Santa Ana, California is the financial and governmental centre of Orange County and a
major city in the state. Don Gaspár de Portolá, a Spanish expedition party
leader, discovered a picturesque valley and river in Southern California which
he christened Santa Ana, in honour of Saint Anne, on July 26, 1769. José Antonio
Yorba, a youthful expedition soldier, and his nephew Juan Peralta, were given a
Spanish land grant for the area. They developed the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
for cattle grazing and productive farmland. In 1869, William H. Spurgeon
purchased 70 acres from the Yorba family and plotted a town site. The new town
was given the name Santa Ana. In 1886, Santa Ana was incorporated as a city.
Orange County was separated from Los Angeles in 1889, and Santa Ana was
designated the County seat.