Rancho Las Mariposas facts for kids

Rancho Las Mariposas was a very large piece of land, about 44,387-acre (179.63 km²), in what is now Mariposa County, California. This land was given out as a Mexican land grant in 1844.

The grant was given by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Juan Bautista Alvarado. Its name comes from Mariposa Creek. The creek was named for the many monarch butterflies seen in the Sierra Nevada foothills. "Mariposas" means "butterflies" in Spanish.

This land was located west of Yosemite, in the lower parts of the western Sierra Nevada mountains. It included the modern town of Mariposa. It also covered former towns like Agua Fria and Ridleys Ferry on the Merced River.

History of Rancho Las Mariposas

Juan B. Alvarado, who used to be a Mexican governor of Alta California, received this land grant in 1844. The grant was for ten square leagues. It was generally located along Mariposa Creek, between the San Joaquin River, Chowchilla River, Merced River, and the Sierra Nevada. This area was much larger than ten square leagues. The idea was that Alvarado would choose his specific ten square leagues within these big boundaries. This was called a "floating grant." Alvarado never fully followed the rules for the grant. This was because the Miwok Native Americans were not happy about people moving into their traditional lands.

John C. Frémont and the Land Grant

After his part in the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, John C. Frémont wanted to settle down. He was a soldier, explorer, and later ran for president. In 1847, he sent $3,000 to buy a ranch near Mission San José. However, the U.S. consul, Thomas O. Larkin, bought Rancho Las Mariposas instead. This land was in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills. Frémont thought this land was worthless. It was far from any towns, had no farms, and Native Americans already lived there. Frémont demanded his money back or the ranch he wanted. Larkin did not act. From 1847 to 1848, Frémont was in Washington for a court case.

The California Gold Rush Changes Everything

When Frémont returned to California, he heard about the 1848 gold discovery at Coloma. Soon after, Frémont also found gold in the Mariposa area. With the start of the California Gold Rush, Frémont’s unwanted land became the richest ranch in California.

Before Frémont could officially mark his land boundaries, thousands of miners arrived. Many miners did not accept Frémont's claim. A legal fight began that lasted until 1856 and was finalized in 1859.

Using the unclear description of the original grant, Frémont moved his ten square league ranch. He moved it to cover areas where minerals were found. This included lands already used by miners. Rancho Las Mariposas then included Mariposa, Bear Valley, and the Pine Tree and Josephine mine complex. The Pine Tree Mine was found in 1849. It joined with the Josephine Mine in 1859. The ore from these mines was crushed at the Benton mill. Frémont also owned the Oso House hotel in Bear Valley. He and his wife Jessie Benton Frémont lived in Bear Valley until 1859. Then they bought a house in San Francisco.

Frémont did not work the mines himself. He preferred to lease them to different groups. In 1850, he hired bankers to help create the Mariposa Mining Co.

Legal Battles Over Land Claims

After California became part of the United States following the Mexican–American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo said that existing land grants would be honored. A claim for Rancho Las Mariposas was filed in 1852 with the U.S. Board of Land Commissioners. They approved Frémont's ownership based on a survey he had made.

However, a higher court reversed this decision. Frémont's lawyers then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In December 1854, the Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower court. They said Frémont's claim was valid and ordered an official survey. The land was officially given to John C. Frémont in 1856.

In 1857, Frémont leased part of his land, the Mount Ophir section, to Biddle Boggs. But the Merced Mining Co. was already using this property and operating a gold mine there. The Merced Mining Co. argued that Frémont's survey was done secretly. They also claimed Frémont did not own the minerals, as his grant was only for farming and grazing. Many lawsuits and high legal costs followed.

In 1858, the California Supreme Court first ruled in favor of the Merced Mining Co. But after a new hearing, in 1859, the California Supreme Court changed its mind. It ruled in favor of Biddle Boggs and Frémont. Other people who claimed parts of the land lost their valuable holdings. In the summer of 1858, a group of armed men took over the Pine Tree Mine. But after five days of conflict with Frémont’s men, the governor ordered them to leave.

The Mariposa Company and Frederick Law Olmsted

In January 1863, Frémont, who was then a Major-General in the Union Army, sold Rancho Las Mariposas. This included its mines and buildings. He sold it to Morris Ketchum, a New York City banker. Ketchum created a public company called the Mariposa Company and sold shares.

In 1863, Frederick Law Olmsted came from New York to Rancho Mariposa. He was later a very famous American landscape architect. He became the superintendent for the Mariposa Company. Olmsted was not a mining expert. The company invested in machinery, tunnels, and other things needed for mining towns. By 1865, the Mariposa Company went bankrupt. Olmsted returned to New York, and the land and mines were sold at a public auction.