Rancho San Mateo facts for kids

Rancho San Mateo was a huge piece of land, about 6,439 acres (26.06 km2), given out by the Mexican government in 1846. It was located on the San Francisco Peninsula in what is now San Mateo County, California.

The last Mexican governor of California, Pío Pico, gave this land to his secretary, Cayetano Arenas. Rancho San Mateo stretched from the Santa Cruz Mountains all the way to San Francisco Bay. It included areas like Coyote Point, about half of today's city of San Mateo, all of Burlingame, and most of Hillsborough.

History

Early Owners

Governor Pio Pico gave the Rancho San Mateo land to Cayetano Arenas because Arenas's family had served the government well. Arenas then sold the property in 1846 to a merchant from Yerba Buena (which is now San Francisco) named William Davis Merry Howard.

William Howard and his wife, Agnes, moved to the rancho in 1854. They built a home called "El Cerrito" and created a very successful working ranch.

Land Ownership Changes

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 honored. So, William Howard officially claimed Rancho San Mateo in 1852, and the government officially recognized his ownership in 1857.

Sadly, William Howard died young in 1856 when he was only 37. Most of his land was then sold to William Chapman Ralston, a very important banker.

The Burlingame Connection

In 1866, Anson Burlingame, who was the United States Ambassador to China, visited William Ralston. During his visit, Burlingame bought about 1,043 acres (4.22 km2) of the rancho land. His name, "Burlingame," was later used for that part of the map.

Anson Burlingame died in 1870 while visiting Russia. After his death, the land he bought went back to William Ralston. Ralston had big plans for the area, which he wanted to call "Ralstonville," but he died in 1875 before many of his ideas could come true.

After Ralston's death, the land went to his business partner, Senator William Sharon. When Sharon died in 1885, his son-in-law, Francis G. Newlands, took charge of the estate.

Images for kids

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  Diseño of Rancho San Mateo 1840s

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  Plat of San Mateo Rancho 1857