USA > California > Sonoma County > History of Sonoma County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county, who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present time > Part 17
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VALLEJO'S PREDICTION COMES TRUE.
After the feasting came the toasting. General M. G. Vallejo was present. the first guest by reason of his position in the territory, and as toast-master pledged the health and prosperity of his Yankee neighbor in a cup of his own? Sonoma wine. In his oratory the general referred to the coming years when
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even many who were present would see more steam engines than soldiers in the fertile valleys of California. That was several years before the historic Forty- six, but with prophetic vision the speaker was looking into the oncoming future pouring its American population into those valleys. There are no soldiers in California and the beats of the engines that are moving her up the ways of destiny never cease. Long after, when reviewing the verification of his pre- diction, General Vallejo said, "The successors of Smith have not only proved the truth of my words, but have almost verified the remark of my compatriot, General José Castro at Monterey, that 'the North Americans were so enter- prising a people that if it were proposed, they were quite capable of changing the color of the stars.' His observation was made with no sympathy for the North Americans, as he was no friend to either the government or citizens ; yet I believe that if General Castro had lived until today he would unite with me in praise of that intelligent nation which opens her doors to the industrious citizens of the whole world, under the standard of liberty."
Captain Stephen Smith and his mills continued to make Bodega township famous as a settlement and Bodega bay famous as a port for the shipment of lumber, flour, grain and dairy products. He operated the plant pretty steadily until the year 1850, supplying the entire coast with the output as well as exporting to the Sandwich Islands. With lumber he purchased the tract of land now known as the Blucher Rancho, situated in Analy township and con- taining 22,976.66 acres. This added to Bodega Rancho of eight square leagues or 35,487.53 acres, made Smith a land baron indeed. The Mexican govern- ment during the last years of its dominion in California had a tardy awakening to the necessity of a larger number and a better class of citizens, if the territory was to be welded into a formidable state, a vital part of the Mexican republic and a bulwark for defense on her northern frontier. Hence the grants of large ranchos, as encouragement to immigration, and a move most wise. The old California pioneer was not a land-grabber and a land-squeezer. That pirate of the soil appeared on the western plains forty or fifty years after. At this time there were twenty-three land grants within the survey of Sonoma county, the total acreage of which being about 400,000. The largest, the Petaluma Rancho, with its 75,000 acres occupying the big valley of that name, was orig- inally granted to Vallejo, while the Santa Rosa and Russian River valley ranchos went to the Carrillos, to Jacob P. Lease, Henry D. Fitch and John B. Cooper-all marriage kinsmen of the General.
THE OLD SONOMA LAND GRANTS.
Yet it must not be concluded that because the land of the territory was given away by the square league that everything here was marked up on a wealthy scale. Such was not the case. Notwithstanding their broad ranges of vale and hill, and great herds to graze over them, the settlers were soil and stock poor. What was in sight, what they had, was too plentiful for value. The country was only rich in possibilities, and the man who far-seeing, saw the future and prepared for it, was the man who was the "wealthy Californian" of after years when the wild acres were yielding their harvests of gold. A com- plete detailed history of the original land grants of this section cannot be given, but from the reports of the land cases determined in the United States District
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Court for the Northern District of California, 1853 to 1858 inclusive, may be noted the following :
Rancho Musalacon, two square leagues, 8,866.88 acres, situated in Clover- dale township; originally granted by Governor Pio Pico, May 2, 1846, to Fran- cisco Berryessa. The tract was confirmed to Johnson Horrell by the District court January 14, 1856.
Rancho Cotati, four leagues, 17,238.60 acres, situated in Santa Rosa and Vallejo townships of Sonoma county, originally granted by Governor Michel- torena, July 7, 1844. to Juan Castaneda. Confirmed to Thomas S. Page, Janu- ary 14, 1856.
Rancho de los Guilicos, about four leagues, 18,833.86 acres, in Santa Rosa and Sonoma townships, this county, originally granted by Governor Juan B. Alvarado, November 13, 1839, to Juan Wilson. Confirmed to him March 3, 1853.
