Rancho Estero Americano facts for kids

Rancho Estero Americano was a large piece of land, about 8,849 acres (which is about 35.89 square kilometers), in what is now Sonoma County, California. This land was given out as a Mexican land grant in 1839. A land grant meant the Mexican government gave someone ownership of a large area of land. Governor Manuel Jimeno gave this particular grant to Edward Manuel McIntosh. The rancho was named after a nearby stream called Estero Americano.

The Story of Rancho Estero Americano

Building Settlements and New Beginnings

In 1835, Governor José Figueroa wanted to build up the area. He told Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo to start building the Presidio of Sonoma. A presidio was like a fort or military base. This was done to keep an eye on the Russians who had a settlement at Fort Ross.

To expand the settlements closer to Fort Ross, Vallejo sent three men: Edward McIntosh, James Black, and James Dawson. These men had come to California as sailors. They worked with Captain John B.R. Cooper, who was General Vallejo's brother-in-law.

Partnerships and Sawmills

James Black settled on land that became known as Rancho Cañada de Jonive. James Dawson and Edward McIntosh settled together on Rancho Estero Americano. They decided to work together. They built a sawmill on Salmon Creek, near the town of Freestone. A sawmill cuts logs into lumber.

The Russian-American Company, which owned Fort Ross, left the area in 1841. They sold Fort Ross to John Sutter. The sawmill on Rancho Cañada de Jonive kept working until 1849. Then, the partners sold all their lumber and left to search for gold.

A Disagreement and a New Owner

McIntosh and Dawson had agreed to ask the Mexican government for the Rancho Estero Americano land grant together. This was to make their ownership official. In 1839, McIntosh went to the capital city of Monterey to get the official papers.

When McIntosh returned, Dawson looked at the papers. He found that the grant was only in McIntosh's name. It's a well-known story that when Dawson found this out, he was very upset. He took a saw and cut the house they shared into two parts! Dawson then moved his half of the house to what would become his own land grant, Rancho Cañada de Pogolimi.

Edward McIntosh never married. He later became an alcalde (a type of mayor or judge) in San Rafael. In 1849, a man named Jasper O'Farrell bought Rancho Estero Americano from McIntosh.

California Becomes Part of the United States

After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. This change was agreed upon in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty said that the land grants given by the Mexican government would still be valid.

Because of a new law called the Land Act of 1851, people had to prove they owned their land. A claim for Rancho Estero Americano was filed in 1852 with the Public Land Commission. The ownership of the land was officially confirmed, or "patented," to Jasper O'Farrell in 1858.

Jasper O'Farrell's Land Holdings

Jasper O'Farrell also got the Rancho Cañada de Jonive land. He traded his land called Rancho Nicasio for James Black's Rancho Cañada de Jonive in 1848. O'Farrell married Mary McChristian in 1849. They moved to Rancho Cañada de Jonive and lived there until O'Farrell passed away in 1875.