Rancho Sotoyome
Encyclopedia
Rancho Sotoyome was a 48837 acres (197.6 km²) Mexican land grant
given to Henry D. Fitch
. Sotoyome or "Satiyomes" was the name of a Wappo
tribe. The grant, in present day Sonoma County, California
, extended along the Russian River
encompassing the Alexander Valley and present day Healdsburg
.
(who was married to Josefa's sister Francisca Benicia Carrillo). General Vallejo was a critical factor in obtaining the Rancho Sotoyome grant.
Fitch hired Cyrus Alexander
as ranch manager under a four year agreement, after which Alexander was to receive two square leagues of land and part of the ranch stock. Fitch petitioned for his grant in 1840, and was officially granted the eight square leagues (approximately 35000 acres (142 km²)) by Governor Juan Alvarado
in 1841. In 1844, Fitch received a three square league addition from Governor Manuel Micheltorena
.
After Alexander's contract ended in 1845, Mose Carson, brother of Kit Carson
, took over as manager of Rancho Sotoyome. Alexander settled on his tract in what is now Alexander Valley.
Captain Fitch continued trading up and down the coast, with Rancho Sotoyome as one of the many business enterprises directed from his San Diego base. After the discovery of gold
, Fitch planned to move his family north to Rancho Sotoyome, but had not done so before he died in 1849. Following his death, his widow Josefa and their children moved to Rancho Sotoyome. Their third son, Guillermo (William) married Clara Piña, whose relatives owned the adjacent Rancho Tzabaco
.
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 Sotoyome was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Josefa Carrillo de Fitch in 1858. Alexander filed a claim in 1853 for his two square leagues (part of the 1841 grant by Governor Alvarado to Fitch), but it was rejected by the Land Commission.
In 1856, Josefa Carrillo de Fitch auctioned part of the Rancho to pay taxes. Harmon Heald, an Ohio businessman who had been squatting on Rancho Sotoyome since 1850, purchased 100 acre (0.404686 km²). Heald’s small town of Healdsburg was incorporated in 1867.
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...
given to Henry D. Fitch
Henry D. Fitch
Henry Delano Fitch was an early settler of San Diego, California.-Life:Henry D. Fitch was born 1799 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He was a sea captain and trader...
. Sotoyome or "Satiyomes" was the name of a Wappo
Wappo
The Wappo are a group of Native Americans who traditionally lived in Northern California in the areas of Napa Valley, the south shore of Clear Lake, Alexander Valley, and Russian River. When Mexicans arrived to colonize California, Wappo villages existed near the present-day towns of Yountville,...
tribe. The grant, in present day Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, extended along the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...
encompassing the Alexander Valley and present day Healdsburg
Healdsburg, California
Healdsburg is a city located in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 11,254...
.
History
San Diego sea captain Henry Delano Fitch had married Josefa Carrillo, which made him the brother-in-law of General Mariano Guadalupe VallejoMariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...
(who was married to Josefa's sister Francisca Benicia Carrillo). General Vallejo was a critical factor in obtaining the Rancho Sotoyome grant.
Fitch hired Cyrus Alexander
Cyrus Alexander
Cyrus Alexander was an early settler of Sonoma County, California.Cyrus Alexander was born in Pennsylvania, and his family soon moved to Illinois. In 1831, Alexander was in the Rocky Mountains trapping for the Sublette fur company. He arrived in San Diego in 1833, where he worked for Captain...
as ranch manager under a four year agreement, after which Alexander was to receive two square leagues of land and part of the ranch stock. Fitch petitioned for his grant in 1840, and was officially granted the eight square leagues (approximately 35000 acres (142 km²)) by Governor Juan Alvarado
Juan Bautista Alvarado
Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo was a Californio and twice Governor of Alta California from 1836 to 1837, and 1838 to 1842.-Early years:...
in 1841. In 1844, Fitch received a three square league addition from 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...
.
After Alexander's contract ended in 1845, Mose Carson, brother of Kit Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
, took over as manager of Rancho Sotoyome. Alexander settled on his tract in what is now Alexander Valley.
Captain Fitch continued trading up and down the coast, with Rancho Sotoyome as one of the many business enterprises directed from his San Diego base. After the discovery of gold
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, Fitch planned to move his family north to Rancho Sotoyome, but had not done so before he died in 1849. Following his death, his widow Josefa and their children moved to Rancho Sotoyome. Their third son, Guillermo (William) married Clara Piña, whose relatives owned the adjacent Rancho Tzabaco
Rancho Tzabaco
Rancho Tzabaco was a Mexican land grant in present day Sonoma County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to José German Piña . The grant extended along Dry Creek, a tributary of the Russian River,north west of present day Healdsburg and encompassed present day Geyserville...
.
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 Sotoyome 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 Josefa Carrillo de Fitch in 1858. Alexander filed a claim in 1853 for his two square leagues (part of the 1841 grant by Governor Alvarado to Fitch), but it was rejected by the Land Commission.
In 1856, Josefa Carrillo de Fitch auctioned part of the Rancho to pay taxes. Harmon Heald, an Ohio businessman who had been squatting on Rancho Sotoyome since 1850, purchased 100 acre (0.404686 km²). Heald’s small town of Healdsburg was incorporated in 1867.