the Civil War, when cattle
herds began to spread out throughout the
West, American cowboys found themselves
working alongside the great “vaqueros”
and learning their skills. Over time, the
large stockyards, which dotted the west,
became a place where cowboys would
challenge each other to see who was the
best. However, as time marched on and
railroad stock cars replaced cattle drives,
the demand for cowboy labor declined;
and shrinking wages were supplemented
through stock shows (sometimes called
rodeos). Soon, showmen such as “Buffalo
Bill” Cody organized elaborate shows and
rodeos which reenacted
the great stories of the
“Wild West.”
In 1936, cowboy
leadership began to
organize. Ultimately,
the Professional Rodeo
Cowboys Association
(PRCA) was established
to standardize rodeos
and to establish and
to enforce rules and
regulations for the
protection of rights
and safety of both the
From left to right: Rancho Mission Viejo’s Executive Vice President, Ranch Operations Gilbert Aguirre,
cowboys and the animals. Alice O’Neill Avery, Melinda Moiso, and Tony Moiso, Rancho Mission Viejo President and
Chief Executive Officer.
Today, from small
is America’s Richest Two-Day Rodeo. As
towns across our nation all the way to
champion cowboys from across the nation
the December national championship (The
compete for a purse totaling more than
Wrangler National Finals Rodeo) in Las Vegas,
$200,000, the top thirty money winners (as
there are more than 600 PRCA rodeos. With
of early August) in each rodeo event* will
more than 170,000 fans attending the
National Finals and approximately 13 million
strive to win their share of the purse. As the
viewers watching on ESPN, rodeo is now
cowboys race to qualify for The Wrangler
more popular and competitive than ever.
National Finals Rodeo — only the top fifteen
at season’s end will make it — the “big pay
day” afforded this weekend just might make
RODEO RETURNS TO RANCHO MISSION VIEJO
someone’s dream of participating in the
In 2001, my uncle, Dick O’Neill, Gilbert
“NFR” come true.
Aguirre, my family, and I decided to sponsor
As you look around the stands and cheer
and to stage a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo on
our land to perpetuate the tradition of rodeo
on your favorite cowboy, bucking horse, or
here in urban south Orange County — and
bull, please recognize all the hard work
to pay tribute to the sport, to the heritage
dedicated to making our Rancho Mission
of the land, and to raise funds for local
Viejo Rodeo such a great success. Our Rodeo
charities such as the Camino Health Center,
is completely planned and executed by a
the Shea Therapeutic Riding Center, and
very small group of volunteers, led by Gilbert
the R.H. Dana Exceptional Needs Center
Aguirre. My family and I are proud to host
(part of the Capistrano Unified School
this event, and we are forever grateful to the
District). This year, as we celebrate our
members of the Rodeo Committee for their
10th anniversary as hosts, we are proud
continued commitment to “making it happen.”
to announce that our Rancho Mission
So, welcome to the 10th Annual Rancho
Viejo Rodeo will have distributed more than
Mission Viejo Rodeo, to the Rancho Mission
$1 million dollars to these charities. Raising
Viejo Riding Park at San Juan Capistrano,
funds for charities at the rodeo continues
to Rancho Mission Viejo, and to a weekend
the ranching tradition of passing the hat
of “Good Times”!
for charitable needs.
We also are very proud to share that
the Annual Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo
Anthony R. “Tony” Moiso
President and CEO, Rancho Mission Viejo
* Due to the fact that a concrete slab under the Riding Arena’s dirt covering does not allow for a horse’s safe footing as it repeatedly moves through
its cloverleaf pattern around barrels, Barrel Racing is not featured at the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo.
WHAT’S
INSIDE:
2
4
Rancho Mission
Viejo Past, Present
and Future
3
Rancho Mission
Viejo Raises $1
Million for Charity
6
An
Open Space
Legacy
5
Stewardship
and
Community
Timeline
and Guiding
Principles
TAKE CARE OF THE LAND...
(1920s-1950s)
Jerome O’Neill
As hard-driving as his father, Jerome expanded
the Ranch’s agricultural operations and its cowherd,
increasing it to 25,000 head. In 1923, the sons
of Flood and O’Neill consolidated their second
generation friendship through the establishment
of a corporation known as the Santa Margarita
Company. Sadly, just three years later, both sons
died, just two days apart. Jerome’s beneficiaries
included his sister, Mary O’Neill Baumgartner,
and her family, as well as Jerome’s younger
brother, Richard Jr., and his family.
