Rancho Ulistac
Encyclopedia
Rancho Ulistac was a 2217 acres (9 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico
to Marcello and Cristobal, Indians. The grant extended across lowlands reaching from the Alviso
shoreline southward and encompassing the land between the Guadalupe River
and Saratoga Creek, and the town of Agnew.
Jacob David Hoppe
(1813-1853), was born in Maryland
and came to California in 1846. He established a newspaper, which later became the "Alta California". He was elected a delegate to the 1849 California Constitutional Convention. After the discovery of gold, he went to the mines, where he remained a few months with some profit, and returned to San Jose, where he became the first American Postmaster. Hoppe acquired Rancho Ulistac from the original Indian grantees. Hoppe was killed in the explosion of the SS 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 Ulistac was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to heirs of Jacob D. Hoppe in 1868.
The Hoppe heirs sold the land in 1860. In 1885, 1650 acres (6.7 km²) of Rancho Ulistac were developed as a site of the Agnew state hospital for the insane. The hospital was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
, leaving 125 dead, but was quickly rebuilt.
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 1845 by Governor Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
to Marcello and Cristobal, Indians. The grant extended across lowlands reaching from the 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....
shoreline southward and encompassing the land between 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...
and Saratoga Creek, and the town of Agnew.
History
In 1846, Governor Pico granted one-half square league to Santa Clara Mission indians Marcello and his companion Cristobal.Jacob David Hoppe
Jacob David Hoppe
Jacob David Hoppe was a 19th-century Californian newspaperman and politician.Jacob Hoppe was born in Maryland and came to California in 1846. He established a newspaper, which later became The Daily Alta California. He was elected a delegate to the 1849 California Constitutional Convention...
(1813-1853), was born in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and came to California in 1846. He established a newspaper, which later became the "Alta California". He was elected a delegate to the 1849 California Constitutional Convention. After the discovery of gold, he went to the mines, where he remained a few months with some profit, and returned to San Jose, where he became the first American Postmaster. Hoppe acquired Rancho Ulistac from the original Indian grantees. Hoppe was killed in the explosion of the SS Jenny Lind en route from Alviso 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 Ulistac 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 heirs of Jacob D. Hoppe in 1868.
The Hoppe heirs sold the land in 1860. In 1885, 1650 acres (6.7 km²) of Rancho Ulistac were developed as a site of the Agnew state hospital for the insane. The hospital was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, leaving 125 dead, but was quickly rebuilt.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- James Lick MansionJames Lick MansionThe James Lick Mansion, in Santa Clara, California, is the estate of James Lick, who was the richest man in California at the time of his death in 1876. The estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
. A large house built by James LickJames LickJames Lick was an American carpenter, piano builder, land baron, and patron of the sciences. At the time of his death, he was the wealthiest man in California, and left the majority of his estate to social and scientific causes.-Early years:James Lick was born in Stumpstown Pennsylvania on August...
around 1858.