Rancho Quito facts for kids
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Rancho Quito was a very large piece of land, about 13,310 acres (which is like 20 square miles!). It was a special gift of land from the Mexican government in 1841. This land is now part of Santa Clara County, California.
Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado gave this land to José Zenon Fernandez and José Noriega. Today, this area includes cities like Saratoga, Campbell, and Cupertino. The eastern edge of the rancho was a stream called Arroyo San Tomas Aquino.
Contents
The Story of Rancho Quito
How the Land Was Granted
Rancho Quito was given to José Noriega and his father-in-law, José Zenon Fernandez, in 1841. Fernandez had moved to California in 1834 with a group called the Hijar-Padres Colony. He worked as a teacher in San Jose for several years.
Later, Fernandez's sons, Dionisio and Máximo, received their own land grant called Rancho Fernandez in 1846. José Noriega sold his part of Rancho Quito to José Manuel Alviso in 1844.
Changes After the Mexican-American War
After the Mexican–American War ended in 1848, California became part of the United States. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, which said that the U.S. would respect the land grants given by Mexico.
To make these land claims official, people had to file them with a special group called the Public Land Commission. A claim for Rancho Quito was filed in 1852. The land was officially given to José M. Alviso and the family of José Zenon Fernandez in 1866.
Who Owned Parts of the Rancho?
In 1859, Alviso sold some of the rancho land to José Ramon Argüello. Before the exact borders of the rancho were fully known, some families had already settled on land they thought was public. This land was located just east of what is now Cupertino.
Meet José Noriega
José Noriega was born in Asturias, Spain, around 1798. He came to California in 1834 with the same group as José Zenon Fernandez. Noriega married Manuela Fernandez, who was José Zenon Fernandez's daughter.
Noriega was an important person in San Jose. He served as the alcalde (which was like a mayor or judge) of San Jose in 1839. He owned several large ranchos during his life. These included Rancho Los Méganos (which he sold in 1837), Rancho Las Positas (sold in 1854), and Rancho Quito (sold in 1844). He also bought Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros in 1847 and sold it in 1856.
