Rancho Omochumnes
Encyclopedia
Rancho Omochumnes was a 18662 acres (75.5 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Sacramento County, California
given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to Jared Dixon Sheldon. The grant extended about seventeen miles along the north bank of the Cosumnes River
opposite Rancho Cosumnes
, and encompased present day Elk Grove
and Sheldon, south of Sacramento
.
and came to California in 1839. He spent one season in sea-otter hunting, and then worked building a house in Monterey
. He formed a partnership with William Daylor (1810–1850). In 1844, Sheldon built a flour mill
at the Russian settlement of Fort Ross
and another mill in San Jose
. Sheldon was granted the five square league Rancho Omochumnes in 1844. He did some building work for John Marsh
and obtained three hundred head of cattle in exchange. In 1845 Sheldon permanently settled on his ranch, which had been attended to by William Daylor. Originally was known as the Sheldon Grant, the rancho was divided into Sheldon's Ranch, and Daylor's Ranch. In 1846 Sheldon’s flour-mill on the Cosumnes was in operation. In 1847, Sheldon married Catherine Rhoads (1832–1905) and Daylor married her sister, Sarah Rhoads (1830–1898). William Daylor died of cholera in 1850. In 1851 Sheldon erected a dam near Clark’s Bar for the irrigation of his lands. He was shot July 11, 1851 in a quarrel over a dam he had built that flooded miners' claims.
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 Omochumnes was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to his widow, Catherine Rhoads Sheldon and the administrator of the estate, Gabriel W. Gunn in 1870.
In 1852 Catherine married John T.R. Mahone, who had been a soldier in the Mexican-American War. In 1872, Catherine married Dennis Dalton (1846–1908) , a young Irishman who came to California in 1869. They settled on Rancho Omochumnes, where Catherine remained (almost) until her death in 1905.
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 Sacramento County, California
Sacramento County, California
Sacramento County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Sacramento, which is also the state capital. As of 2010 the county had a population of 1,418,788....
given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...
to Jared Dixon Sheldon. The grant extended about seventeen miles along the north bank of the Cosumnes River
Cosumnes River
The Cosumnes River is a river in northern California in the United States. It rises on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and flows approximately into the Central Valley, emptying into the Mokelumne River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.-Name:...
opposite Rancho Cosumnes
Rancho Cosumnes
Rancho Cosumnes was a Mexican land grant in present day Sacramento County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to William Edward Petty Hartnell...
, and encompased present day Elk Grove
Elk Grove, California
Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located just south of the state capital of Sacramento. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 153,015...
and Sheldon, south of Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
.
History
Jared Dixon (Joaquín) Sheldon (1813–1851) was born in VermontVermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and came to California in 1839. He spent one season in sea-otter hunting, and then worked building a house 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...
. He formed a partnership with William Daylor (1810–1850). In 1844, Sheldon built a flour mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
at the Russian settlement of Fort Ross
Fort Ross, California
Fort Ross is a former Russian establishment on the Pacific Coast in what is now Sonoma County, California, in the United States. It was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlements in North America in between 1812 to 1841...
and another mill in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. Sheldon was granted the five square league Rancho Omochumnes in 1844. He did some building work for John Marsh
John Marsh (pioneer)
“Doctor” John Marsh was born in 1799 in South Danvers, Massachusetts and died in Pacheco, California in 1856. He was an early pioneer and settler in California, and although he did not have a medical degree, is often regarded as the first person to practice medicine in California.-Early life:Marsh...
and obtained three hundred head of cattle in exchange. In 1845 Sheldon permanently settled on his ranch, which had been attended to by William Daylor. Originally was known as the Sheldon Grant, the rancho was divided into Sheldon's Ranch, and Daylor's Ranch. In 1846 Sheldon’s flour-mill on the Cosumnes was in operation. In 1847, Sheldon married Catherine Rhoads (1832–1905) and Daylor married her sister, Sarah Rhoads (1830–1898). William Daylor died of cholera in 1850. In 1851 Sheldon erected a dam near Clark’s Bar for the irrigation of his lands. He was shot July 11, 1851 in a quarrel over a dam he had built that flooded miners' claims.
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 Omochumnes 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 his widow, Catherine Rhoads Sheldon and the administrator of the estate, Gabriel W. Gunn in 1870.
In 1852 Catherine married John T.R. Mahone, who had been a soldier in the Mexican-American War. In 1872, Catherine married Dennis Dalton (1846–1908) , a young Irishman who came to California in 1869. They settled on Rancho Omochumnes, where Catherine remained (almost) until her death in 1905.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Site of Grist Mill. Grist mill built by Jared Dixon Sheldon in 1846.