Rancho San Ramon (Pacheco-Castro)
Encyclopedia
Rancho San Ramon was a 8917 acres (36.1 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Contra Costa County, California
given in 1833 by Governor Jose Figueroa
to Mariano Castro and Bartolome Pacheco. Governor Figueroa granted Castro and Pacheco two square leagues of San Ramon Valley
from the crest of the western ridge to the crest of the east. Castro had the northern square league, and Pacheco the southern. The grant included present day Alamo
, Danville
and northern San Ramon
.
. He was present at the dedication of Mission San José in 1797, and retired after 20 years as a soldier. Mariano Castro was his nephew (Bartolome Pacheco's sister, Barbara Pacheco de Castro, was Mariano Castro’s mother).
In the 1830s, the San Ramon Valley was still wild country, and Pacheco and Castro received permission to live out of the valley. Mariano Castro and his family lived in the Pueblo of San José. Bartolome Pacheco lived in the San Mateo
area and, when he died in 1839, his son Lorenzo Pacheco became the owner. Lorenzo Pacheco and Rafaela Soto were married in 1837 and lived in Pueblo of San Jose. When Lorenzo died in 1846, Rafaela Soto de Pacheco and her four small children inherited the Pacheco square league of the Rancho San Ramon.
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 Ramon was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852. The notorious American land attorney Horace Carpentier
"helped" Rafaela Soto de Pacheco with her title challenges, and ended up owning the entire Pacheco-Castro rancho land. The grant was patented to Horace W. Carpentier in 1866.
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 1833 by Governor Jose 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 Mariano Castro and Bartolome Pacheco. Governor Figueroa granted Castro and Pacheco two square leagues of San Ramon Valley
San Ramon Valley
The San Ramon Valley is a region in Contra Costa County and Alameda County, California, east of Oakland. The cities of San Ramon, Danville and Alamo as well as the southern edge of Walnut Creek are located in the valley. Interstate 680 serves as the primary transportation route for the...
from the crest of the western ridge to the crest of the east. Castro had the northern square league, and Pacheco the southern. The grant included present day Alamo
Alamo, California
Alamo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, in the United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
, Danville
Danville, California
The Town of Danville is located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, California. It is one of the incorporated municipalities in California that uses "town" in its name instead of "city". The population was 42,039 in 2010. Danville is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Oakland and San...
and northern San Ramon
San Ramon, California
-2010 census:The 2010 United States Census reported that San Ramon had a population of 72,148. The population density was 3,991.1 people per square mile...
.
History
Bartolome Pacheco (1766–1839), the son of Juan Salvio Pacheco (1729–1777) and Maria Carmen del Valle, came to San Francisco with his family in 1776 with the Anza Expedition. Bartolome Pacheco joined the military company of the Presidio of San FranciscoPresidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
. He was present at the dedication of Mission San José in 1797, and retired after 20 years as a soldier. Mariano Castro was his nephew (Bartolome Pacheco's sister, Barbara Pacheco de Castro, was Mariano Castro’s mother).
In the 1830s, the San Ramon Valley was still wild country, and Pacheco and Castro received permission to live out of the valley. Mariano Castro and his family lived in the Pueblo of San José. Bartolome Pacheco lived in the San Mateo
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
area and, when he died in 1839, his son Lorenzo Pacheco became the owner. Lorenzo Pacheco and Rafaela Soto were married in 1837 and lived in Pueblo of San Jose. When Lorenzo died in 1846, Rafaela Soto de Pacheco and her four small children inherited the Pacheco square league of the Rancho San Ramon.
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 Ramon 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. The notorious American land attorney 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,...
"helped" Rafaela Soto de Pacheco with her title challenges, and ended up owning the entire Pacheco-Castro rancho land. The grant was patented to Horace W. Carpentier in 1866.