Rancho Entre Napa facts for kids
Rancho Entre Napa was a huge piece of land, about 7,000 acres, given out by the Mexican government in 1836. It was located in what is now Napa County, California. Governor Mariano Chico gave this land to a person named Nicholas Higuera. The land stretched along the west side of the Napa River, from where the city of Napa is today, all the way south to Carneros Creek. This was part of the Ranchos of California, which were large land grants given by Spain and later Mexico.
A Look at Rancho Entre Napa's Past
Nicholas Higuera was an important person in early California history. He was a soldier in San Francisco from 1819 to 1823. He also served as an alcalde in Sonoma. An alcalde was like a mayor and judge all in one. Nicholas Higuera married Marta Frias. He received two large land grants: Rancho Entre Napa, which was about 7,000 acres, and another one called Rancho Rincon de los Carneros, which was about 2,588 acres.
How the Land Was Divided
Most of the large land grants from Mexico stayed together as one big piece of land. But Rancho Entre Napa was different. Nicholas Higuera decided to divide his land into smaller parts. In 1847, he sold many of these smaller pieces. He kept about 877 acres for himself.
After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States. This happened with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty said that the United States would respect the land grants given by Mexico. To make sure this happened, a new law was passed in 1851 called the Land Act. This law required people to prove they owned their land. Nicholas Higuera and others filed 16 claims for parts of Rancho Entre Napa and Rancho Rincon de los Carneros.
The Founding of Napa
Nathan Coombs (1826–1877) was an important figure in the Napa Valley. He arrived there in 1845. He first bought a small piece of land called Rancho Tulucay on the east side of the Napa River.
In 1847, Nathan Coombs bought more land. He purchased about 325 acres of Rancho Napa from Salvador Vallejo. This land was also on the east side of the Napa River.
Later in 1847, Coombs bought about 80 acres of Rancho Entre Napa directly from Nicholas Higuera. On this land, Nathan Coombs planned and started the town of Napa in 1848. This is the city of Napa we know today.