By 1939, the Santa Margarita Company had
dissolved. Richard Jr. retained the Rancho Mission
Viejo and Rancho Trabuco parcels in south Orange
County while the Floods and the Baumgartners
took the San Diego portions. As fate would have it,
just three years later, representatives from the U.S.
Navy arrived at the family Ranch house and took
possession of the San Diego portions to establish
today’s Camp Joseph H. Pendleton. What remained
of the historic Ranch totaled 52,000 and was
under the control of Richard O’Neill, Jr., his wife,
Marguerite, and their two children, Alice and Richard
Jerome. The family united its holdings under the
name Rancho Mission Viejo and began branding
cattle with the O’Neill family’s new “Rafter M”
brand, which endures today.
In 1943, upon the
death of her husband,
Richard, and with the
ranch lands held in
trust, Marguerite O’Neill
stepped forward to
lead the family. A fifth
generation Californian,
“Daisy,” as she was
called, thwarted
several attempts by the
bank’s trust officers to
liquidate her family’s
holdings. With great
Family matriarch Marguerite
determination and
“Daisy” O’Neill, with children
pride, she kept the
Alice and Richard Jerome O’Neill
land intact and, as
much as possible, in her family’s control. To this
day, Marguerite O’Neill’s admonition to “take care
of the land and the land will take care of you”
continues to guide the family.
THE RAFTER “M” BRAND
The “M” for “Mission” and the upside down “V”
for “Viejo” form the “Rafter M” brand still found
on all Rancho Mission Viejo cattle.
Make Your HANDSHAKE
Your BOND (1882-1910s)
The story of Rancho Mission Viejo began
in a deal struck with a handshake
between fellow Irish immigrants James
Flood and Richard O’Neill, Sr.
Flood, a former carriagemaker turned saloon keeper,
eventually became known
as one of Nevada’s “Silver
Kings,” when he and partners
gained control of the
Consolidated Virginia Mine,
perhaps the most profitable
of all the famed Comstock
Lode’s silver deposits.
O’Neill was a hardworking and well-respected
cattleman born in County
Cork, in the heart of Ireland’s
dairy country. During the
mid-1800s, O’Neill was the Richard O’Neill, Sr.
owner of a small meat market near the
docks of San Francisco. When Flood bought
O’Neill’s beef for his saloon, it was there
that the two men met and forged a lasting
friendship.
In 1882, Flood and O’Neill became
equal partners of the Rancho Santa
Margarita y Las Flores in north San
Diego and its adjoining Rancho Mission
Viejo and Rancho Trabuco in south
Orange County. Collectively, the ranchos
totaled more than 200,000 acres and were
acclaimed by many as “the greatest of all
California ranchos.” Flood
provided the money to
purchase the ranches while
O’Neill, offering his skills
as a cattleman as his sweat
equity, agreed to work out
his half as resident manager.
Under O’Neill’s tenure,
the cattle herd was upgraded
and expanded, the land improved,
row crops were introduced, and
the Ranch became home to
Orange County’s biggest wheat
fields. In 1907, just twenty five
years after the original
partnership was formed
between his father and O’Neill, James L.
Flood, son of the “Silver King,” made good
on his late father’s handshake promise and
conveyed an undivided half interest in the
great Ranch property to O’Neill. Just four
months later, declining health caused O’Neill
to deed his interest to one of his two sons,
Jerome, who took the reins of the Ranch
and led it into a new direction.
Planning for the FUTURE
(1960s-Today)
By the 1960s, urbanization had found its
way to the borders of Rancho Mission Viejo.
In response to the demands of Orange
County’s rapidly expanding population, the
O’Neill family and its partners established
Mission Viejo Company and embarked on the
family’s first development, the 10,000-acre
planned community of Mission Viejo.
Serving as an officer of Mission Viejo
Company and overseeing the family’s ranching
operations was Marguerite O’Neill’s grandson,
Anthony R. “Tony” Moiso, fresh out of Stanford
University and the U.S. Army. In 1972, upon Richard J. O’Neill and Tony Moiso
the sale of Mission Viejo Company and its remaining undeveloped land, Tony accepted
the responsibility of daily managing the remaining 40,000 acres of Rancho Mission Viejo.
