Rancho Pescadero (Grimes) facts for kids
Rancho Pescadero was a huge piece of land, about 35,446-acre (143.44 km2) (that's like 143 square kilometers!). It was given out as a special "land grant" by the Mexican government in 1843. The name "Pescadero" means "fishing place" in Spanish, which makes sense because it was right next to the San Joaquin River. This land is now part of Stanislaus County and San Joaquin County in California. The grant was given by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to two people named Valentin Higuera and Rafael Feliz. It stretched along the west side of the San Joaquin River, from a place called Banta in the north down to Del Puerto Creek in the south, and included the area where Grayson, California, is today.
History of Rancho Pescadero
Valentin Higuera and Rafael Feliz received the Rancho Pescadero land grant in 1843. It was a very large area, about eight square leagues (a league was an old way to measure distance, about 2.6 miles). Valentin Higuera was part of a family that owned other big ranches in California.
In 1849, Valentin Higuera sold the rancho to three new owners: Hiram Grimes, Francis W. Grimes, and William H. McKee. Hiram Grimes was related to another important ranch owner, Captain Eliab Grimes, and he also owned another large ranch called Rancho San Juan.
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States in 1848. The peace agreement, called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, said that the US government would respect the land grants given by Mexico. So, in 1852, the new owners of Rancho Pescadero filed a claim for their land with the US government. Their ownership of the land was officially confirmed in 1858.
Historic Sites on the Rancho
- The original site of San Joaquin City was located within Rancho Pescadero. This town was started in 1849 as a place where riverboats could stop. Later, in 1888, a new town called Vernalis took its place when the Southern Pacific Railroad came through the area.
