Rancho Cañada del Hambre y Las Bolsas
Encyclopedia
Rancho Cañada del Hambre y Las Bolsas was a 13354 acres (54 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Contra Costa County, California
given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Teodora Soto. The grant consisted of "Cañada del Hambre" which means "Valley of Hunger" in Spanish, and "Las Bolsas del Hambre" which refers to "pockets" of land. The rancho extended from present day Crockett to Martinez
and south to Lafayette
.
on the west and the three square league William Welch Rancho Las Juntas
on the east were accounted for. It was estimated that the sobrante would contain three square leagues of land. Teodora Soto was married to Desiderio Briones.
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 del Hambre y Las Bolsas was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Teodora Soto in 1866.
In 1860, Soto sold an undivided half of the rancho to William Adam Piper
and the other half to J.B. Crockett and Lucy Page. Joseph Bryant Crockett (1809–1884) was an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, for whom the town of Crockett
is named. Lucy B. Page was the wife of Crockett's law partner Gwyn Page. Piper was also a business partner of Crocket. Later Crockett and Page sold a portion of the rancho to Ira J. True. Although the rancho was patented to Soto in 1866, the exact boundaries were not determined until the boundaries of Rancho El Pinole and Rancho Las Juntas were fixed. This led to several lawsuits over the property. Thomas Edwards purchased 1800 acres (7.3 km²) from Crockett in 1867.
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 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Teodora Soto. The grant consisted of "Cañada del Hambre" which means "Valley of Hunger" in Spanish, and "Las Bolsas del Hambre" which refers to "pockets" of land. The rancho extended from present day Crockett to Martinez
Martinez, California
Martinez is a city and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,824 at the 2010 census. The downtown is notable for its large number of preserved old buildings...
and south to Lafayette
Lafayette, California
Lafayette is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 23,893. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero of the American Revolutionary War...
.
History
The grant to Teodora Soto was "sobrante", being a remainder after the four square league Ygnacio Martinez Rancho El PinoleRancho El Pinole
Rancho El Pinole was a Mexican land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Ygnacio Martinez...
on the west and the three square league William Welch Rancho Las Juntas
Rancho Las Juntas
Rancho Las Juntas was a Mexican land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to William Welch. The name Las Juntas translates as "the Crossroads"...
on the east were accounted for. It was estimated that the sobrante would contain three square leagues of land. Teodora Soto was married to Desiderio Briones.
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 del Hambre y Las Bolsas 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 Teodora Soto in 1866.
In 1860, Soto sold an undivided half of the rancho to William Adam Piper
William Adam Piper
William Adam Piper was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from California.-Life:...
and the other half to J.B. Crockett and Lucy Page. Joseph Bryant Crockett (1809–1884) was an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, for whom the town of Crockett
Crockett, California
Crockett is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 3,094 at the 2010 census...
is named. Lucy B. Page was the wife of Crockett's law partner Gwyn Page. Piper was also a business partner of Crocket. Later Crockett and Page sold a portion of the rancho to Ira J. True. Although the rancho was patented to Soto in 1866, the exact boundaries were not determined until the boundaries of Rancho El Pinole and Rancho Las Juntas were fixed. This led to several lawsuits over the property. Thomas Edwards purchased 1800 acres (7.3 km²) from Crockett in 1867.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- The Old Homestead. The first American home in Crockett, constructed in 1867 by Thomas Edwards, on land purchased from J. B. Crockett.