Rancho Muniz facts for kids
Rancho Muniz, sometimes called "Maniz," was a very large piece of land in what is now Sonoma County, California. It was about 17,761 acres (71.88 km2) in size. This land was given out as a Mexican land grant in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to a person named Manuel Torres.
The land stretched along the Pacific coast. It went from Salt Point State Park in the north down to the Russian River in the south. The important historic site of Fort Ross was also part of this large grant.
How Rancho Muniz Came to Be
The Mexican government was worried about Russian people living at Fort Ross. They were happy when the Russians decided to leave in 1841. But they were not happy when the Russian-American Company sold Fort Ross to John Sutter. The Mexican government believed the land and buildings never truly belonged to the Russians. This meant the Russians could not legally sell them to anyone else.
Within two years, John Sutter had moved everything he could from Fort Ross to his own land, called Rancho New Helvetia. In 1843, a man named William (Wilhelm) Benitz from Baden, Germany, started managing Sutter's land at Fort Ross. In 1844, Sutter leased the land to Benitz and his partner, Ernest Rufus, from Württemberg. Both Benitz and Rufus had served in Sutter's army.
This sale and lease made the Mexican government question if Sutter really owned the land. So, in 1844, Governor Manuel Micheltorena gave a part of the southern land, called Rancho Bodega, to Captain Stephen Smith. Then, in 1845, Governor Pío Pico gave the northern coastal part, which was Rancho Muniz, to Manuel Torres.
Manuel Torres and the Rancho
Manuel Torres (1826–1910) was born in Lima, Peru. He came to California in 1843 on a ship with his brother-in-law, Captain Stephen Smith. Captain Smith was married to Manuel's sister, Manuela Garcia Torres. Manuel Torres later married Mariana (Maryanna) Richardson. She was the daughter of William A. Richardson.
Manuel Torres leased Rancho Muniz to Benitz and Rufus. These two men also owned another ranch called Rancho German, which was just north of Rancho Muniz. In 1849, Manuel Torres sold the entire Rancho Muniz to Benitz and Rufus. Later, Manuel Torres managed the Estudillo House in San Leandro. He also ran the Marin Hotel in San Rafael. Torres was even elected to the California State Assembly in 1858-1859.
Changes After the War
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be valid. Because of a law called the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Muniz was made to the Public Land Commission in 1852. The ownership of the land was officially confirmed to Manuel Torres in 1860.
Now, Benitz and Rufus owned about two-thirds of the coastline in Sonoma County. Their land stretched from the Gualala River in the north down to the Russian River in the south. Ernest Rufus left the partnership in June 1849. William Benitz then took on a new partner, Charles Theodore Meyer, who was also from Germany. In 1867, a man named John Rule bought 4,000 acres (16 km2) in the southern part of the rancho. Finally, in 1874, William Benitz sold all his property and moved to Argentina.
