Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas
Encyclopedia
Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas was a 22283 acres (90.2 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa
to Carlos Antonio Castro. The grant extended along Llagas Creek from about one mile south of present day Morgan Hill
to about one mile north of Gilroy
, and included present day San Martin
.
; his brother José Joaquín Castro (1768–1838) was the grantee of Rancho San Andrés
; and his brother Francisco María Castro
(1775 - 1831) was the grantee of Rancho San Pablo
. Carlos Antonio Castro married María de Rosario García (b.1779) in 1805. Their son Guillermo Castro
was the grantee of Rancho San Lorenzo. In 1812, Carlos Castro was mayor domo of Mission Santa Cruz
, and received the six square league Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas grant in 1834.
In 1848, the heirs of Carlos Castro sold Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas to Martin Murphy's sons Daniel and Bernard. Martin Murphy had brought his family to California with the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party
in 1844. Martin Murphy purchased Rancho Ojo del Agua de la Coche
to the north of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas in 1846.
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 San Francisco de las Llagas was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Daniel and Bernard Murphy (later joined by James and Martin J. C. Murphy) in 1868.
In 1851, Daniel Murphy married Mary Fisher, daughter of neighbor William Fisher, owner of Rancho Laguna Seca
. When Daniel Murphy died in 1882, his daughter Diana and son Daniel Jr. inherited the land grant. Daniel Murphy Jr. sold his land on Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas in 1892 to real estate developer Chauncey Hatch Phillips.
Bernard Murphy purchased Rancho La Polka on the east boundary of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas and Rancho Las Uvas
on the western boundary of Rancho Ojo de Agua de la Coche. Bernard Murphy married Catherine O’Toole (b.1828). Bernard Murphy was killed in the explosion of the steamboat "Jenny Lind" en route from Alviso to San Francisco on April 11, 1853, and his wife Catherine inherited the land. In 1862, Catherine O’Toole Murphy married James Dunne of Rancho Bolsa de San Felipe
who died in 1874. In 1893, a portion of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas, also known as the Dunne Ranch, owned by Catherine Murphy Dunne, was subdivided and the settlement of Rucker
was created. Catherine's daughter, Mary Phileta Dunne, married Joseph H. Rucker.
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 Santa Clara County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa
José Figueroa
General José Figueroa , was a General and the Mexican territorial Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835.Figueroa oversaw the initial secularization of the missions of upper California, which included the expulsion of the Spanish Franciscan mission officials.This also involved the issuing of...
to Carlos Antonio Castro. The grant extended along Llagas Creek from about one mile south of present day Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill, California
Morgan Hill is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, California, United States. Founded on November 10, 1906, the city was named after Hiram Morgan Hill, a San Franciscan who built a country retreat home there in 1884...
to about one mile north of Gilroy
Gilroy, California
Gilroy is the southernmost city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 48,821 at the 2010 census. Gilroy is well-known for its garlic crop and for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, featuring various garlicky foods, including garlic ice cream. Gilroy also produces...
, and included present day San Martin
San Martin, California
San Martin is a census-designated place and an unincorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It takes its name from St. Martin of Tours, the patron saint of early pioneer Martin Murphy, who built the first Catholic church in the area...
.
History
Carlos Antonio Castro (b.1775) was the son of Joaquin Ysidro de Castro and Maria Marina Botiller, who had come to California from Mexico with the De Anza Expedition in 1775. Carlos' brother, José Mariano Castro (1765–1828) was the grantee of Rancho Las AnimasRancho Las Animas
Rancho Las Animas was a Spanish land concession in present day Santa Clara County given in 1802 by Viceroy Félix Berenguer de Marquina to José Mariano Castro. The rancho was regranted in 1835 to Castro's widow Josefa Romero de Castro by Mexican Governor José Figueroa...
; his brother José Joaquín Castro (1768–1838) was the grantee of Rancho San Andrés
Rancho San Andrés
Rancho San Andrés was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to José Joaquín Castro. The grant on Monterey Bay extended from La Selva Beach on the north to Watsonville Slough on the south...