Over the past decades, it has been Tony Moiso, his mother Alice O’Neill (Moiso)
Avery and her brother, Richard J. O’Neill, who shouldered the family’s responsibilities
of land stewardship. Choosing not to break-up the Ranch and sell it to the highest
bidder, the family has successfully retained ownership of the Ranch by ranching,
farming, and forging long-term Ranch lease agreements. In addition, they have helped
the region meet and manage its growth through visionary community planning and
development, resulting in the creation of the cities and communities of Mission Viejo,
Rancho Santa Margarita, Las Flores, and Ladera Ranch.
In 2004, the family secured all approvals for its Ranch Plan, the comprehensive,
science-based land use management, operation and open space preservation plan for the
remaining 23,815 acres of the family ranch. Under The Ranch Plan, about 25% of the
Ranch will be developed over the next few decades into carefully planned villages, while
the remaining 75% will be preserved as permanent natural open for habitat and species
protection as well as for cattle grazing and citrus farming.
On April 4, 2009, Richard J. O’Neill passed away, leaving sole management of
the Ranch in the hands of his nephew, Tony Moiso.
Proud of their history yet mindful of the future, the
members of the Rancho Mission Viejo family remain steadfastly
grounded to the same values which guided them in 1882: a
commitment to manage thoughtfully the land, a pledge to
honor family, friends and community, and a promise to always
“make your handshake, your bond” and to “ride for the brand.”
2
WELCOME TO AMERICA’S RICHEST
TWO-DAY RODEO!
THIS WEEKEND, during the 10th Annual Rancho Mission Viejo
Rodeo, America’s Richest Two-Day Rodeo, champion cowboys
from across the nation will vie for a purse totaling more
than $200,000!
The “best of the best” in professional rodeo have been invited
to compete in the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo, now celebrating
its 10 year anniversary at the scenic Rancho Mission Viejo Riding
Park at San Juan Capistrano!
“Hosting the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo for the past 10 years
has allowed us to share our proud Western heritage; and we are
pleased to once again bring the sport of rodeo to our south Orange
County neighbors,” said Gilbert Aguirre, Rodeo Committee
President and Executive Vice President, Ranch Operations at
Rancho Mission Viejo. “All eyes in the world of rodeo are on San
Juan Capistrano as the superstars of professional rodeo compete
for one of the largest purses offered anywhere – in one of the best
rodeo venues ever!”
Sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA),
the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo has earned a reputation as “the place
to be” every August as the greatest cowboys in America gather to
compete for prize money and for a cherished spot at the National
Finals Rodeo, held every December in Las Vegas, NV. This year’s
Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo will include many of the best and most
famous cowboys competing in: Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding,
Steer Wrestling, Tie Down Roping, Team Roping, and Bull Riding.
Plus, Rodeo attendees will be invited to enjoy old-fashioned
family fun both days of the Rodeo with games, music, an evening
concert with dancing, and more than fifty different vendors and
lots of entertainment for the whole family!
“We welcome everyone to the Rodeo,” said Aguirre. “The
Ranch family is proud of its ranching heritage and holds dear
to the authentic and honest values embraced by the American
cowboy. We are committed to the preservation of the cowboy way
of life right here at Rancho Mission Viejo.”
Rodeo Raises $1 MILLION
For Local Charities
San Juan Capistrano’s
Proceeds from this year’s 10th anniversary
Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo will help
surpass a total of ONE MILLION DOLLARS
donated to local charities over the past
decade. The funds raised help honor the
old cowboy tradition of “passing the hat”
in support of a family in need.
The hub of equestrian sports throughout
Southern California and the newest treasure
of the City of San Juan Capistrano is the
“Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park at San
Juan Capistrano,” site of the Annual
Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo.
Formerly part of the Rancho Mission
Viejo landholdings, the 40-acre Riding Park
is an essential component of a recent and
larger City of San Juan Capistrano land
purchase and annexation accomplished on
January 20, 2010 when the City acquired
a total of 132 acres of Ranch land. The
acquisition included the Riding Park, an
important recreational and agricultural area,
and the preservation of 42 acres of open
space and creek habitat. This land purchase
now establishes a new eastern gateway into
the City, supports its commitment to the
equestrian lifestyle, and greatly expands
its open space portfolio.
