Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita facts for kids
Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita was a huge piece of land, about 48,824 acres (which is like 197.6 square kilometers!). It was a special gift of land from the Mexican government, called a Mexican land grant. Most of this land is now in Merced County, California, with a small part in Fresno County, California.
The land was given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to a person named Francisco Maria Soberanes. The name "Sanjon" comes from a Spanish word meaning "ditch" or "deep slough." This large rancho was located west of the San Joaquin River and included areas that are now known as Santa Rita Park and Dos Palos Y.
Contents
A Look Back at Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita
The Soberanes Family Story
The story of the Soberanes family in California began a long time ago. The family's first important member, José Maria Soberanes (who lived from 1753 to 1803), traveled with the Portolá expedition in 1769. This expedition explored the San Francisco Bay area.
José Maria Soberanes married Maria Josefa Castro. He later received his own land grant called Rancho Buena Vista. His sons, Feliciano Soberanes (1788-1868) and Mariano Soberanes (1794-1859), were also given a land grant, Rancho El Alisal, in 1833.
Feliciano Soberanes married Maria Antonia Rodriguez in 1810. He was a very active person in getting land grants! He also received Rancho San Lorenzo in 1841 and Rancho Ex-Mission Soledad in 1845.
How Francisco Soberanes Got the Rancho
Feliciano's daughter, Maria Josefa Soberanes, was granted Rancho Los Coches in 1841. And Feliciano's son, Francisco Maria Soberanes (1818-1887), was the one who received the huge Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita in 1841. This rancho was about eleven square leagues in size. Francisco Soberanes married Ysabel Boronda, whose father, José Manuel Boronda, was the owner of Rancho Los Laureles.
Changes After the Mexican-American War
After the Mexican–American War, California became part of the United States. This change happened with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This treaty said that the land grants given by the Mexican government would still be recognized.
Because of a new law called the Land Act of 1851, people who owned these land grants had to prove their ownership. So, in 1853, a claim for Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita was officially filed with the Public Land Commission. After some time, the ownership of the rancho was officially confirmed, or "patented," to Francisco Soberanes in 1862.
New Owners for the Rancho
Francisco Soberanes decided to sell a large part of his rancho. In 1853, he sold nine square leagues of land to Manuel Castro. Later, in 1858, Manuel Castro sold two square leagues of that land to Salisbury Haly.
Then, in 1866, a very important rancher named Henry Miller bought the entire Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita. His company, Lux & Miller, even had its main office on the rancho, close to where Santa Rita Park is today.
