Cave Johnson Couts
Lieutenant Cave J. Couts in 1843
Born	(1821-11-11)November 11, 1821 Springfield, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	July 10, 1874 July 10, 1874(1874-07-10) (aged 52) San Diego, California, U.S.
Resting place	Pioneer Park (San Diego) 32°44′57″N 117°10′39″W / 32.7492°N 117.1776°W / 32.7492; -117.1776
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Military officer, Rancher, Judge
Known for	Military service, Rancho Guajome, Agricultural development in San Diego County
Spouse	Ysidora Bandini
Children	10
Relatives	Cave Johnson (uncle)[1]
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	U.S. Army
Years of service	1843–1851
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Mounted Rifles
Commands	Camp Calhoun
Battles / wars	California Gold Rush, Boundary Survey

Cave Johnson Couts (November 11, 1821 – July 10, 1874) was an American military officer, rancher, and judge.^[2] He documented the California Gold Rush era and developed agricultural practices in San Diego County, including founding Rancho Guajome.^[1] Couts played a significant role in early Californian history and was a prominent figure in the region during the mid-19th century.^[3]

Couts was born in Springfield, Tennessee, to a family with strong political ties. His uncle, Cave Johnson, served as a U.S. Congressman and the Postmaster General.^[4] This connection helped young Couts secure a place at the prestigious United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1843^[2] and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, joining the regiment of Mounted Rifles.^[5]

Couts began his military service stationed at various posts across the United States, including Fort Jesup in Louisiana, Fort Washita in Indian Territory, and Fort Gibson. In 1848, he was sent to California with his men, arriving in January 1849^[3] after a difficult journey across the Sonoran Desert. His mission included assisting in the Boundary Survey between Upper California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico.^[3] Couts established a post at the confluence of the Colorado River and Gila River, which he named Camp Calhoun. He also helped manage relationships with local Native Americans and assisted to Gold Rush emigrants.^[6]

In October 1851 Couts resigned his Army commission.^[3] He was then appointed to serve as a colonel and was then appointed a Colonel in the aide de camp, or personal assistant, of Governor John Bigler.^[2] At his Ranch Guajome he found that San Diego County soil and climate could grow many types of agriculture crops. Couts was the first in San Diego County to plant vast orchards. After retiring from the Army he lived in old San Diego and became a County Judge. On August 10, 1856, Couts became a special Indian agent briefly. He checked up on the Indigenous people in San Diego County and wrote a report on their status to the Honorable Commissioner of Indian Affairs, with suggestions for improvement. At Mission San Luis Rey de Francia area, and Rancho Monserate he became the supervisor of the Indianns there. He gave 300 Indians jobs in construction, building: adobe houses, chapels, barns, stables, sheds, and corrals, and planting flowers, and orange and lemon trees. Couts' ranch did very well and he purchased nearby ranches of Rancho Vallecitos de San Marcos in 1866, Rancho Buena Vista in 1866 and La Jolla.^[2] At its peak his ranch was 20,000 acres.^[2]

He lost much when the No Fence Law of 1874 passed.^[7][8]

After retiring from military service, Couts settled in San Diego County, where he became an influential rancher and agricultural pioneer. He and his wife owned the Rancho Guajome, a 2,219-acre property where they grew orchards and experimented with various crops.^[1] His innovative agricultural techniques helped develop the region into a productive farming area. At the time, Couts was one of the first in San Diego County to plant extensive fruit orchards. He also expanded his holdings, acquiring nearby Rancho Vallecitos de San Marcos and Rancho Buena Vista, among others. At the peak of his success, Couts' ranching empire spanned approximately 20,000 acres. However, his holdings were severely impacted by the passage of the No Fence Law in 1874, which forced him to sell much of his livestock at extremely low prices.^[9]

Couts married Miss Ysidora Bandini (1829–1897) on April 5, 1851.^[2] Ysidora was the daughter of Don Juan Bandini of San Diego. Bandini had worked for the Mexican government and was the son of Don Jose Bandini, an admiral in the Spanish Navy. The couple had 10 children.^[2] Couts lived on the 2,219-acre Ranch Guajome, near present-day Vista, California. In his later years, Couts became involved in local politics, serving as a County Judge and briefly working as a special Indian agent in 1856.^[10][11][12]

Couts died on July 10, 1874, at the Horton House in San Diego.^[2] Couts' detailed journals have provided regional historians with a wealth of information about his life and times.^[3] His descendants continued to play an influential role in the region, with his son, also named Cave Johnson Couts, becoming a notable engineer in California and Central America.

Cave Johnson Couts' contributions to the development of San Diego County, particularly in agriculture, have left a lasting mark on the region. His former ranch, Rancho Guajome, is now preserved as the Guajome Regional Park in Vista, California, and is listed as a California Historical Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.^[13][14][15]

• Cave Johnson Couts, Hepah, California!: The journal of Cave Johnson Couts from Monterey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to Los Angeles, California, during the years, 1848-1849, eds. Henry F. Dobyns and Samual E. Chamberlain (Tucson: Arizona Pioneers' Historical Society, 1961).^[16]
• Cave Johnson Couts, From San Diego to the Colorado in 1849: The Journal and Maps of Cave J. Couts, ed. William McPherson (Los Angeles: A.M. Ellis, 1932)^[17]

• Yuma War - US battles
• Imperial County
• Calexico–Mexicali
• Camp Salvation (Calexico)
• 3rd Cavalry Regiment (United States)
• Tennessee in the American Civil War
• Rancho Agua Hedionda
• Rancho Vallecitos de San Marcos
• Fort Yuma

• Cave Family Website