Rancho Pala
Encyclopedia
Rancho Pala was a 4454 acres (18 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Santa Clara County, California
given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to José Joaquín Higuera. The origin of the name is the subject of debate. The word "pala" translates as "shovel" in Spanish, but means "water", in many native American dialects. The grant was a narrow strip of land east of San Jose
, and extending southward along the foothills from Penitencia Creek
to Norwood Avenue.
Charles White (1823–1853), a native of Ireland
who came overland from Missouri
in 1846 with his wife, Ellen E. White (-1887), and two children, was one of San Jose's leading and wealthiest citizens in the half-dozen years before and after statehood. He was alcalde
of the Pueblo of San José in 1848. White also owned a part of Rancho Rincon de Los Esteros and Rancho Cholame
. Charles White was killed in the explosion of the steamboat "Jenny Lind" en route from Alviso
to San Francisco on April 11, 1853.
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 Pala was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1853, and the grant was patented
to Ellen White, widow and heirs of Charles White in 1866. A claim for Rancho Pala filed by José Joaquín Higuera with the Land Commission in 1853 was rejected.
Ellen White remarried but at the time of her death in 1887, she was separated from attorney Charles E. Allen. Her estate was left to a son, Charles E. White, a rancher and an attorney, and a daughter, Mary Elizabeth Staples who married Frank X. Staples in 1881. Two other children had died previously.
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 Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to José Joaquín Higuera. The origin of the name is the subject of debate. The word "pala" translates as "shovel" in Spanish, but means "water", in many native American dialects. The grant was a narrow strip of land east of 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...
, and extending southward along the foothills from Penitencia Creek
Penitencia Creek
Upper Penitencia Creek is actually one of two creeks by the name Penitencia Creek in northeastern Santa Clara Valley of California. They are both tributaries of Coyote Creek....
to Norwood Avenue.
History
The one square league Rancho Pala was granted to José Joaquín Higuera, and was acquired by Charles White.Charles White (1823–1853), a native of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
who came overland from Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1846 with his wife, Ellen E. White (-1887), and two children, was one of San Jose's leading and wealthiest citizens in the half-dozen years before and after statehood. He was alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of the Pueblo of San José in 1848. White also owned a part of Rancho Rincon de Los Esteros and Rancho Cholame
Rancho Cholame
Rancho Cholame was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County and San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Mauricio Gonzales...
. Charles White was killed in the explosion of the steamboat "Jenny Lind" en route from Alviso
Alviso, San Jose, California
Alviso is a small community in San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. It is located approximately south of Drawbridge, at the north end of San José where it meets the southern end of the San Francisco Bay and borders the nearby city of Milpitas....
to San Francisco on April 11, 1853.
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 Pala 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 1853, 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 Ellen White, widow and heirs of Charles White in 1866. A claim for Rancho Pala filed by José Joaquín Higuera with the Land Commission in 1853 was rejected.
Ellen White remarried but at the time of her death in 1887, she was separated from attorney Charles E. Allen. Her estate was left to a son, Charles E. White, a rancher and an attorney, and a daughter, Mary Elizabeth Staples who married Frank X. Staples in 1881. Two other children had died previously.