Rancho San Leandro
Encyclopedia
Rancho San Leandro was a 6830 acres (27.6 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Alameda County, California
given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Joaquín Estudillo
. The grant extended along the east San Francisco Bay
from San Leandro Creek
south to San Lorenzo Creek
, and encompassed present day San Leandro
.
and brother of José Antonio Estudillo
, was born at the Presidio of Monterey
and joined the Spanish Army at the age of 15. In 1823, Estudillo married Juana del Carmen Martinez (daughter of Ygnacio Martínez, grantee of Rancho El Pinole
). In 1835, Estudillo was the commissioner for the secularization of Mission San Francisco de Asís
. In 1835, he was elected alcalde
of Yerba Buena
. After his one-year term, Estudillo, his wife, and ten children moved across the San Francisco Bay, settling on San Leandro Creek just south of the Peraltas' Rancho San Antonio.
With the cession
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
provided that Mexican land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim was filed for Rancho San Leandro with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to José Joaquín Estudillo in 1863.
The grant was for one square league ("more or less") and the official survey was larger than one square league. The vaguely defined eastern boundary of the grant caused problems with his Rancho San Lorenzo neighbor Guillermo Castro
. Squatters encroached on the Estudillo land in 1851 such that their encampment became known as "Squatterville". José Joaquín Estudillo died in June 1852 in San Francisco. Through the efforts of two of Estudillo's sons-in-law, John B. Ward and William Heath Davis
, the squatters were brought under control. Property was deeded to Clement Boyreau to bring the case to federal court. After the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Estudillo family, many of the squatters purchased the land.
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 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Joaquín Estudillo
José Joaquín Estudillo
José Joaquín Estudillo was a Mexican citizen of Alta California who was the second alcalde of Yerba Buena, California , and whose land holdings, known as Rancho San Leandro, formed the basis of the city of San Leandro.-Biography:He was born at the Presidio of Monterey, to José María Estudillo, a...
. The grant extended along the east San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
from San Leandro Creek
San Leandro Creek
San Leandro Creek is a year-round natural stream flowing along the east side of the range which comprises the Berkeley Hills and the San Leandro Hills, immediately east of Oakland. In the hills, it runs into Upper San Leandro Reservoir and then Lake Chabot, both manmade lakes lying north of the...
south to San Lorenzo Creek
San Lorenzo Creek
San Lorenzo Creek is a year-round natural stream flowing through Hayward, California, into San Francisco Bay at the Hayward Regional Shoreline.-Watershed:...
, and encompassed present day San Leandro
San Leandro, California
San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is considered a suburb of Oakland and San Francisco. The population was 84,950 as of 2010 census. The climate of the city is mild throughout the year.-Geography and water resources:...
.
History
José Joaquín Estudillo (1800 – 1852), son of Spanish soldier José María EstudilloJosé María Estudillo
José María Estudillo , was an early settler of San Diego, California and was a governing official during San Diego's Mexican period.-Life:...
and brother of José Antonio Estudillo
José Antonio Estudillo
José Antonio Estudillo was a Californio and an early settler of San Diego, California when California was part of New Spain.-Life:...
, was born at the Presidio of Monterey
Presidio of Monterey, California
The Presidio of Monterey, located in Monterey, California, is an active US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently it is the home of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center .-Spanish fort:...
and joined the Spanish Army at the age of 15. In 1823, Estudillo married Juana del Carmen Martinez (daughter of Ygnacio Martínez, grantee of Rancho El Pinole
Rancho El Pinole
Rancho El Pinole was a Mexican land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Ygnacio Martinez...
). In 1835, Estudillo was the commissioner for the secularization of Mission San Francisco de Asís
Mission San Francisco de Asís
Mission San Francisco de Asís, or Mission Dolores, is the oldest surviving structure in San Francisco and the sixth religious settlement established as part of the California chain of missions...
. In 1835, he was elected alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of Yerba Buena
Yerba Buena
Yerba buena is a rambling aromatic herb of western and northwestern North America, ranging from maritime Alaska southwards to Baja California Sur...
. After his one-year term, Estudillo, his wife, and ten children moved across the San Francisco Bay, settling on San Leandro Creek just south of the Peraltas' Rancho San Antonio.
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 Mexican land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim was filed for Rancho San Leandro 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 José Joaquín Estudillo in 1863.
The grant was for one square league ("more or less") and the official survey was larger than one square league. The vaguely defined eastern boundary of the grant caused problems with his Rancho San Lorenzo neighbor 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:...
. Squatters encroached on the Estudillo land in 1851 such that their encampment became known as "Squatterville". José Joaquín Estudillo died in June 1852 in San Francisco. Through the efforts of two of Estudillo's sons-in-law, John B. Ward and William Heath Davis
William Heath Davis
William Heath "Kanaka" Davis, Jr. was an early settler of San Diego, California.-Life:Davis was born in 1822, in Honolulu, Sandwich Islands to William Heath Davis, Sr. and Hannah Holmes Davis, a daughter of Oliver Holmes, royal governor of Oahu, and relative of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.. Both...
, the squatters were brought under control. Property was deeded to Clement Boyreau to bring the case to federal court. After the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Estudillo family, many of the squatters purchased the land.