Rancho Cholame facts for kids

Rancho Cholame was a very large piece of land, about 26,622 acres (which is like 107 square kilometers). It was a special gift of land from the Mexican government in 1844. This land was located in what is now Monterey County and San Luis Obispo County in California. Governor Manuel Micheltorena gave this land to a person named Mauricio Gonzales. The rancho covered the area known as Cholame Valley, including the modern-day town of Cholame.

The Story of Rancho Cholame

Early Days of the Rancho

In 1844, Mauricio Gonzales received the Rancho Cholame land grant. This land, about six square leagues in size, came from the former lands of Mission San Miguel Arcángel. However, Mauricio Gonzales soon left the rancho. This was because of attacks from local Native American groups.

Charles White's Connection

Later, a man named Charles White became involved with the rancho. Charles White was born in Ireland in 1823. He traveled to California from Missouri in 1846 with his wife, Ellen E. White, and their two children. He became a very important and wealthy person in San Jose, California.

In 1848, Charles White served as the alcalde of the Pueblo de San José. An alcalde was like a mayor and a judge all in one. Besides Rancho Cholame, he also owned parts of other large land grants called Rancho Rincon de Los Esteros and Rancho Pala. Sadly, Charles White died in 1853 when a steamboat called the "Jenny Lind" exploded.

Changes After the Mexican-American War

After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. This happened with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty promised that the land grants given by the Mexican government would still be honored.

Because of a new law called the Land Act of 1851, people who owned these land grants had to prove their ownership. In 1852, a claim for Rancho Cholame was filed with the Public Land Commission. This commission was set up to check these land claims. In 1865, the ownership of the rancho was officially confirmed, or "patented," to Ellen E. White, Charles White's widow.

Later Owners of the Rancho

In 1867, a man named William Welles Hollister bought Rancho Cholame. Two years later, in 1869, Hollister sold half of his ownership in the rancho to Robert Edgar Jack.

Then, in 1893, Robert Edgar Jack bought the rest of the rancho from Hollister's widow. The Jack family continued to operate Rancho Cholame for many years. Finally, in 1965, the Hearst Corporation purchased the rancho from the Jack family.