From left to right: Rancho Mission Viejo’s Executive Vice President,
Ranch Operations Gilbert Aguirre and Vice President, Operations
Lissa Freese, Camino Health Center Executive Director Deb Drew and
Mission Hospital President and CEO Peter Bastone. Camino Health
Center provides a wide range of medical and dental services for
thousands of South Orange County families in need. To learn more
please visit www.mission4heatlh.com and click on “Affiliations.”
The Shea Center is dedicated to improving the lives of people with
disabilities through therapeutic horse-related programs. To learn
more please visit www.sheacenter.org.
Over the years, all proceeds from the
Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo have been
donated to such charities as Mission
Hospital's Camino Health Center and
The Shea Center for Therapeutic Riding.
3
NEWEST TREASURE
THE RESERVE
at Rancho Mission Viejo
AN OPEN SPACE LEGACY
Starting with the 1938 sale of 9,716 acres that
ultimately became Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary
and portions of Caspers Wilderness Park to the
recent establishment of The Reserve at Rancho
Mission Viejo, the original land under O’Neill family
ownership and management has remained primarily
undeveloped as wilderness areas, habitat conservancies, parks, play fields, trails, and even the training
ground for the men and women of the armed forces.
In fact, after nearly 130 years of family stewardship,
nearly 171,000 acres of open space, or more than
85% of the original 200,000-acre family ranch,
endure as open space – creating the largest open
space legacy of all the great ranchos in the region!
1938 | 9,716 acres
Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary and
portions of Caspers Wilderness Park
1942 | 132,767 acres
Camp Pendleton, Fallbrook Naval
Weapons Station and San Onofre
State Park
In early 1990, the Rancho Mission Viejo
family voluntarily entered into an agreement
with key wildlife resource agencies for
the preparation of a comprehensive habitat
conservation plan for the remaining 23,000
acres of Ranch land. What followed were
years of unprecedented public input and
scientific study conducted in partnership
with the agencies. What ultimately
resulted from this effort was a promise to
establish and manage The Reserve at
Rancho Mission Viejo, a non-profit
organization which serves as the steward
of what will be a vast habitat reserve
encompassing 16,536 acres of the Rancho
Mission Viejo and other habitat lands.
The goal of The Reserve at Rancho
Mission Viejo is to preserve and enhance
the Rancho Mission Viejo Habitat Reserve
Lands for ecological, recreational, scientific,
open space, conservation, educational and
even charitable use.
In October 2010, The Reserve at
Rancho Mission Viejo will host a special
"Date with Nature" in partnership with
The Donna O'Neill Land Conservancy
to help introduce the public to these
very special preserved areas of the
Ranch. To learn more, please visit
www.theconservancy.org.
1950 | 254 acres
O’Neill Regional Park
1963 | 131 acres
Addition to O’Neill Regional Park
1964 | 832 acres
Mission Viejo parks and
recreational lands
1973 | 943 acres
Prima Deschecha Landfill (identified
as a future regional park)
1982 | 974 acres
Addition to O’Neill Regional Park
1983 | 1,708 acres
Addition to Caspers Wilderness Park
1986 | 1,006 acres
Rancho Santa Margarita parks and
recreational lands
Places to
Call Home
1988 | 177 acres
Addition to O’Neill Regional Park
1990 | 1,173 acres
In 1964, to better meet
the needs of Orange
County’s population
expansion along the
Ranch’s borders, the
senior members of the
Rancho Mission Viejo
family joined with
The City of Rancho Santa Margarita (Grand Opening: 1986; Incorporation: 1999)
development partners
has been carefully phased with the
to establish Mission Viejo Company and
building of important and essential
create the community of Mission Viejo.
facilities and services as well as the
The family added schools, parks, community
establishment of permanent open space.
facilities and other necessary “quality of
This comprehensive planning and
life” benefits to the then bold new plan for
development process has yielded the
Mission Viejo – which still is recognized as
city of Rancho Santa Margarita and the
one of the nation’s best places to live.
award-winning communities of Las
Since then, the development of new
Flores and Ladera Ranch.
