Kellersberger's Map facts for kids

Kellersberger's Map is a special kind of map, like a detailed plan, that was made in 1854. It shows a large area of land called Rancho San Antonio. This land was located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, in what we now call Alameda County, California.

Today, this area includes the cities of Berkeley and Albany. It also covers the northern part of Oakland, including its downtown and waterfront areas.

You can see the map here: 1854 Map of the Vicente & Domingo Peralta Ranchos, Lithographed by Britton & Rey, courtesy of Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.

What is Kellersberger's Map?

Kellersberger's Map was created by a surveyor named Julius Kellersberger. A surveyor is someone who measures and maps land. This map was made to help divide up a big piece of land. This land was part of the Mexican land grants. These were huge areas of land given out during the time of Alta California, before California became a U.S. state.

The map was needed after the Mexican–American War. After the war, California became part of the United States. This meant the old land grants needed to be officially divided and recorded. Kellersberger's map helped with this process.

Julius Kellersberger had also made a map of the original area of the city of Oakland before this.

Dividing the Land: Plots and Claimants

The map shows many smaller sections of land called "plots." These plots were created by dividing the much larger Rancho San Antonio. Each plot was claimed by a different person. These people are called "claimants."

Here is a list of some of the plots shown on Kellersberger's Map. It also shows the names of the people who first claimed them:

• 57 – Peter Mathews (from Ireland), 53.75 acres (217,500 m²)
• 58 – Peter Mathews, 75 acres (300,000 m²)
• 60 – Jean Noel, 107.63 acres (0.4356 km²)
• 62 – Juan Ysunza (from Chile), 89.25 acres (361,200 m²)
• 63 – Rosario Sisterna (from Chile), 59.60 acres (241,200 m²)
• 64 – Michael Curtis (from Ireland), 154 acres (0.62 km²)
• 65 – Francois Pioche (from France, via Chile), 48.88 acres (197,800 m²)
• 67 – Francois Pioche, 157.20 acres (0.6362 km²)
• 68 – Francis K. Shattuck, 160 acres (0.65 km²)
• 69 – George M. Blake, 160 acres (0.65 km²)
• 70 – James Leonard (from Ireland), 160 acres (0.65 km²)
• 71 – William Hillegass, 160 acres (0.65 km²)
• 78 – Joseph Irving, 160 acres (0.65 km²)
• 89 – Jacob Irving, 155 acres (0.63 km²)
• City of Oakland, the size of this area is not listed
• Vicente Peralta Reserve, 7,001 acres (28.33 km²)
• Domingo Peralta Reserve, the size of this area is not listed

An "acre" is a unit of land area. For example, 160 acres is about the size of 120 football fields. The "reserves" were parts of the original rancho that were kept by the Peralta family, who were the original owners of Rancho San Antonio.