Rancho Nacional was a 6633 acres (26.8 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 the Salinas Valley

Salinas Valley

The Salinas Valley lies south of San Francisco, California.The word "salina" is spanish for salt marsh, salt lake or salt pan.-Geography:The Salinas Valley runs approximately south-east from Salinas towards King City. The valley lends its name to the geologic province in which it's located, the...

, in present day Monterey County, California

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...

 given in 1839 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Vicente Cantua. The grant was between the Salinas River

Salinas River (California)

The Salinas River is the largest river of the central coast of California, running and draining 4,160 square miles. It flows north-northwest and drains the Salinas Valley that slices through the Coast Range south from Monterey Bay...

 and present day Salinas

Salinas, California

Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...

.

History

Vicente Cantua (April 5, 1793 in Fresno, California - 1871 in Monterey, Ca) married Juana Soto (Dec 26, 1802 in Carmel, Monterrey, CA - 1841) in Monterey

Monterey, California

The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...

 in 1827. He was mayordomo of Rancho El Alisal (Hartnell)

Rancho El Alisal

Rancho El Alisal was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to brothers Feliciano and Mariano Soberanes and to William Edward Petty Hartnell. Alisal means Alder tree in spanish...

 in 1836, and administrator of Mission Soledad

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is in the Salinas Valley near Soledad, in central Monterey County, California. The mission was founded on October 9, 1791 for the increasing settlement of upper Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and for the Indian Reductions to convert...

 in 1839. He was granted the two square league Rancho Nacional in 1839. During Spanish rule, the land had been designated as Rancho del Rey San Pedro the king's pasture, but renamed Rancho Nacional by the Mexican authorities.

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 Nacional 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 Vincente Cantua in 1866.

In 1851, James Bryant Hill came from Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 and leased part of Rancho Salsipuedes

Rancho Salsipuedes

Rancho Salsipuedes was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California. Two leagues were granted in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Francisco de Haro. Eight leagues were granted in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Manuel Casarin. The name means "leave if you can" in Spanish...

. Hill purchased Rancho Nacional, started a settlement known as Hill Town

Old Hilltown, California

Old Hilltown is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located on the north side of the Salinas River south-southwest of Salinas, at an elevation of 46 feet ....

on the Salinas River, and began growing grain. Up until this time, the land had mostly been used to raise cattle. Although he produced record amounts of wheat and barley, Hill ended up losing his holdings.