Rancho Canada de Pogolome, two leagites, 8,780.81 acres, in Marin and Sonoma counties-in Analy and Bodega townships of the latter county. The claimant, Antonia (Dawson) Casares, stated that her deceased husband, James Dawson, E. M. McIntosh and James Black had been encouraged by Coman- dante Vallejo to locate on tracts of land adjoining the Russian claims, they as Mexican citizens to act as barriers to further southern encroachments of the Fort Ross "intruders." Black selected what is now the Rancho Canada de la Jonive, mostly in Analy township, while Dawson and McIntosh selected the Rancho Estero Americano, in Bodega township. As McIntosh was a naturalized Mexican citizen he alone was eligible as a grantee, consequently Dawson's name was left out of the deeds of the rancho. Dawson moved his half of the common property including half of their dwelling house, to what is now known as Freestone, and again made application for a share of the Rancho Estero Americano. Remembering his former disqualification he not only be- came a citizen of Mexico, but the husband of a Mexican woman-Doña An- tonia Casares. Dawson's application was not considered, but the Territorial Secretary recommended that he make application for a grant of land on which his house stood. He died before the papers were filed, but his widow acted in the matter and the grant of the Rancho Pogolome was issued to her by Gover- nor Micheltorena February 12, 1844, and confirmed by the District Court March 24, 1856. (This irregular proceeding and its satisfactory ending is an eternal record of the justice and consideration that prevailed in the Mexican Land Office of the Territory. True, land here in those early days was worth only "a song." but the government that gave it away trusted that the gift would win an immigration that would make for the prosperity of the country. And it did, but in these later land-mad, trick-official times where would such a claim get?)
Rancho Llano de Santa Rosa, three leagues, 13,336.55 acres, in Santa Rosa and Analy townships, lying principally between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. June 22, 1843, Joaquin Carrillo petitioned Governor Micheltorena for a grant of land on the llano or plain west of the Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa. granted to his mother. Senora Maria Ygnacia Lopez de Carrillo, but the grant was not made, as no official survey had been made of the ranchos in the vicinity. Pending the matter he was permitted to sow some of the land in grain. The
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next year his application was granted and he built the adobe residence for his family near the town of Sebastopol. The original grantee was Marcus West, but the United States District Court, March 24, 1856, confirmed the rancho to Joaquin Carrillo.
Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa, a large tract extending southward from Santa Rosa creek to the northern line of Rancho Cotati, and from the east boundary of Rancho Llano to the head (cabeza) waters of Santa Rosa creek, was originally granted by Governor Manuel Jimeno to Maria Ygnacia Lopez de Carrillo, the mother of Julio and Joaquin Carrillo, and a sister of Senora M. G. Vallejo. In the District Court the following claims on this ranch were confirmed : Julio Carrillo, 4,400.42 acres; Felicidad Carrillo ; Juan de Jesus Mallagh, grandson of Senora Carrillo, 256.16 acres; John Hendley, one mile square, 640 acres; Jacob R. Mayer et al., 1,484.82 acres; James Eldridge, 1,667.68 acres.
Rancho el Molino, or Rio Ayoska, ten and one-half leagues, 17,892.42 acres, in Santa Rosa, Analy and Russian River townships of Sonoma county. Rio Ayoska was granted to John B. R. Cooper by Governor Figueroa, Decem- ber 31, 1833, and El Molino (the mill) by Governor Gutierrez, February 24, 1836. Previous to obtaining the last grant he had occupied it, build- ing several houses, one of which was the mill-from which the tract took its name and which cost him $10,000. Only the name of this pioneer establishment remains, as one rainy winter night several years after its construction it floated away to the ocean, and never returned.
Rancho Huichica, 18,704.04 acres in Sonoma township. Two leagues of this tract were granted Jacob P. Leese by Governor Jimeno, October 21, 1841, and three and one-half leagues by Governor Micheltorena, July 6, 1844.
Rancho Yulupa, three square leagues in Sonoma county, lying between the ranchos of Petaluma, Cotati, Santa Rosa and Los Guilicos. It was first granted November 23, 1844, by Micheltorena to Miguel Alvarado. The claim of M. G. Vallejo for this tract was rejected by the Commission and the decision con- firmed by the District Court but reversed by the United States District Court and the cause remanded for further evidence.
Rancho Sotoyome, eight leagues, 48,836.51 acres, in Mendocino and Russian River townships, granted September 28, 1841, by Micheltorena to Henry D. Fitch, confirmed by the Commission April 18, 1853, to Josefa Carrillo Fitch et al ; claim by Cyrus Alexander for two leagues of the rancho was rejected.
Rancho Bodega, eight leagues, 35,487.53 acres, in Bodega and Ocean townships. Granted by Micheltorena September 14, 1844, to Stephen Smith and confirmed to Stephen Smith and Manuela Torres Smith July 5, 1853.
Rancho Blucher, six leagues, 22,976.66 acres, in Analy township, Sonoma county. Granted October 14, 1844, by Micheltorena to Juan Vioget, confirmed January 26, 1857, to Stephen Smith.
