Rancho Caymus
Encyclopedia
Rancho Caymus was a 11887 acres (48.1 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Napa County, California
given in 1836 by acting Governor Nicolás Gutiérrez
to George C. Yount
. Caymus was the name of a subgroup of Mishewal-Wappo Indians. The rancho included present day Yountville
, Oakville and Rutherford all within the Napa Valley AVA
.
, George C. Yount received the two league Rancho Caymus in 1836, and became the first permanent Euro-American settler in the Napa Valley
. In 1843 he received the one league Rancho La Jota
on Howell Mountain
to the north of Rancho Caymus.
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 Caymus was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the Rancho Caymus grant was patented
to George C. Yount in 1863.
A town known as Sebastopol was laid out on the property in 1855. However, a town in nearby Sonoma County
had already laid claim to this name, and the town was renamed Yountville
in 1867 after George Yount’s death.
After George Yount’s death in 1865, the courts stepped in to sell the remaining portions of his property. Judge Serranus Hastings
bought a large portion of the original Rancho Caymus. He later sold part of his property to Captain Gustave Niebaum
and California State Senator Seneca Ewer.
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 Napa County, California
Napa County, California
Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa....
given in 1836 by acting Governor Nicolás Gutiérrez
Nicolás Gutiérrez
Lieutenant Colonel Nicolás Gutiérrez was a twice acting governor of Alta California in 1836 from January to May and July to November.Gutierrez served two abbreviated terms in less than a year as acting governor of Alta California in 1836...
to George C. Yount
George C. Yount
George Calvert Yount was a trapper in William Wolfskill's party from New Mexico and came to California in 1831. He was the first Euro-American permanent settler in the Napa Valley, where he was the grantee of two Mexican land grants. Yountville, California is named for him.-Biography:George C...
. Caymus was the name of a subgroup of Mishewal-Wappo Indians. The rancho included present day Yountville
Yountville, California
Yountville is an incorporated town in Napa County, California, United States. It is in the North Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 2,933 at the 2010 census. Almost one third of the town's population lives on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California.The town's name...
, Oakville and Rutherford all within the Napa Valley AVA
Napa Valley AVA
Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...
.
History
Through the influence of Mariano Guadalupe VallejoMariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...
, George C. Yount received the two league Rancho Caymus in 1836, and became the first permanent Euro-American settler in the Napa Valley
Napa Valley AVA
Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...
. In 1843 he received the one league Rancho La Jota
Rancho La Jota
Rancho La Jota was a Mexican land grant in present day Napa County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to George C. Yount. La Jota literally means “the letter J” in Spanish, but the meaning of the name has been a cause of speculation....
on Howell Mountain
Howell Mountain AVA
The Howell Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA. Howell Mountain is located in the Vaca Mountains on the northeast side of Napa Valley around the town of Angwin, and overlooks the town of St. Helena, California....
to the north of Rancho Caymus.
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 Caymus 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 Rancho Caymus 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 George C. Yount in 1863.
A town known as Sebastopol was laid out on the property in 1855. However, a town in nearby Sonoma County
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
had already laid claim to this name, and the town was renamed Yountville
Yountville, California
Yountville is an incorporated town in Napa County, California, United States. It is in the North Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 2,933 at the 2010 census. Almost one third of the town's population lives on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California.The town's name...
in 1867 after George Yount’s death.
After George Yount’s death in 1865, the courts stepped in to sell the remaining portions of his property. Judge Serranus Hastings
Serranus Clinton Hastings
Serranus Clinton Hastings was a 19th-century politician and a prominent lawyer in the United States. He studied law as a young man and moved to the Iowa District in 1837 to open a law office. Iowa became a territory a year later, and he was elected a member of the House of Representatives of the...
bought a large portion of the original Rancho Caymus. He later sold part of his property to Captain Gustave Niebaum
Gustave Niebaum
Gustave Ferdinand Niebaum acquired his maritime schooling in Helsinki, Finland. By the end of 1850s - now a Sea Captain - Gustave Niebaum had become the world's leading fur trader. Among his many known accomplishments Captain Niebaum founded the Alaskan Commercial Company in San Francisco,...
and California State Senator Seneca Ewer.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- George Yount Blockhouse. In 1836 George C.Yount built a blockhouse and in 1837 erected an adobe home.
- Grave of George C. Yount. Skilled hunter, frontiersman, craftsman, and farmer, George Calvert Yount (1794–1865) received the first Mexican land grant in Napa Valley.