Rancho Campo de los Franceses
Encyclopedia
Rancho Campo de los Franceses was a 48747 acres (197.3 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day San Joaquin County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to Guillermo Gulnac. "Campo de los Franceses” which in English means “French Camp” refers to French-Canadian fur trappers who wintered there. The grant included present day French Camp
and Stockton
.
Germany
, immigrated to America in 1836, and after spending time in Texas
, came overland from Missouri
to California with the Bartleson-Bidwell Party
in 1841. Shortly after his arrival, Karl called himself Charles. Weber went to work for John Sutter
who vouched for "Carlos Maria Weber" to the Mexican authorities. In 1842, Weber settled in the Pueblo of San José and became a business partner of Guillermo (William) Gulnac. William Gulnac (1801-1851), born in Hudson, New York
, was a blacksmith and fur trapper who came to the Pueblo of San José in 1833. William Gulnac married Maria Ceseña, sister of Liberata Ceseña patentee of Rancho Laguna Seca
, and became a naturalized Mexican citizen. He was elected as regidor in 1839. Weber and Gulnac operated several businesses. They set up a corn-mill, ran a bakery and a smithy, mined for salt, made shoes and soap, and kept cattle and horses.
Gulnac, a Mexican citizen, petitioned Governor Micheltorena for a tract of land eleven leagues in extent, for the benefit of himself and eleven other families, who were to assist him in forming a settlement upon the land. The Governor ordered that the petitioner should say whether the grant was asked for a colony, and that in that case the names of the families should be stated in the title; but if he desired it for himself individually, that he should ask for it within reasonable limits. The grant recites that is for the benefit of Gulnac and his family and that of eleven other families; but their names are not mentioned. It may be presumed that the Governor finally determined to grant the land to Gulnac alone, leaving him to make such arrangements with the families who were to settle upon the land as he might see fit.
Gulnac and Weber dissolved their partnership on 1843. Gulnac's attempts to settle the Rancho Campo de los Franceses failed, and he sold the land to Weber in 1845. In 1846, Weber had induced a number of settlers to locate on the rancho, when the Mexican–American War
broke out. Weber was first considered a Californio and then an American. He was offered the position of captaincy by Mexican General José Castro, which he declined, and he later accepted the position of Captain in the Cavalry of the United States. Captain Weber's decision to change sides lost him a great deal of the trust he had built up among his Mexican business partners. As a result, he sold the business in 1849.
Weber moved to the grant in 1847, and laid out a town, which he named Tuleburg in 1849. Soon afterward he renamed it Stockton, in honour of Commodore Robert F. Stockton
. As the head of navigation on the San Joaquin River
, the city grew rapidly as a miners’ supply point during the California Gold Rush
. Weber himself set off for the gold fields, and worked there as a gold prospector and a merchant.
Returning from the gold mines in 1850, Weber married Helen Murphy (1822–1895), daughter of Martin Murphy, owner of Rancho Ojo del Agua de la Coche
. Helen and Charles moved to what is still Weber Point in Stockton and had three children: Charles Martin Weber (1851–1912), Julia Helen Weber (1853–1935) and Thomas Jefferson Weber (1855–1892). Capt. Weber's brother, Adolf Weber (1825-1906), came from Germany to California in 1853 in search of his brother and settled in San Francisco, where he worked as a chemist at the State Mint and ultimately founded Humboldt Savings and Loan (1869).
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, Weber filed a claim with the Public Land Commission
in 1852 and the grant was confirmed by the Commission in 1855, and the US District Court in 1857. His opponents appealed the decision to the US Supreme Court, but the grant was patented
to Charles Weber in 1861.
A claim was filed by Agustin Jouan, an agent of Joseph Yves Limantour
, and 12 families with the Land Commission in 1853, but was rejected by the Commission in 1855.. A claim was filed by Justo Larios et al with the Land Commission in 1853 and rejected by the Commission in 1855.
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 San Joaquin County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...
to Guillermo Gulnac. "Campo de los Franceses” which in English means “French Camp” refers to French-Canadian fur trappers who wintered there. The grant included present day French Camp
French Camp, California
French Camp is a census-designated place in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 3,376 at the 2010 census, down from 4,109 at the 2000 census. San Joaquin General Hospital is located in French Camp....
and Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
.