Rancho Callayome, three leagues, 8,241.74 acres, Sonoma county. Granted January 17, 1845, by Micheltorena to Robert F. Ridley, confirmed December 22, 1852 to A. A. Ritchie and Paul S. Forbes.
Rancho Muniz, four leagues, 17,760.75 acres, in Ocean and Salt Point townships, Sonoma county. Granted December 4, 1845, by Governor Pio Pico to Manuel Torres and confirmed October 17. 1853.
9
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
Rancho Arroyo de San Antonio, three leagues, in Marin and Sonoma coun- ties (Petaluma township). Granted October 8, 1843, by Micheltorena to Juan Miranda and finally confirmed to Thomas B. Valentine.
Rancho Laguna de San Antonio, six leagues, 24,903.42 acres, in Sonoma and Marin counties. Granted November 5, 1845, by Pio Pico to Bartolome Bojorquez and confirmed September 10, 1855.
Rancho Malacomes or Moristal y Plan de Agua Caliente, four leagues, 12,540.22 acres, in Knight's Valley township, Sonoma county. Granted Octo- ber 14, 1843, to Jose de los Santos Berryessa and confirmed December 24, 1856. Lovett P. Rockwell and Thomas P. Knight were awarded by the Commission 8,328.85 acres of this tract. Claim of M. E. Cook et al. for 2,559 acres of this tract in Knight's Valley confirmed August 7, 1855.
Rancho Roblar de la Miseria, four leagues, 16,887.45 acres, in Petaluma township. Granted November 21, 1845, by Pio Pico to Juan Nepomasena Padillo and confirmed September 10, 1855, to David Wright et al.
Rancho Canada de la Jonive, two leagues, 10,786.51 acres, in Analy and Bodega townships. Granted February 5, 1845. by Pio Pico to James Black, confirmed July 16, 1855, to Jasper O'Farrell.
Rancho Estero Americano, two leagues, 8,849.13 acres, in Bodega town- ship. Granted September 4, 1836, by Manuel Jimeno to Edward Manuel Mc- Intosh, confirmed April 11, 1853, to Jasper O'Farrell.
Rancho German, five leagues, 17,580.01 acres, in Salt Point township. Sonoma county. Granted April 8, 1846, by Pio Pico to Ernest Rufus and con- firmed September 10, 1855, by the Supreme Court to Charles Mayer et al.
Rancho Petaluma, ten leagues, 66,622.17 acres. in Sonoma and Vallejo townships, Sonoma county. Five leagues granted October 22, 1843, by Michel- torena and five leagues sold June 22, 1844, to Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Confirmed by the Commission and by the District Court to M. G. Vallejo March 16, 1857. Claim of J. A. Watmough for 640 acres rejected April 21, 1856.
Rancho San Miguel, six leagues, in Santa Rosa township. Granted Novem- ber 2, 1840, by Juan B. Alvarado, and October 14, 1844, by Manuel Michel- torena to Marcus West. Claim filed before the Commission May 13. 1852. by Guadalupe Vasquez de West et al. and rejected, but confirmed by the United States Supreme Court for one and one-half leagues.
Rancho Tzabaco, four leagues, 15,439.32 acres, in Mendocino and Wash- ington townships, Sonoma county. Granted October 14. 1843, by Micheltorena to José German Peña, confirmed by the District Court March 9, 1857. to José Jesus Peña et al.
Rancho Caslamayome, or Laguna de los Gentiles, eight leagues, in Clover- dale and Washington townships, Sonoma county. Granted March 20, 1844, by Micheltorena to Eugenio Montenegro. Claim filed by William Forbes Septem- ber 7, 1852, rejected by the Commission, September 26, 1854.
Rancho Agua Caliente, Sonoma township, granted July 13. 1840, by Juan B. Alvarado to Lazaro Peña. Claim filed March 2, 1853, by M. G. Vallejo was rejected by the Commission and District Court. July 13, 1859. Claim of Joseph Hooker, filed same time, for 550.86 acres of this rancho was confirmed March 2, 1857. Claim of C. P. Stone for 300 acres was confirmed on the above date. Claim of Thaddeus M. Leavenworth for 320.33 acres was rejected March 2. 1857.
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Pueblo of Sonoma, four leagues square, granted June 24. 1835, by M. G. Vallejo to the Pueblo of Sonoma, was confirmed by the Commission January 22, 1856, to the Mayor and Common Council of Sonoma.
