Rancho Buena Vista was a 8446 acres (34.2 km²) Spanish land concession

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 the Salinas Valley

Salinas Valley

The Salinas Valley lies south of San Francisco, California.The word "salina" is spanish for salt marsh, salt lake or salt pan.-Geography:The Salinas Valley runs approximately south-east from Salinas towards King City. The valley lends its name to the geologic province in which it's located, the...

, in present day Monterey County, California

Monterey County, California

Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...

 given in 1795 to Jose Maria Soberanes and Joaquin Castro. The grant was just south of Spreckels

Spreckels, California

Spreckels is a census-designated place located in the Salinas Valley of Monterey County, California, United States. Spreckels is located south of Salinas, at an elevation of 62 feet . The population was 673 at the 2010 census, up from 485 at the 2000 census.Spreckels is one of the best-preserved...

.

History

José Maria Soberanes (1753-1803) was ony 16 when he accompanied the Portola expedition

Portola expedition

250px|right|Point of San Francisco Bay DiscoveryThe Portolá Expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá from July 14, 1769 to January 24, 1770. It was the first recorded Spanish land entry and exploration of present day California, United States...

 to San Francisco Bay in 1769. Soberanes married Maria Josefa Castro (1759-1822) and retired from the military in 1795, and with his father-in-law, Joaquin Ysidro de Castro, received Rancho Buena Vista. Soberanes died in 1803 and his widow Maria Josefa Soberanes moved to Monterey

Monterey, California

The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...

 with her sons Feliciano Soberanes (1788-1868) and Mariano Soberanes (1794-1859). Rancho Buena Vista was abandoned.

The rancho was regranted José Mariano Estrada and his son, José Santiago Estrada, by Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá

Pablo Vicente de Solá

Pablo Vicente de Solá , the last Spanish governor of Alta California from 1815-1822....

 in 1822. José Mariano Estrada (1784-), a Lieutenant of Mexican Artillery, came to California with his brother, José Raimundo Estrada (1784-), in 1797 with José Joaquín de Arrillaga

José Joaquín de Arrillaga

José Joaquín de Arrillaga was interim governor of Las Californias from 1792 to 1794, governor of Las Californias from 1800 to 1804 and governor of Alta California from 1804 to 1814.-Death:...

. Mariano Estrada was the grantee of the two square league Rancho Buena Vista in 1822, and the two square league Rancho Llano de Buena Vista

Rancho Llano de Buena Vista

Rancho Llano de Buena Vista was a Mexican land grant in the Salinas Valley, in present day Monterey County, California given in 1823 by Governor Luís Antonio Argüello to José Mariano Estrada. The name means "Plains of Buena Vista". The grant extended along the north bank of the Salinas River...

 in 1823. Mariano Estrada married Maria Isabel Argüello who was the daughter of José Darío Argüello

José Darío Argüello

José Darío Argüello was a Spanish soldier and California pioneer, and twice governor of California.-Biography:José Darío Argüello was born in Santiago de Querétaro, New Spain ....

. Their son, José Ramón Estrada (1811-1845), was the grantee of Rancho El Toro

Rancho El Toro

Rancho El Toro was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to José Ramón Estrada. The grant extended along Toro Creek south of Hill Town on the Salinas River.-History:...

 and Rancho San Simeon

Rancho San Simeon

Rancho San Simeon was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Ramón Estrada. The grant extended along the Pacific Coast from Rancho Piedra Blanca south to San Simeon Creek....

. Another son, Julian Estrada (1813 – 1871), was the grantee of Rancho Santa Rosa

Rancho Santa Rosa (Estrada)

Rancho Santa Rosa was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Julian Estrada...

. A daughter, Josefa Estrada, married Rafael Gomez (1784-1838), grantee of Rancho Tularcitos

Rancho Tularcitos (Gomez)

Rancho Tularcitos was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Rafael Gomez. Tularcitos means "place of the little Tule thickets"...

.

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 Buena Vista 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 José Santiago Estrada in 1869.

Historic sites of the Rancho

• Soberanes Adobe. José Estrada, who built this adobe in 1830, sold the property to Feliciano Soberanes (son of José Maria Soberanes). The adobe was the home of the Soberanes family from 1860 until 1922, when William O'Donnell acquired the property.