Rancho San Ramon (Pacheco-Castro) facts for kids
Rancho San Ramon was a very large piece of land in what is now Contra Costa County, California. Its name means "St. Raymond Ranch" in Spanish. This ranch was a special type of land called a Mexican land grant, and it covered about 8,917 acres (which is about 36 square kilometers). It was located in the northern part of the San Ramon Valley. There was another ranch, Rancho San Ramon (Amador), right next to it in the southern part of the valley.
The land for Rancho San Ramon was given out in 1833 by Governor Jose Figueroa. He gave it to two people: Mariano Castro and Bartolome Pacheco. Governor Figueroa gave them two "square leagues" of land in the San Ramon Valley. A square league was a way to measure land back then. This land stretched from the top of the western hills to the top of the eastern hills. Mariano Castro received the northern part of the land, and Bartolome Pacheco received the southern part. This grant included areas that are now known as Alamo, Danville, and the northern part of San Ramon.
History of Rancho San Ramon
Bartolome Pacheco was born in 1766. His family came to San Francisco in 1776 as part of the Anza Expedition. This was a big journey that helped explore and settle parts of California. Bartolome was also a cousin of Salvio Pacheco, who was another well-known ranch owner in California.
Bartolome Pacheco joined the military and served at the Presidio of San Francisco, which was a military fort. He was there when Mission San José was officially opened in 1797. After serving as a soldier for 20 years, he retired. Mariano Castro, the other person who received the land grant, was Bartolome Pacheco's nephew.
Life on the Rancho
In the 1830s, the San Ramon Valley was still very wild. Because of this, Pacheco and Castro were allowed to live outside the valley. Mariano Castro and his family lived in the Pueblo of San José, which was a town. Bartolome Pacheco lived in the San Mateo area.
When Bartolome Pacheco passed away in 1839, his son, Lorenzo Pacheco, became the owner of his part of the ranch. Lorenzo Pacheco married Rafaela Soto in 1837. They also lived in the Pueblo of San Jose. When Lorenzo died in 1846, Rafaela Soto de Pacheco and her four young children inherited the southern part of Rancho San Ramon.
Changes After the War
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. This happened with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty said that the land grants given by Mexico would still be honored.
However, things became complicated. In 1851, a new law called the Land Act of 1851 required people to prove they owned their land. So, in 1852, a claim for Rancho San Ramon was filed with the Public Land Commission. This commission was set up to check who truly owned the land.
A lawyer named Horace Carpentier became involved. He "helped" Rafaela Soto de Pacheco with her land ownership challenges. In the end, Horace Carpentier became the owner of the entire Rancho San Ramon. The official document for the land grant was given to Horace W. Carpentier in 1866.