History
Karl David Weber (1814-1881), born in SteinwendenSteinwenden
Steinwenden is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, immigrated to America in 1836, and after spending time in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, came overland from Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to California with the Bartleson-Bidwell Party
Bartleson-Bidwell Party
In 1841, the Bartleson–Bidwell Party led by Captain John Bartleson and John Bidwell, became the first American emigrants to attempt a wagon crossing from Missouri to California.-The trail:...
in 1841. Shortly after his arrival, Karl called himself Charles. Weber went to work for John Sutter
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...
who vouched for "Carlos Maria Weber" to the Mexican authorities. In 1842, Weber settled in the Pueblo of San José and became a business partner of Guillermo (William) Gulnac. William Gulnac (1801-1851), born in Hudson, New York
Hudson, New York
Hudson is a city located along the west border of Columbia County, New York, United States. The city is named after the adjacent Hudson River and ultimately after the explorer Henry Hudson.Hudson is the county seat of Columbia County...
, was a blacksmith and fur trapper who came to the Pueblo of San José in 1833. William Gulnac married Maria Ceseña, sister of Liberata Ceseña patentee 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...
, and became a naturalized Mexican citizen. He was elected as regidor in 1839. Weber and Gulnac operated several businesses. They set up a corn-mill, ran a bakery and a smithy, mined for salt, made shoes and soap, and kept cattle and horses.
Gulnac, a Mexican citizen, petitioned Governor Micheltorena for a tract of land eleven leagues in extent, for the benefit of himself and eleven other families, who were to assist him in forming a settlement upon the land. The Governor ordered that the petitioner should say whether the grant was asked for a colony, and that in that case the names of the families should be stated in the title; but if he desired it for himself individually, that he should ask for it within reasonable limits. The grant recites that is for the benefit of Gulnac and his family and that of eleven other families; but their names are not mentioned. It may be presumed that the Governor finally determined to grant the land to Gulnac alone, leaving him to make such arrangements with the families who were to settle upon the land as he might see fit.
Gulnac and Weber dissolved their partnership on 1843. Gulnac's attempts to settle the Rancho Campo de los Franceses failed, and he sold the land to Weber in 1845. In 1846, Weber had induced a number of settlers to locate on the rancho, when the Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
broke out. Weber was first considered a Californio and then an American. He was offered the position of captaincy by Mexican General José Castro, which he declined, and he later accepted the position of Captain in the Cavalry of the United States. Captain Weber's decision to change sides lost him a great deal of the trust he had built up among his Mexican business partners. As a result, he sold the business in 1849.
Weber moved to the grant in 1847, and laid out a town, which he named Tuleburg in 1849. Soon afterward he renamed it Stockton, in honour of Commodore Robert F. Stockton
Robert F. Stockton
Robert Field Stockton was a United States naval commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican-American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S...
. As the head of navigation on the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
, the city grew rapidly as a miners’ supply point during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. Weber himself set off for the gold fields, and worked there as a gold prospector and a merchant.
Returning from the gold mines in 1850, Weber married Helen Murphy (1822–1895), daughter of Martin Murphy, owner of 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"...
. Helen and Charles moved to what is still Weber Point in Stockton and had three children: Charles Martin Weber (1851–1912), Julia Helen Weber (1853–1935) and Thomas Jefferson Weber (1855–1892). Capt. Weber's brother, Adolf Weber (1825-1906), came from Germany to California in 1853 in search of his brother and settled in San Francisco, where he worked as a chemist at the State Mint and ultimately founded Humboldt Savings and Loan (1869).
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, Weber filed a claim 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 confirmed by the Commission in 1855, and the US District Court in 1857. His opponents appealed the decision to the US Supreme Court, but 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 Charles Weber in 1861.
A claim was filed by Agustin Jouan, an agent of Joseph Yves Limantour
Joseph Yves Limantour
Joseph Yves Limantour was a French merchant who engaged in the California sea trade during the years preceding American occupation of that Mexican province in 1846...
, and 12 families with the Land Commission in 1853, but was rejected by the Commission in 1855.. A claim was filed by Justo Larios et al with the Land Commission in 1853 and rejected by the Commission in 1855.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Site of First Building in Present City of Stockton. In August 1844, Thomas Lindsay, one of the first settlers at Rancho del Campo de los Franceses, built the first dwelling on this site.
- French Camp. The terminus of the Oregon-California trail used by the French-Canadian trappers employed by the Hudson's Bay Company from about 1832 to 1845. Michel LaframboiseMichel LaframboiseMichel Laframboise was a French Canadian fur trader in the Oregon Country that settled on the French Prairie in the modern U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Quebec, he worked for the Pacific Fur Company, the North West Company, and the Hudson’s Bay Company before he later became a farmer and...
, among others, met fur hunters here annually, where they camped with their families. - Weber Point. Site of a two-story adobe-and-redwood house built in 1850 by Charles M. Weber, founder and pioneer developer of Stockton. it remained Captain Weber's home until his death in 1881.