Romance of the Ranchos: “Rancho Rodeo De Las Aguas”, first broadcast on October 8, 1941. Old-time radio western.

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Jose Maria Verdugo, a corporal in the service of the King of Spain, falls in love with Maria de la Encarnacion after seeing her on the old road to Monterey. Together they plan a home on a fertile valley, and Jose petitions the governor for permission to graze cattle there. Over the years the Rancho San Rafael grows, and Jose's family defends its boundaries against trespassers. Later, the rancho passes to Jose's son Julio amid the upheaval of the American conquest, and mounting debts threaten the estate. The episode is from the Romance of the Ranchos series, aired on September 7, 1941, with Frank Graham as the wandering vaquero narrator.

With Jose Maria Verdugo, Maria de la Encarnacion, Carlos, Julio Verdugo, Teodoro Verdugo, Governor Pedro Fages.

Listen for: Jose's petition to the governor and the letter granting permission to keep cattle, and the sheriff's visit to Julio Verdugo about the mortgage debt.

First aired on September 7, 1941.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every week: Romance of the Ranchos on Stupid Potato, every episode so far and the episode guide.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 188 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

Lemuel Carpenter, an American newcomer to Southern California, falls in love with Maria de los Angeles Dominguez, niece of Donya Josefa, the widow who holds Rancho Santa Gertrudes. Their courtship unfolds at the rancho, where Carpenter builds a successful soap and broom business while the family faces disputes over land and rising hardship. Donya Josefa's warning about the land proves prophetic as drought, competition and mounting debts press on the young couple. This episode of the Romance of the Ranchos series traces the rancho's history from its early years through the decades that followed, including the period when the land changed hands and later became part of the oil fields of Santa Fe Springs.

With Lemuel Carpenter, Maria de los Angeles Dominguez, Donya Josefa, John G. Downey, Frank Graham.

Listen for: The auction on the courthouse steps in 1859, Lemuel Carpenter's soap factory, and the later discovery of oil near Fulton Wells

First aired on September 14, 1941.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every week: Romance of the Ranchos on Stupid Potato, every episode so far and the episode guide.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 188 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

In 1837, Ignacio Palomares and Ricardo Vejar, respected citizens of Los Angeles, take formal possession of the Rancho San Jose after Governor Alvarado grants their petition. Jose Sepulveda rides with them, but a warning from Dominguez about hostile Mojave Indians hangs over the new owners. Measuring the land and marking its corners with a wooden cross, the partners settle into their holdings. Their ranch becomes a great cattle empire, but financial troubles and the arrival of American creditors begin to reshape the valley. Part of the Romance of the Ranchos series, the drama was originally broadcast on September 21, 1941.

With Ignacio Palomares, Ricardo Vejar, Jose Sepulveda, Dominguez, Governor Alvarado, Luis Arenas, Henry Dalton, Schlesinger.

Listen for: The opening description of the valley and the boundary-marking scene at the black willow tree

First aired on September 21, 1941.

Episode notes written with AI from the recording itself; the audio is the original broadcast.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every week: Romance of the Ranchos on Stupid Potato, every episode so far and the episode guide.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 188 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.

Romance of the Ranchos: “Rancho Aguaje De La Centinela”, first broadcast on October 1, 1941. Old-time radio western.

Free, complete and restored, no modern ads. A new episode every week: Romance of the Ranchos on Stupid Potato, every episode so far and the episode guide.

Stupid Potato restores classic radio and TV audio and runs 60 free 24/7 channels and 189 podcasts: old-time radio westerns, detectives, comedy, science fiction and suspense, vintage TV, Saturday-morning cartoons, Halloween and Christmas. No modern ads. Listen free at stupidpotato.com.