Lac, 1,000 varas square, in Sonoma county, granted July 25. 1844. by Micheltorena to Damaso Rodriguez. Claim filed by Jacob P. Leese confirmed by the District Court December 28, 1857.
These large tracts rapidly passed through the hands of the grantees and were subdivided and sold off in farm lots. The pioncer could accumulate the acres-a whole province of them-but did not keep them beyond the second generation, a wise provision on the part of the Creator who intended that the surface of the earth He made should be partitioned to the people.
TIIE CHAIN OF MISSIONS.
Sonoma was not only the last of the Mexican settlements, but as has been noted, the end of mission building in California and this adds to the his- torical importance of the old, crumbling, adobe church in that pueblo. Fifty- four years passed while they were reaching up the seven-hundred miles of coast, and then secularization, long threatened, quickly changed their status from almost independence of the civil and military authority to mere parishes. In some cases, however, the institutions because of unfavorable surrounding conditions, had failed. In fact, none of them were meeting the expectations of their founders and several were all but abandoned. The order of the mission building is as follows :
San Diego de Alcala, San Diego county, July 1, 1769.
San Carlos de Borromeo, in Monterey, June 3, 1770. The following year this mission was removed to the Carmel Valley, a short distance from Monte- rey, where it was known as El Carmel Mission.
San Antonio de Padua, San Luis Obispo county, June 14, 1771.
San Gabriel d' Archangel, San Luis Obispo county, September 8, 1771.
San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, San Luis Obispo county, September 1, 1772.
Dolores, or San Francisco de Assis, San Francisco, October 9, 1776.
San Juan Capistrano, Los Angeles county (now Orange county), Novem- ber 10, 1776.
Santa Clara. Santa Clara county, January 12, 1777.
San Buenaventura, Santa Barbara county, March 31. 1782.
La Purisima Concepcion (Immaculate Conception) Santa Barbara county, December 8, 1787.
Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz county, September 25, 1790.
La Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude) Monterey county, September 29. 1791.
San Jose, Alameda county, June II, 1797.
San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist) Monterey county, June 24, 1797. San Miguel Archangel, San Luis Obispo county, July 25, 1797.
San Fernando Rey de Espana (Ferdinand, King of Spain) Los Angeles county, September 8, 1797.
San Luis Rey de Francis (Louis King of France) San Diego county, June 13, 1798.
Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara county, September 17, 1804.
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San Rafael Archangel, San Rafael, Marin county, December 18, 1817. San Francisco de Solano, Sonoma county, August 25, 1823.
THE STRENUOUS DAY OF THE "SQUATTER."
Naturally, the tide of immigration that was sweeping from the eastward into the Territory began to menace the big land grants and trouble was on. In 1849 a commissioner from the land office at Washington reported that there were on record five hundred and seventy-six California grants. On the estab- lishment of the land commission eight hundred and thirteen claims were im- mediately filed before it for action. Under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo made at the close of the war, the United States Government had agreed to recognize all land grants that had been authorized by the Mexican Govern- ment. In doing so it had to officially eliminate the fraudulent titles of which there cropped up a goodly number, and even when a genuine claim passed the local commission and got its legal standing it often had a long and tortuous journey through the court of last resort in Washington and some of the titles that passed that high tribunal had a "cloudy" appearance. The bribe germ may have been in existence in that period, though not so fully developed as in the present century. Commissioner William Cary Jones stated that after he had returned to Washington he was offered $20,000 to report as genuine a fraud- ulent title.
With so many claims pending in the courts it is not likely that the later home-hunters would hesitate in their settlements. Nor did they, and soon many ranchos had their quorum of "squatters," as the contestants were called. And even when the original title was established the grantee frequently had a job on hand when he started in to dispossess the locators. When the American settler drives down his stake-nails his claim to a piece of the earth's surface- it takes time and force to pull that stake up. However, in many cases the rancho owners, especially where they were Californians, were willing on very liberal terms to dispose of large tracts to the settlers. Vallejo gave away several fine farms from his Petaluma Rancho simply because he wanted the Americano farmers for neighbors. In many localities throughout the state there were organizations, "Settlers' Leagues," formed to fight the confirmation of the grants. Frequently these leagues were of the secret order with signs and pass-words and their fighting was not always of a lawful character. Even the grant owners sometimes assumed that they were higher than the law. Public opinion was with the settlers, and the newspapers, especially those of this county, strongly remonstrated against a law proposed at the time to pre- vent reviews in cases where patents have issued, the measure being without doubt for the purpose of checking investigation of fraudulent land titles. One of these land conflicts took place on the Bodega Rancho in 1859. When Cap- tain Stephen Smith died he left a third of the eight leagues of fertile acres to his wife in a life estate and all to be divided among their children at her death. The forest portion of the ranch was then under a ninety-nine year lease to a lumber company for $65,000. The widow soon after married Tyler Curtis, who immediately began proceedings of ejectment against about fifty settlers- renters and squatters-located on the rancho. His methods were different from those of the gentle Captain Smith and he was soon floundering in needless
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trouble. He shipped a band of armed men from San Francisco provisioned for a war to the death. But all the able-bodied settlers from Petaluma to Bodega were soon on a warpath of their own and Curtis was glad of the oppor- tunity to lead his "army" back to San Francisco. He managed to "waste" the fine property in a few years and the three Smith children lost most of the inher- itance that their grand old pioneer father had won for them.
