Rancho Agua Caliente (Higuera)
Encyclopedia
Rancho Agua Caliente was a 9564 acres (38.7 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Alameda County, California
given in 1836 by Governor Nicolás Gutiérrez
to Antonio Suñol and Fulgencio Higuera, and confirmed in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Fulgencio Higuera. The name means "warm water" and refers to the warm springs located in the foothills a short distance south of Mission San José. The grant is just south of present-day Fremont
.
, and grandson of Ygnacio Anastacio Higuera, who came to California with the De Anza Expedition. His brother Valentin Higuera was the grantee of Rancho Pescadero
. In 1820, Fulgencio Higuera married Maria Clara Saturnina Pacheco. In 1836 Fulgencio Higuera was granted the two square league Rancho Agua Caliente, formerly Mission San José land. In 1845, Higuera married Maria Celia Feliz.
With the cession
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Agua Caliente was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Fulgencio Higuera in 1858.
Higuera gradually sold off his holdings in the 1850s. An attorney, Abram Harris, purchased the southern portion of this land in 1858 and established what briefly became known as Harrisburg. In 1850, Clement Columbet bought 640 acres (2.6 km²), and developed a resort and one of the state’s first wineries. However, the resort did not survive the 1868 Hayward earthquake
. Leland Stanford
bought the property in 1869, and entrusted the land to his brother, Josiah Stanford, to start Stanford Winery, at the corner of Stanford Ave and Vinyard Ave, in what is now Fremont. Thomas W. Millard, who had come from New York to California in 1853, bought a large portion of the Rancho in 1855.
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
in present day Alameda County, California
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
given in 1836 by Governor Nicolás Gutiérrez
Nicolás Gutiérrez
Lieutenant Colonel Nicolás Gutiérrez was a twice acting governor of Alta California in 1836 from January to May and July to November.Gutierrez served two abbreviated terms in less than a year as acting governor of Alta California in 1836...
to Antonio Suñol and Fulgencio Higuera, and confirmed in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Fulgencio Higuera. The name means "warm water" and refers to the warm springs located in the foothills a short distance south of Mission San José. The grant is just south of present-day Fremont
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
.
History
Fulgencio Higuera (1799–1878), was the son of Jose Loreto Higuera (1778–1845), grantee of Rancho Los TularcitosRancho Los Tularcitos
Rancho Los Tularcitos was a Spanish land concession in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1821 to José Loreto Higuera by the last Spanish governor of Alta California, Pablo Vicente de Solá. The land grant was confirmed by Mexican Governor Juan Alvarado in 1839. The name means...
, and grandson of Ygnacio Anastacio Higuera, who came to California with the De Anza Expedition. His brother Valentin Higuera was the grantee of Rancho Pescadero
Rancho Pescadero (Grimes)
Rancho Pescadero was a Mexican land grant in present day Stanislaus County and San Joaquin County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Valentin Higuera and Rafael Feliz. Pescadero means "fishing place" in Spanish...
. In 1820, Fulgencio Higuera married Maria Clara Saturnina Pacheco. In 1836 Fulgencio Higuera was granted the two square league Rancho Agua Caliente, formerly Mission San José land. In 1845, Higuera married Maria Celia Feliz.
With the cession
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Agua Caliente was filed with the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
in 1852, and the grant was patented
Land patent
A land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...
to Fulgencio Higuera in 1858.
Higuera gradually sold off his holdings in the 1850s. An attorney, Abram Harris, purchased the southern portion of this land in 1858 and established what briefly became known as Harrisburg. In 1850, Clement Columbet bought 640 acres (2.6 km²), and developed a resort and one of the state’s first wineries. However, the resort did not survive the 1868 Hayward earthquake
1868 Hayward earthquake
The 1868 Hayward earthquake was the last large earthquake to occur on the Hayward Fault Zone in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States. It caused significant damage throughout the region, and was known as the "Great San Francisco Earthquake" prior to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake...
. Leland Stanford
Leland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford was an American tycoon, industrialist, robber baron, politician and founder of Stanford University.-Early years:...
bought the property in 1869, and entrusted the land to his brother, Josiah Stanford, to start Stanford Winery, at the corner of Stanford Ave and Vinyard Ave, in what is now Fremont. Thomas W. Millard, who had come from New York to California in 1853, bought a large portion of the Rancho in 1855.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Galindo Higuera Adobe.
- Leland Stanford Winery. This winery was founded in 1869 by Leland Stanford, and operated by his brother Josiah Stanford. The restored buildings and winery are now occupied and operated by Weibel Champagne Vineyards.