Rancho Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito
Encyclopedia
Rancho Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito was a 2230 acres (9 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to María Antonia Mesa. The name means "ranch at the bend in San Francisquito Creek". The grant was located south of San Francisquito Creek
, and encompassed present day Menlo Park
and downtown Palo Alto
.
of Máximo Martínez. In 1835, Rafael Soto and family settled near San Francisquito Creek, selling goods to travelers. Rafael Soto died in 1839. His widow, Antonia Mesa Soto, was granted a one half square league by Governor Juan Bautista Alavardo in 1841. Soto's daughter, María Luisa Soto (1817-1883) married John Coppinger, grantee of Rancho Cañada de Raymundo
.
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 Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852. The claim was rejected by the Commission on the grounds that there was no description of the of the granted land either in the grant itself, or the map which accompanied it. On appeal, based on the testimony of Aaron Van Dorn, Deputy United States Surveyor, the District Court confirmed the grant in 1855, and the grant was patented
to María Antonia Mesa in 1872.
When Land Commission rejected their claim, the Soto family agreed to give Thomas Seale half the land if he could secure the grant's confirmation. Thomas Seale (1826–1907), was born in Ireland
, and came to San Francisco via New Orleans in 1850, where he and his brother, Henry W.Seale (d.1888), operated a contracting business. The brothers received about 1400 acres (5.7 km²) for their efforts. In 1858, Paul Shore was killed by Samuel J. Crosby on Henry W. Seale's property, and in 1859, Thomas Shore, the brother of Paul, shot and killed Crosby.
In 1887, Seale sold 697 acres (2.8 km²) to Timothy Hopkins (1859–1936) who developed the town which would become Palo Alto. In 1864, Dr. William Newell bought 60 acre (0.2428116 km²) from Henry W. Seale. The remainder of Seale’s property was farmed until his death in 1888.
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 given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to María Antonia Mesa. The name means "ranch at the bend in San Francisquito Creek". The grant was located south of San Francisquito Creek
San Francisquito Creek
San Francisquito Creek is a creek that flows into southwest San Francisco Bay in California, United States of America. Historically it was called the Arroyo de San Francisco by Juan Bautista de Anza in 1776...
, and encompassed present day Menlo Park
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...
and downtown Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
.
History
Rafael Soto (1789–1839), the son of De Anza Expedition settlers Ygnacio Soto and María Bárbara Espinosa de Lugo, was born in the Pueblo of San José. Rafael Soto married María Antonia Mesa (b.1802) in 1819. In 1827, Rafael Soto came to stay on Rancho Cañada del Corte de MaderaRancho Cañada del Corte de Madera
Rancho Cañada del Corte de Madera was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to José Domingo Peralta and Máximo Martínez. The name translates as "the valley where lumber is cut"...
of Máximo Martínez. In 1835, Rafael Soto and family settled near San Francisquito Creek, selling goods to travelers. Rafael Soto died in 1839. His widow, Antonia Mesa Soto, was granted a one half square league by Governor Juan Bautista Alavardo in 1841. Soto's daughter, María Luisa Soto (1817-1883) married John Coppinger, grantee of Rancho Cañada de Raymundo
Rancho Cañada de Raymundo
Rancho Cañada de Raymundo was a Mexican land grant in present day San Mateo County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to John Coppinger. The two and one half league long by three quarter league wide grant consisted the eastern slopes and valleys in the present day Woodside area...
.
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 Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito 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. The claim was rejected by the Commission on the grounds that there was no description of the of the granted land either in the grant itself, or the map which accompanied it. On appeal, based on the testimony of Aaron Van Dorn, Deputy United States Surveyor, the District Court confirmed the grant in 1855, 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 María Antonia Mesa in 1872.
When Land Commission rejected their claim, the Soto family agreed to give Thomas Seale half the land if he could secure the grant's confirmation. Thomas Seale (1826–1907), was born in 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...
, and came to San Francisco via New Orleans in 1850, where he and his brother, Henry W.Seale (d.1888), operated a contracting business. The brothers received about 1400 acres (5.7 km²) for their efforts. In 1858, Paul Shore was killed by Samuel J. Crosby on Henry W. Seale's property, and in 1859, Thomas Shore, the brother of Paul, shot and killed Crosby.
In 1887, Seale sold 697 acres (2.8 km²) to Timothy Hopkins (1859–1936) who developed the town which would become Palo Alto. In 1864, Dr. William Newell bought 60 acre (0.2428116 km²) from Henry W. Seale. The remainder of Seale’s property was farmed until his death in 1888.