Rancho Acalanes facts for kids

Rancho Acalanes was a very large piece of land, about 3,329 acres (13.47 km²), in what is now Contra Costa County, California. It was a "Mexican land grant," which means the Mexican government gave this land to a person. In 1834, Governor José Figueroa gave it to Candelario Valencia.

The name Acalanes might have come from "Ahala-n," which was the name of a native village of the Ohlone people in that area. It could also be from the Saklan tribe, sometimes called the Sacalanes. This rancho included the areas we now know as Lafayette and northern Orinda.

History of Rancho Acalanes

Candelario Valencia was a soldier, just like his father, Jose Manuel Valencia. Candelario served in the San Francisco company from 1823 to 1833. He continued to hold small official jobs until 1846. Candelario Valencia was married to Paula Sánchez. Her brothers, Francisco Sanchez and José de la Cruz Sánchez, were also important figures. Candelario's sister, Maria Manuela Valencia, also received a land grant called Rancho Boca de la Canada del Pinole in 1842. This rancho was located between Martinez and Lafayette.

Land Disputes and New Owners

Candelario Valencia had a disagreement about the border of his land with his neighbor, Joaquin Moraga, who owned Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados. Governor Micheltorena tried to fix the problem in 1844 by setting a boundary line. However, the dispute wasn't fully settled until surveys were done in 1860 and 1875.

Valencia lived on Rancho Acalanes for five years. It was near where Lafayette is today. He then moved back to his other property near Mission Dolores in San Francisco. He said he was bothered by Native Americans. His sister's husband, Felipé Briones, was killed by Native Americans in 1839. Many records suggest that Valencia Street in San Francisco was named after him or his family.

Valencia later sold Rancho Acalanes to William Leidesdorff. It seems Leidesdorff might not have even visited the rancho before he sold it again to Elam Brown.

Elam Brown and the Rancho

In late 1847, Elam Brown (1797–1889) explored the area looking for a place to live. He then bought Rancho Acalanes from Leidesdorff. The sale included 300 cattle! Brown sold a part of the rancho, about 327 acres (1.32 km²), to Nathaniel Jones. Jones was from Tennessee and later became the very first sheriff of Contra Costa County.

Brown and Jones moved to the rancho in early 1848. They started growing barley and wheat, along with raising cattle. Brown quickly became the "alcalde" (a type of mayor or judge) for his area. He was also a delegate at the California Constitutional Convention in Monterey in 1849. This meeting helped create California's first constitution. Brown also served as a representative in the California State Assembly. But after 1852, he left politics to focus on his rancho.

Laws and Land Ownership Changes

As a member of the State Assembly, Elam Brown helped write a law in 1850 called the "Act for the Government and Protection of Indians." This law allowed white men, with a judge's approval, to take Indigenous Californian children as "apprentices" or servants. The idea was supposedly to "civilize" them. Brown, like others who wrote this law, used many Indigenous workers on Rancho Acalanes.

After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 said that the US would respect the land grants given by Mexico. So, in 1852, a claim for Rancho Acalanes was filed with the Public Land Commission. This commission was set up to confirm who owned the land. In 1858, Elam Brown officially received the "patent" for the grant, which meant the US government recognized his ownership.