communities on Rancho Mission Viejo land
Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy
(formerly The Rancho Mission Viejo
Land Conservancy)
1994 | 105 acres
Gobernadora Ecological
Restoration Area
1995 | 971 acres
Addition to O’Neill Regional Park
1996 | 1,182 acres
Upper Chiquita Conservation Area
1999 | 1,600 acres
Ladera Ranch Land Conservancy
2001 | 626 acres
Ladera Ranch parks, habitat areas
and recreational lands
2002 | 223 acres
Addition to O’Neill Regional Park
2007 | 16,536
The Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo
170,924
Acres of Open Space
The community of Las Flores (Grand Opening: 1995)
The community of Ladera Ranch (Grand Opening: 1999)
4
STEWARDSHIP
and Land Leases
Although Rancho Mission Viejo’s success
is often taken for granted, the reality is that
the Ranch probably would not exist today
without a true sense of stewardship on the
part of the family which has owned and
managed it since 1882. While many of
Orange County’s early ranching families are
now gone, the O’Neill/Avery/Moiso family
elected to stay, to meet the challenges of
urbanization, and to seize the opportunities
associated with Orange County’s progress.
“
An important key to the family’s
enduring success has been its ability
to find the right balance of land uses.
For example, during different times of
the year, hundreds of head of cattle still
roam the hillsides and valleys of Rancho
Mission Viejo. The Cow Camp continues
to be home to vaqueros and their families;
and, each spring, as it has happened for
almost one hundred thirty years, cowboys
help the family gather and brand the
annual calf crop with the “Rafter M” brand.
In addition to ranching, the rich
soil, available water, and mild climate
of Rancho Mission Viejo provide many
farming opportunities. In fact, with
more than 63,000 lemon trees to harvest
year-round, Rancho Mission Viejo is one
of the largest citrus producers in Orange
County. In addition, avocados, row
crops and other livestock are grown
on the Ranch.
Moreover, Rancho Mission Viejo
is home to a dozen different leasehold
Gilbert Aguirre
operations including those involved
in waste management, concrete and
asphalt crushing and recycling, mining,
large-scale commercial nurseries, and
landscaping. One of the oldest leases
on the land belongs to the Tree of Life
Nursery, the largest native plant
supplier in the state of California.
THE O’NEILL FAMILY’S place in the history of Orange County and the state of California is
marked by generations of enlightened community leadership. At Rancho Mission Viejo, the O’Neills
keep alive the spirit and traditions of early California farming and cattle ranching. Nancy and I
salute the O’Neills and the community in which they live.
— President Ronald Reagan, April 23, 1982 (upon the centennial of Rancho Mission Viejo)
Being a
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
For more than a century, members
of the Rancho Mission Viejo family
have been active in the San Juan
Capistrano community. They have
helped revitalize the downtown
district by developing Mission
Promenade, by supporting the
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Preservation Foundation, by
contributing (initially and
annually) to the O’Neill Museum,
home of the San Juan Capistrano
Photo Courtesy of Mission San Juan
Historical Society, and by
Capistrano
preserving the City’s famed
landmark gathering spots, El Adobe de Capistrano and
Los Swallows Inn.
This year, the family sold 132 acres of valuable entitled yet
undeveloped ranch
land to the City of San
Juan Capistrano. The
purchase was funded
from Measure Y bonds
approved by voters in
November 2008. The
establishment of the
Rancho Mission Viejo
Riding Park at San Juan
Capistrano reaffirms
and will forever connect
the residents of San
Juan Capistrano
with the Rancho
Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park at San Juan Capistrano
Mission Viejo family.
Little League Opening Day at Cox Sports Park at Ladera Ranch.
The Rancho Mission Viejo family has always understood
that the blessings of landownership are matched by the
responsibilities associated with being both a good neighbor
and a responsible contributor to the community.
Committed by that understanding, the Ranch family
has been instrumental in the creation and continuation of
many essential south Orange County facilities. Provided are
just a few of the important facilities which have benefitted,
down through the years, from the Ranch family:
• Mission Hospital
and other medical facilities
• Mission San Juan Capistrano
• Five different high schools (Capistrano
Valley, Mission Viejo, Santa Margarita
Catholic, Tesoro, and Trabuco Hills)
• Dozens of middle and elementary schools
• Acres of land for numerous houses of
worship and child care centers
• Marguerite Aquatic Complex (home to the
Mission Viejo Nadadores Swim Team)
”
GOOD NEIGHBOR
• Several fire stations and post offices
• Rancho Santa Margarita Swim Lagoon
and Beach Club
• Rancho Santa Margarita Regional Library
• Ladera Ranch Regional Library
• The Cox Sports Park at Ladera Ranch
• Hundreds of parks, playgrounds,
sports fields, trails, walkways, and
special places to gather in each of
the communities created on
Rancho Mission Viejo
5
The Guiding
TIMELINE
and Legacy of the Land
PRINCIPLES
For nearly 130 years, members of the Richard O'Neill, Sr. family
have owned and operated Rancho Mission Viejo. As stewards of
this land, they have established a proud history of cattle ranching,
open space preservation, thoughtful land management, responsible
development, and community service. This history is the legacy
of the land — and a guide to the future.