After the death of Henry D. Fitch, in 1859, the Rancho Sotoyome, near Healdsburg, hecame the scene of a protracted skirmish of the "Squatter Trou- ble" conflict. While the title of the rancho was pending before the United States courts the great ranch was cut up into smaller tracts and sold by order of the county Probate Court. Upon the issuance of the United States patent. Mrs. J. N. Bailhache, one of the Fitch daughters, obtained judgment in a suit of ejectment against a number of settlers on her share of the rancho, some fourteen hundred acres. There was never any doubt regarding the Fitch title, and the squatters were fairly beaten, but the war went on, spreading over to the adjoining ranchos. Sheriff posses and militia companies were called into action and a number of persons prosecuted and heavily fined for contempt of court. Property of the squatters was destroyed and one man lost his life in the gun play. The night the Bailhaches were placed in possession of the ranch their premises were burned by parties, officially, unknown.
PETALUMA AND THE MIRANDA GHOST.
For many years the pale ghost of the Arroyo de San Antonio grant flitted through the streets of Petaluma. The original grantee seems to have been Juan Miranda, but when the case came before the United States Land Com- mission there was another claimant-one Ortega, a somewhat irresponsible character, who had married a daughter of Miranda. The Ortega claim finally passed to James F. Stuart and that of Miranda to T. B. Valentine. The latter voluntarily withdrew that claim alleging that it had no legal standing, but it is generally believed that this action was to clear the way for the easier confirma- tion of the Ortega claim, in which he was secretly interested. The claim was several years passing through the slow mills of the law, during which time it was twice confirmed by the land commission and once by the District Court. In 1863 it was finally rejected by that tribunal. This looked like a knock-out for the ghost that had haunted the streets of Petaluma-but not yet. Valentine, doubtless regretting that he had thrown away the Miranda claim, which was the original and in all probability the winning one, was doing some haunting. himself, around the doors of Congress, trying by special act to get a re-hearing of the Miranda case, claiming that he had discovered new evidence in the mat- ter. But the land grant of the Arroyo de San Antonio, which included the city of Petaluma, had been declared subject to entry as government land and titles made, and consequently Valentine lost. Yet, showing how near he came to jeopardizing the title to every vara of lot in and around the southern city, a bill passed Congress entitled "An act for the Relief of Thomas B. Valentine. approved June 5, 1872. By this the Miranda claim was again admitted to court with the understanding that if Valentine made his title he would accept lieu lands equal to the area of the tract in litigation. This time he won, the California Circuit Court and the United States Supreme Court affirming the
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validity of the grant. In accordance with the compromise he conveyed title to the Government in trust for the settlers, and the Miranda ghost was forever laid, and the clouds passed from the Petaluma homes.
The Laguna de San Antonio tract also had its title-troubles and its session in the courts for upwards of twenty years. The rancho of 24,000 acres, which is about equally divided between Sonoma and Marin counties, was granted to Bartolemus Borjorques. There never was any conflict over the confirmation of the grant, the litigation came over the final disposal of the land to settlers. Borjorques deeded to his eight children, each one-ninth, reserving a ninth for himself. There was no partition of the estate and each heir sold and deeded his undivided ninth at will and often about as soon as he could, without much regard to survey or consideration. Very few of the buyers took the precaution to protect their slipshod titles with the signatures of the other heirs and the mix- up that soon came on would bring joy to the soul of the proverbial "Philadelphia lawyer." A suit with over two hundred persons as parties thereto was com -. menced for the neglected partition and the big case was shuttle-cocked from court to court through long years of trial before the tangled titles were straight- ened out and the "Borjorques League" won its final judgment.
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