; and his brother Francisco María Castro
Francisco María Castro
Francisco María Castro was a landowner in an area of Alta California which later became part of Contra Costa County, California.Francisco María Castro was the third son of Joaquin Ysidro de Castro, one of the founding settlers of the Pueblo of San José and Maria Marina Botiller...
(1775 - 1831) was the grantee of Rancho San Pablo
Rancho San Pablo
Rancho San Pablo was a land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1823 by Governor Luís Antonio Argüello to Francisco María Castro , a former soldier at the San Francisco Presidio and one-time alcalde of the Pueblo of San José. The grant was reconfirmed by Governor José...
. Carlos Antonio Castro married María de Rosario García (b.1779) in 1805. Their son Guillermo Castro
Guillermo Castro
Guillermo Castro was the son of Carlos Castro of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas, near Coyote, California in Santa Clara County. He was a soldier, rancher, surveyor, and magistrate in his lifetime.-Biography:...
was the grantee of Rancho San Lorenzo. In 1812, Carlos Castro was mayor domo of Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz was established in 1791 and named for the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, the name that the explorer Gaspar de Portolà gave to the area when he camped on the banks of the San Lorenzo River on October 17, 1769, and erected a wooden cross...
, and received the six square league Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas grant in 1834.
In 1848, the heirs of Carlos Castro sold Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas to Martin Murphy's sons Daniel and Bernard. Martin Murphy had brought his family to California with the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party
Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party
The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party consisted of ten families who migrated from Iowa to California prior to the Mexican-American War or the California Gold Rush. The Stephens Party is significant in California history because they were the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada during the...
in 1844. Martin Murphy purchased Rancho Ojo del Agua de la Coche
Rancho Ojo del Agua de la Coche
Rancho Ojo de Agua de la Coche was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1835 by Governor José Figueroa to Juan María Hernandez. The name means "pig's spring"...
to the north of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas in 1846.
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 San Francisco de las Llagas 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 Daniel and Bernard Murphy (later joined by James and Martin J. C. Murphy) in 1868.
In 1851, Daniel Murphy married Mary Fisher, daughter of neighbor William Fisher, owner of Rancho Laguna Seca
Rancho Laguna Seca (Alvires)
Rancho Laguna Seca was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Juan Alvires. "Laguna Seca" means "Dry Lake" in Spanish...
. When Daniel Murphy died in 1882, his daughter Diana and son Daniel Jr. inherited the land grant. Daniel Murphy Jr. sold his land on Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas in 1892 to real estate developer Chauncey Hatch Phillips.
Bernard Murphy purchased Rancho La Polka on the east boundary of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas and Rancho Las Uvas
Rancho Las Uvas
Rancho Las Uvas was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Lorenzo Pinedo . The name means "ranch of the grapes" and is derived from an abundance of wild grapes along the area's main watercourses...
on the western boundary of Rancho Ojo de Agua de la Coche. Bernard Murphy married Catherine O’Toole (b.1828). Bernard Murphy was killed in the explosion of the steamboat "Jenny Lind" en route from Alviso to San Francisco on April 11, 1853, and his wife Catherine inherited the land. In 1862, Catherine O’Toole Murphy married James Dunne of Rancho Bolsa de San Felipe
Rancho Bolsa de San Felipe
Rancho Bolsa de San Felipe was a Mexican land grant in present day San Benito County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Francisco Perez Pacheco. Bolsa means "pockets" and refers to pockets of land in the Tequisquina Slough...
who died in 1874. In 1893, a portion of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas, also known as the Dunne Ranch, owned by Catherine Murphy Dunne, was subdivided and the settlement of Rucker
Rucker, California
Rucker is a historic district in unincorporated Santa Clara County, California located halfway along the five miles of Monterey Highway between Gilroy, California and San Martin. The name is official, but not in common use among locals today. Its elevation is listed as 235 feet above mean sea level...
was created. Catherine's daughter, Mary Phileta Dunne, married Joseph H. Rucker.