Rancho San Juan Bautista
Encyclopedia
Rancho San Juan Bautista was a 8880 acres (35.9 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Santa Clara County, California
given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to José Agustín Narvaez. The grant extended along the Guadalupe River
from Los Gatos
to San Jose
. Within its boundaries were much of today’s Willow Glen
, Hillsdale, Robertsville and the Lone Hill area.
in 1797. He was alcade at San Jose in 1812. He was granted the two square league Rancho San Juan Bautista in 1844.
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 San Juan Bautista was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to José Agustín Narvaez in 1865.
Narvaez sold a portion of the rancho to Éthienne Bernard Edmond Thée, who came to California from Bordeaux
. Thée planted mission grapes
, but in 1852 he was joined by a neighbor, Charles LeFranc (-1887), also from France, and they planted cuttings from the France, which became the Almaden Vineyards
. LeFranc and Thee built a winery, and LeFranc chose the name New Almaden. In 1857 LeFranc married Thée's daughter, Marie Adele, and eventually inherited the property. LeFranc was killed in an accident in 1887, and control of the company passed to his children, Henry, Louise and Marie. His son, Henry was killed in a trolley accident in 1909. Soon after the death of Le Franc, his daughter, Louise, married Paul Masson
, who established his own winery at Saratoga
. Masson helped guide the winery through the difficult days of Prohibition
, then swapped the property in 1930 for Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas
.
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 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 José Agustín Narvaez. The grant extended along the Guadalupe River
Guadalupe River (California)
The Guadalupe River is a short river in California whose headwater creeks originate in the Santa Cruz Mountains near the summit of Loma Prieta and Mount Umunhum. The river mainstem now begins on the Santa Clara Valley floor at the northern end of Lake Almaden, which is fed by Los Alamitos Creek and...
from Los Gatos
Los Gatos, California
The Town of Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 29,413 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains...
to 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...
. Within its boundaries were much of today’s Willow Glen
Willow Glen, California
Willow Glen is a neighborhood of San Jose, California, in Santa Clara County. Geographically speaking, the Willow Glen neighborhood is centered around Lincoln Avenue, which was re-named from "Willow Glen Road" in 1865 shortly after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.By 1863 the small...
, Hillsdale, Robertsville and the Lone Hill area.
History
José Agustín Narvaez (1778-) came to BranciforteBranciforte
Branciforte or as it was named originally, Villa de Branciforte, was a secular pueblo established by the Spanish in the of Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, in 1797 on the eastern bluff overlooking the San Lorenzo River...
in 1797. He was alcade at San Jose in 1812. He was granted the two square league Rancho San Juan Bautista in 1844.
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 San Juan Bautista 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 José Agustín Narvaez in 1865.
Narvaez sold a portion of the rancho to Éthienne Bernard Edmond Thée, who came to California from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. Thée planted mission grapes
Mission (grape)
Mission grapes are a variety of Vitis vinifera introduced from Spain to the western coasts of North and South America in the 16th century by Catholic New World missionaries for use in making sacramental, table, and fortified wines.-History:...
, but in 1852 he was joined by a neighbor, Charles LeFranc (-1887), also from France, and they planted cuttings from the France, which became the Almaden Vineyards
Almaden Vineyards
Almaden Vineyards is a winery located in Escalon and Madera, California. They claim to be California's oldest winery.Their original location was at the Old Almaden Winery south of San José between Los Gatos and Almaden...
. LeFranc and Thee built a winery, and LeFranc chose the name New Almaden. In 1857 LeFranc married Thée's daughter, Marie Adele, and eventually inherited the property. LeFranc was killed in an accident in 1887, and control of the company passed to his children, Henry, Louise and Marie. His son, Henry was killed in a trolley accident in 1909. Soon after the death of Le Franc, his daughter, Louise, married Paul Masson
Paul Masson
Paul Masson was an early pioneer of California viticulture and successful popularizer of Californian sparkling wine.-Biography:...
, who established his own winery at Saratoga
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....
. Masson helped guide the winery through the difficult days of Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, then swapped the property in 1930 for Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas
Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas
Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas was a Mexican land grant in present day Stanislaus County and Merced County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Sebastián Nuñez. The grant was originally in a part of Tuolumne County that became part of Stanislaus County in 1854...
.