Since 1882, members of the O’Neill /Avery/Moiso family have
been guided by values and beliefs which have allowed them to
steer a steady course of thoughtful land stewardship and
community service. These family values serve as guiding
principles which underscore the family’s hopes and dreams.
1882 Richard O’Neill, Sr. and James Flood purchase Rancho
• Preserve permanently open space and sensitive habitats, and
• Perpetuate the family heritage of cattle ranching and farming;
Santa Margarita y Las Flores, Rancho Trabuco and
Rancho Mission Viejo
• Protect the local quality of life through thoughtful development
and managed growth.
1942 The Dept. of the Navy purchases Flood portion (southern
half) and half of O’Neill’s interests (San Onofre) for the
establishment of Camp Joseph H. Pendleton
In 1992, the family
entered into a partnership
with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, California
Dept. of Fish and Game,
and the County of Orange
to study and to inventory
Ranch land containing
native habitat of
threatened and
endangered species.
In 1999, the scope of
that study was expanded
to include a U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers’ program to
preserve and enhance wetlands,
manage water run-off, and
protect the water quality in the
San Juan Creek and San Mateo
Creek watersheds. Based on
these two scientific resource
study processes, the family
then implemented its fourth
guiding principle.
1943 Remaining 52,000 acres, all in Orange County, now known
as Rancho Mission Viejo
1950 The first phase of O’Neill
Park is dedicated to the
people of Orange County
by the O’Neill family
1964 O’Neill family and partners
establish Mission Viejo
Company to develop the
10,000-acre Mission Viejo
community. Richard J. O’Neill
and his sister, Alice O’Neill
(Moiso) Avery, serve on the
Board of Directors with Alice’s
son, Anthony R. Moiso, serving
as Executive Vice President
1981 Family matriarch Marguerite
“Daisy” O’Neill dies at 102
years old
1986 The 5,000-acre Rancho Santa
Margarita master-planned
community opens
1990 O’Neill/Avery/Moiso family
•
establishes the 1,200-acre
Rancho Mission Viejo Land
Conservancy. (In 2002, the
Conservancy was renamed
the Donna O’Neill Land
Conservancy)
1995 The 1,000-acre Las Flores
master-planned community
opens
The original 200,000-acre O'Neill family ranch (above) stretched from Aliso Creek
(near El Toro Road in today's City of Lake Forest) to the City of Oceanside.
Partner with the people of
the County of Orange to establish
a binding and enduring agreement
to implement The Ranch Plan as
a comprehensive land use
management and open space
preservation plan for Rancho
Mission Viejo.
1999 With development partners,
D.M.B. Associates, the family
opens the Ladera Ranch
master-planned community
RANCHO MISSION VIEJO RODEO COMMITTEE
2004 Orange County Board of
Supervisors unanimously
approves The Ranch Plan
which preserves 75% of the
remaining 23,000-acre family
ranch as permanent open
space and allows for the longterm, phased development of
the remaining 6,000 acres
2007 Rancho Mission Viejo family
and wildlife resource agencies
create habitat reserve on
16,536 acres of Ranch land.
The Reserve at Rancho
Mission Viejo is established
to serve as the steward of a
vast habitat reserve
2009 Family patriarch
Richard J. O’Neill dies, and
2010 Ranch family hosts the 10th
Annual Rancho Mission Viejo
Rodeo, thereby raising more
than $1 million in donations
to local charities
From left to right, standing: Rancho Mission Viejo’s Director, Community Development Eric Sellas, Vice President, Operations Lissa Freese,
Executive Vice President, Ranch Operations Gilbert Aguirre with grandchildren Tara and Brent Freese and sitting: Ranch Security Officer Jeff Provo
with Janet Riordan and Karen Flood as well as Rancho Mission Viejo’s Ranch Manager Derek Knobel.
6
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