Rancho Fernandez was a 17806 acres (72.1 km²) Mexican land grant

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 Butte County, California

Butte County, California

Butte County is a county located in the Central Valley of the US state of California, north of the state capital of Sacramento. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 220,000. The county seat is Oroville. Butte County is the "Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty."Butte County is watered by the...

 given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico

Pío Pico

Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...

 to Dionisio Zenon Fernandez and Máximo Zenon Fernandez. The grant extended along the west bank of the Feather River

Feather River

The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is about . Its drainage basin is about...

, and encompassed present day Oroville

Oroville, California

Oroville is the county seat of Butte County, California. The population was 15,506 at the 2010 census, up from 13,004 at the 2000 census...

 and Thermalito

Thermalito, California

Thermalito is a census-designated place in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 6,646 at the 2010 census, up from 6,045 at the 2000 census...

.

History

The four square league grant was made to brothers Dionisio Z. Fernandez and Máximo Z. Fernandez who were sons of José Zenon Fernandez, grantee of Rancho Quito

Rancho Quito

Rancho Quito was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Zenon Fernandez and Jose Noriega. The grant included present day Saratoga, Campbell, and Cupertino. The eastern boundary was Arroyo San Tomas Aquino.-History:The...

.

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 Fernandez 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 Dionisio Z. Fernandez, Máximo Z. Fernandez, Josiah Belden

Josiah Belden

Josiah Belden was an American pioneer and politician.-Life:Born in Connecticut, Belden was orphaned by the time he was 14. He later moved to St. Louis, Missouri and became a successful businessman. In 1841 he joined the Bartleson-Bidwell Party, the first organized emigrant party to use the...

, and William R. Basham in 1867.

In 1873, a conflict between the north boundary of the 1844 Flügge Rancho Boga

Rancho Boga

Rancho Boga was a Mexican land grant in present day Butte County and Sutter County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Charles William Flügge. The grant extended south from present day Gridley along the west bank of the Feather River across from fellow German, Theodore...

 grant and the south boundary of Rancho Fernandez went to the US Supreme Court.