Rancho Mallacomes facts for kids

Rancho Mallacomes (also known as Moristul and Mallacomes y Plano de Agua Caliente) was a very large piece of land in what is now Napa County and Sonoma County, California. It covered about 17,742 acres (71.8 square kilometers). In 1843, the Mexican Governor Manuel Micheltorena gave this land as a grant to José de los Santos Berreyesa.

The rancho was located in the Napa Valley, just north of a town called Calistoga. It included areas known as Mallacomes (or Moristul) and Plano de Agua Caliente. The name "Mallacomes" came from a mountain range, including Mount Saint Helena. This area also covered most of what is now called Knights Valley. "Agua Caliente" means "hot water" in Spanish, referring to the warm springs found near Calistoga.

History of Rancho Mallacomes

José Santos Berreyesa and Early Days

José Santos Berreyesa (born 1817, died 1864) was an important person in the history of Rancho Mallacomes. His father, José de los Reyes Berreyesa, also received a large land grant. José Santos was a soldier at the Presidio of Sonoma from 1840 to 1842. In 1846, he served as an "alcalde," which was like a local mayor or judge.

During the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, José Santos and two of his brothers were put in jail by John C. Frémont. This revolt was when American settlers declared California independent from Mexico.

Changes After the Mexican-American War

After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo stated that the existing Mexican land grants would be respected.

To make sure their land was officially recognized by the U.S. government, people who owned these grants had to file a claim. José de los Santos Berreyesa filed a claim for Rancho Mallacomes with the Public Land Commission in 1852. His claim for 12,540 acres (50.7 square kilometers) was officially approved in 1873. This official approval is called a "patent."

Knights Valley and New Owners

Thomas P. Knight (1820 – 1903) was another important figure. He had also been part of the Bear Flag Revolt. In 1853, Knight bought a large northern part of the valley from Berreyesa. He expanded a hunting lodge that Berreyesa had built and named his new property "Muristood."

Thomas Knight was born in Vermont and traveled across the country from Missouri in 1845 to settle in California. He married Serena Haines in Napa Valley in 1854. He later retired to San Francisco in 1870. The area once known as Mallacomes Valley was later renamed "Knights Valley" in honor of Thomas Knight.

Lovett P. Rockwell (1790 – 1860) also bought a part of the rancho from Knight. Rockwell and Knight filed their own claim with the Land Commission in 1852. Their claim for 8,329 acres (33.7 square kilometers) was also patented in 1873.

Later, in 1861, Calvin Holmes and his wife Elvira bought a large portion of Knights Valley. Two real estate developers, F.E. Kellogg and W.A. Stuart, tried to build a small resort town there, similar to Calistoga. They called their new town Kellogg. However, Kellogg never grew as they had hoped and was eventually destroyed by fires.

Martin E. Cook, who represented the 11th state senatorial district, and Quartermaster General Rufus Ingalls also filed a claim for land within the rancho in 1853. Their claim for 4 square miles (10 square kilometers) was patented in 1873.