Rancho La Jota facts for kids

Rancho La Jota was a large piece of land, about 4,454 acres, given out by the Mexican government in 1843. This land, located in what is now Napa County, California, was a special gift called a Mexican land grant. Governor Manuel Micheltorena gave it to a man named George C. Yount. The name "La Jota" means "the letter J" in Spanish. Some people think the "J" might stand for "Jorge," which is the Spanish name for George.

Rancho La Jota's Story

How the Rancho Started

In 1836, George C. Yount received another large land grant called Rancho Caymus. This happened thanks to the help of Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, an important person at the time. George C. Yount became the first European-American person to settle permanently in the Napa Valley.

Later, in 1843, Governor Micheltorena gave Yount the Rancho La Jota land. This new land was on Howell Mountain, just north of his first ranch. Yount had a plan for this mountain land: he wanted to build a sawmill there to cut wood.

Changes After the War

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

So, in 1852, George C. Yount had to file a claim for Rancho La Jota with the Public Land Commission. This was a new rule from the Land Act of 1851. At first, the commission said no to his claim. But a higher court, the United States District Court, changed that decision. Finally, in 1857, George C. Yount officially received the land title, called a patent, for Rancho La Jota.

New Owners and a College

Years later, in 1875, a man named Edwin Angwin bought about 200 acres of the ranch. He started a place called the Angwin Resort. By the early 1900s, Edwin Angwin owned nearly 1,600 acres of the land. The town of Angwin is named after him today.

In 1909, Angwin sold his property to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They built Pacific Union College on the site, which is still there today.

Historic Places on the Rancho

La Jota Vineyard

• La Jota Vineyard: This winery was built in 1898. It was made from strong volcanic rock found nearby. A man named Frederick Hess built it. He was a newspaper publisher from San Francisco and had bought 327 acres of Rancho La Jota.

In 1975, Bill Smith bought a part of Rancho La Jota. This included the old stone winery from the late 1800s. He started the La Jota Vineyard Company. He replanted the grapevines that had been removed during Prohibition. Prohibition was a time when making and selling alcohol was against the law. Bill Smith then started making excellent wines until the year 2000.