Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados
Encyclopedia
Rancho Laguna de Los Palos Colorados was a 13316 acres (53.9 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Contra Costa County, California
given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Joaquin Moraga and his cousin, Juan Bernal. The name means "Ranch of the Lake of the Redwoods" in Spanish. The rancho included the present day Orinda
, Lafayette
, and Moraga
, as well as the communities Canyon
and Rheem
.
, who was a Spanish soldier on the Anza Expedition. Juan Bernal was the grandson of Juan Francisco Bernal, also a Spanish soldier on the Anza Expedition.
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 Laguna de los Palos Colorados was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1853, and the grant was patented
to Joaquín Moraga in 1878.
Juan Bernal, died in 1847, and Joaquin Moraga died in 1855. By 1859, through a series of complex and often questionable transactions, most of the Ranch Laguna de Los Palos Colorados had been acquired by lawyer Horace Carpentier
. Carpentier sold the land in 1889 to two railroad men, Angus A. Grant (1843-1901) and James A. Williamson (1829 - 1902). They formed the Moraga Land Association and planned to build a railroad and to subdivide the property into town sites and small ranches. But the plan never materialized, and Carpentier foreclosed on the property.
In 1912 Charles A. Hooper (1843 - 1914) and James Irvine II
were interested in purchasing the property. The Oakland & Antioch Railroad which had been granted a right of way through the Rancho had been completed in 1913. Hooper purchased the property and just a week later he made the first of a number of sales to his rival, Irvine. By 1923, Irvine's Moraga Company had acquired most of the rancho.
Irvine died in 1947 and in 1953 his heirs sold his remaining 5000 acres (20 km²) of the original rancho to the Utah Construction Company
. The company was met with organized opposition from the community. During the thirteen years that Utah Construction owned the land, they never built a single home although this was the period of the great growth in the valley. They did, however, develop the subdivisions that were sold to numerous building contractors. Among those building contractors emerged the Rheem brothers, Donald and Richard, who in 1961 formed the Rheem Land Company.
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 Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Joaquin Moraga and his cousin, Juan Bernal. The name means "Ranch of the Lake of the Redwoods" in Spanish. The rancho included the present day Orinda
Orinda, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Orinda had a population of 17,643. The population density was 1,389.5 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Orinda was 14,533 White, 149 African American, 22 Native American, 2,016 Asian, 24 Pacific Islander, 122 from other races, and...
, Lafayette
Lafayette, California
Lafayette is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 23,893. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero of the American Revolutionary War...
, and Moraga
Moraga, California
Moraga is a suburban incorporated town located in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named in honor of Joaquin Moraga, whose grandfather was José Joaquin Moraga, second in command to Juan Bautista de Anza...
, as well as the communities Canyon
Canyon, California
Canyon is an unincorporated community in Contra Costa County, California situated between Oakland and Moraga in the San Francisco Bay Area. The community is named for its location in the upper canyon of San Leandro Creek along the eastern slope of the Berkeley Hills...
and Rheem
Rheem, California
Rheem is an unincorporated community in Contra Costa County, California. It is located north-northwest of Danville, at an elevation of 587 feet ....
.
History
In 1835, Joaquin Moraga (1792 - 1855) and his cousin, Juan Bernal (1802 - 1847) successfully petitioned and were granted their request for Rancho Laguna de Los Palos Colorados. Joaquin Moraga was the grandson of José Joaquín MoragaJosé Joaquín Moraga
José Joaquín de la Santísima Trinidad Moraga was an early explorer to Alta California...
, who was a Spanish soldier on the Anza Expedition. Juan Bernal was the grandson of Juan Francisco Bernal, also a Spanish soldier on the Anza Expedition.
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 Laguna de los Palos Colorados 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 1853, 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 Joaquín Moraga in 1878.
Juan Bernal, died in 1847, and Joaquin Moraga died in 1855. By 1859, through a series of complex and often questionable transactions, most of the Ranch Laguna de Los Palos Colorados had been acquired by lawyer Horace Carpentier
Horace Carpentier
Horace Walpole Carpentier was a lawyer and the first mayor of Oakland, California. He also served as president of the Overland Telegraph Company which oversaw the construction of the western portion of the first transcontinental telegraph in the United States.-Life:Carpentier was born in Galway,...
. Carpentier sold the land in 1889 to two railroad men, Angus A. Grant (1843-1901) and James A. Williamson (1829 - 1902). They formed the Moraga Land Association and planned to build a railroad and to subdivide the property into town sites and small ranches. But the plan never materialized, and Carpentier foreclosed on the property.
In 1912 Charles A. Hooper (1843 - 1914) and James Irvine II
James Irvine (landowner)
The Irvine family were agricultural pioneers and prominent landowners in California who gave their name to the city of Irvine, CA.-James Irvine I:James Irvine was born in County Down, Ireland on December 27, 1827, the second to the youngest of nine children...
were interested in purchasing the property. The Oakland & Antioch Railroad which had been granted a right of way through the Rancho had been completed in 1913. Hooper purchased the property and just a week later he made the first of a number of sales to his rival, Irvine. By 1923, Irvine's Moraga Company had acquired most of the rancho.
Irvine died in 1947 and in 1953 his heirs sold his remaining 5000 acres (20 km²) of the original rancho to the Utah Construction Company
Utah Construction Company
The Utah Construction Company was a construction company founded by Edmund Orson Wattis, Jr, Warren L. Wattis and William. H. Wattis in 1900.-History:...
. The company was met with organized opposition from the community. During the thirteen years that Utah Construction owned the land, they never built a single home although this was the period of the great growth in the valley. They did, however, develop the subdivisions that were sold to numerous building contractors. Among those building contractors emerged the Rheem brothers, Donald and Richard, who in 1961 formed the Rheem Land Company.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Moraga AdobeMoraga AdobeThe Moraga Adobe, is located at 24 Adobe Lane in Moraga, California. It was built by Don Joaquin Moraga who was the grandson of Jose Joaquin Moraga an early Spanish explorer in California who founded the city of San Jose, California In 1835, Mexico granted 13,326 acres, El Rancho Laguna de los...
. The Moraga Adobe is estimated to have been constructed about 1841. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1941 this property was acquired and restored by Katharine Brown White Irvine of Oakland.