Rancho Cañada de Raymundo
Encyclopedia
Rancho Cañada de Raymundo was a 12545 acres (50.8 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day San Mateo County, California
given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to John Coppinger. The two and one half league long by three quarter league wide grant consisted the eastern slopes and valleys in the present day Woodside
area. The grant began at Alambique Creek, the north border of Rancho Corte de Madera
, and extended north to Rancho Feliz
. Rancho Cañada de Raymundo was bounded on the east by Rancho de las Pulgas
.
. Coppinger married Soto's daughter, María Luisa Soto (1817–1883), in 1839. In 1841 he was granted Rancho Cañada de Raymundo by Alvarado for Coppinger's help in the revolt led by Alvarado against the Mexican authorities in Monterey
. During the Mexican-American War the authorities became suspicious of Coppinger's loyalty and took him as a prisoner to Mexico
, but he was soon released and returned to California, remaining at his ranch until his death in 1847. His daughter, Manuela Coppinger (b. 1847), married Antonio Miramontes.
After Coppinger's death, his widow, Maria Luisa Soto moved back to Rancho Rinconada del Arroyode San Francisquito. John Lucas Greer (1808–1885), an Irish sea captain, came to San Francisco from South America in 1849. While on a prospecting trip in a small skiff around San Francisco Bay, he sailed up San Francisquito Creek. In 1850, Greer and María Luisa Soto were married. Greer and Soto moved to an adobe on Rancho Cañada de Raymundo, which they called Greersburg, and made a business from lumber and tallow. Greer and Soto had three sons and two daughters.
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 Cañada de Raymundo was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
in 1859 to María Luisa Soto Coppinger Greer and Manuela Coppinger.
In 1846, Charles Brown bought 2880 acres (11.7 km²) from Coppinger, and Dennis Martin (d.1890) bought 1400 acres (5.7 km²) from Coppinger.
Simon Monserrat Mezes (d. 1884), a lawyer who owned a share of the adjacent Rancho de las Pulgas, disputed the location of the boundary between the Rancho de las Pulgas and Rancho Cañada de Raymundo. Although both Rancho de las Pulgas and Rancho Cañada de Raymundo had been patented by the US Government, the 1856 official survey of Rancho de las Pulgas, meant that boundaries of the two grants overlapped. This situation required an Act of Congress in 1878 to resolve.
From 1852 onward, the Spring Valley Water Company, the supplier of water to San Francisco, began purchasing parcels of the Rancho Cañada de Raymundo and imposing watershed restrictions on these properties. In 1861, Greer and María Luisa Soto had trouble paying taxes on their land. In 1869, they moved to back to Rancho Rinconada del Arroyode San Francisquito.
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 Mateo County, California
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to John Coppinger. The two and one half league long by three quarter league wide grant consisted the eastern slopes and valleys in the present day Woodside
Woodside, California
Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It uses a council-manager system of government. The U.S. Census estimated the population of the town to be 5,287 in 2010....
area. The grant began at Alambique Creek, the north border of Rancho Corte de Madera
Rancho Corte de Madera
Rancho Corte de Madera was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Máximo Martínez. The name translates as "the place where lumber is cut"...
, and extended north to Rancho Feliz
Rancho Feliz
Rancho Feliz was a Mexican land grant in present day San Mateo County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Domingo Feliz...
. Rancho Cañada de Raymundo was bounded on the east by Rancho de las Pulgas
Rancho de las Pulgas
Rancho de las Pulgas was a 1795 Spanish land grant in present day San Mateo County, California to José Darío Argüello. The name means "Ranch of the Fleas". The grant was bounded by San Mateo Creek on the north and San Francisquito Creek on the south, and extended about one league from San...
.
History
John Coppinger (1810–1847), a lieutenant in the British Navy, deserted his ship in San Francisco in 1835. He worked for María Antonia Mesa the widow of Rafael Soto on Rancho Rinconada del Arroyo de San FrancisquitoRancho Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito
Rancho Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to María Antonia Mesa. The name means "ranch at the bend in San Francisquito Creek"...
. Coppinger married Soto's daughter, María Luisa Soto (1817–1883), in 1839. In 1841 he was granted Rancho Cañada de Raymundo by Alvarado for Coppinger's help in the revolt led by Alvarado against the Mexican authorities in Monterey
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...
. During the Mexican-American War the authorities became suspicious of Coppinger's loyalty and took him as a prisoner to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, but he was soon released and returned to California, remaining at his ranch until his death in 1847. His daughter, Manuela Coppinger (b. 1847), married Antonio Miramontes.
After Coppinger's death, his widow, Maria Luisa Soto moved back to Rancho Rinconada del Arroyode San Francisquito. John Lucas Greer (1808–1885), an Irish sea captain, came to San Francisco from South America in 1849. While on a prospecting trip in a small skiff around San Francisco Bay, he sailed up San Francisquito Creek. In 1850, Greer and María Luisa Soto were married. Greer and Soto moved to an adobe on Rancho Cañada de Raymundo, which they called Greersburg, and made a business from lumber and tallow. Greer and Soto had three sons and two daughters.
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 Cañada de Raymundo 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...
in 1859 to María Luisa Soto Coppinger Greer and Manuela Coppinger.
In 1846, Charles Brown bought 2880 acres (11.7 km²) from Coppinger, and Dennis Martin (d.1890) bought 1400 acres (5.7 km²) from Coppinger.
Simon Monserrat Mezes (d. 1884), a lawyer who owned a share of the adjacent Rancho de las Pulgas, disputed the location of the boundary between the Rancho de las Pulgas and Rancho Cañada de Raymundo. Although both Rancho de las Pulgas and Rancho Cañada de Raymundo had been patented by the US Government, the 1856 official survey of Rancho de las Pulgas, meant that boundaries of the two grants overlapped. This situation required an Act of Congress in 1878 to resolve.
From 1852 onward, the Spring Valley Water Company, the supplier of water to San Francisco, began purchasing parcels of the Rancho Cañada de Raymundo and imposing watershed restrictions on these properties. In 1861, Greer and María Luisa Soto had trouble paying taxes on their land. In 1869, they moved to back to Rancho Rinconada del Arroyode San Francisquito.