Rancho San Vicente facts for kids
Rancho San Vicente was a very large piece of land, about 4,438 acres (or 18 square kilometers), located in what is now Santa Clara County, California. It was a special gift of land, called a Mexican land grant, given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado. The person who received this grant was José de los Reyes Berreyesa. The rancho was located west of the Santa Teresa Hills and at the southern end of Almaden Valley. To its north, it shared a border with another land grant called Rancho Los Capitancillos.
History of Rancho San Vicente
José Reyes Berreyesa, who was born in 1785, was an important person in early California. He worked as a teacher in San Francisco in 1823. He also served as a sergeant for thirty-seven years before he retired. Because of his long service, Governor Alvarado gave him the Rancho San Vicente land grant in 1842. José Reyes Berreyesa passed away in 1846.
Changes After the War
After the Mexican-American War, California became part of the United States. This change was agreed upon in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty said that the United States would respect the land grants given by the Mexican government.
To make sure these land grants were official under U.S. law, people had to file a claim. José Reyes Berreyesa's widow, Maria Zacarias Berreyesa, filed a claim in 1852. After a long process, the land was officially granted to her in 1868. This meant the Berreyesa family officially owned Rancho San Vicente under U.S. law.
The Quicksilver Mines Dispute
In 1845, valuable quicksilver (also known as mercury) mines were found nearby, called the New Almaden Quicksilver Mines. Mining started in 1847, which was perfect timing for the California Gold Rush. Quicksilver was very important because it was used to help extract gold from the ground.
There was a big disagreement about who owned these mines. José Reyes Berreyesa believed the mine was on his Rancho San Vicente land. However, Justo Larios, who owned the neighboring Rancho Los Capitancillos, also claimed the mine was on his property. Even the United States government said the mine was on public land.
This led to a very complicated legal case that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In 1862, the Supreme Court finally decided. They ruled that the main part of the mine was on Rancho Los Capitancillos. However, the buildings and equipment used for processing the quicksilver, which were located lower down the hill, were indeed on Rancho San Vicente.
After this decision, a company bought the rights to both parts of the land. Then, in 1864, they sold the entire mining operation to the Quicksilver Mining Company.
