Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa facts for kids
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Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa was a large piece of land, about 8,885 acres, given out by the Mexican government in 1841. This land is now part of Sonoma County, California. It was given to a woman named María Ygnacia López de Carrillo. The rancho was located along Santa Rosa Creek and covered the area where the city of Santa Rosa, California is today.
History of the Rancho
María Ygnacia de la Candelaria López (born 1793) married Joaquin Victor Carrillo in San Diego in 1809. They had twelve children together. After Joaquin Carrillo passed away in 1835, María Ygnacia López de Carrillo and her nine children who were not yet married moved. They left San Diego in 1837 and went to Sonoma, California.
Her daughter, Francisca Benicia Carrillo de Vallejo, lived in Sonoma with her husband, General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. General Vallejo was a very important person. He helped María Ygnacia get the land grant for Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa in 1841.
María Ygnacia López de Carrillo passed away in 1849. She was buried at Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma.
After California became part of the United States, people had to prove they owned their land. Seven claims for Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa were made to the Public Land Commission in 1852. This commission was set up to decide who truly owned the land from the old Mexican grants.
Many of María Ygnacia's children received parts of the rancho:
- Her son, Joaquin Carrillo (1820–1899), was given another rancho nearby called Rancho Llano de Santa Rosa in 1844.
- Her son, Julio Maria Tomas Carrillo (1824–1889), inherited the largest part of Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa. He received about 4,500 acres.
- Her daughter, Juana de Jesús (born 1829), received 256 acres.
- Another daughter, Felicidad Carrillo (1833–1856), received 336 acres.
Some other people also claimed parts of the rancho. For example, Oliver Beaulieu, a fur trapper, bought 640 acres from Julio Carrillo in 1850. He even tried to start a town called Franklin in 1853. However, Franklin did not last. When Santa Rosa became the main town for the county in 1854, people moved there instead.
Historic Sites of the Rancho
- Carrillo Adobe: This was the home of the Carrillo family on the rancho.
