Rancho Suscol facts for kids

Rancho Suscol was a huge piece of land, about 84,000 acres (340 km²), given out by the Mexican government. This happened in 1843 in what is now Napa County, California and Solano County, California. The land was given to a general named Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo.

Later, after California became part of the United States, the US Supreme Court made an important decision in 1862. They said that the land grant for Rancho Suscol was not valid.

Rancho Suscol stretched from Rancho Petaluma in the west, all the way south to the San Francisco Bay, including Mare Island and the Carquinez Strait. It then went east to Rancho Suisun. Today, this area includes the cities of Vallejo and Benicia.

History of Rancho Suscol

Early Days and Vallejo's Control

In 1835, the Mexican government put Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo in charge of some new land. This land had previously belonged to missions but was now controlled by the government. It was called Rancho Nacional Suscol, meaning it was a national ranch. Vallejo kept many cattle and horses there.

Native American people called the Patwin lived on this land. They lived along Suscol Creek and helped Vallejo in battles. In return, Vallejo gave them cattle and other goods.

How Vallejo Got the Grant

In March 1843, Vallejo paid the Mexican government $5,000. This money helped support the governor's soldiers. In exchange, Governor Manuel Micheltorena officially gave Vallejo the Rancho Suscol land grant. It was about 18 square leagues in size.

Vallejo also received another paper in 1845, signed by Pío Pico. This paper was supposed to confirm his ownership. However, the US Supreme Court later believed this document was not real.

California Becomes Part of the U.S.

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 US would respect the land grants given by the Mexican government.

So, in 1853, Vallejo filed a claim for Rancho Suscol with the US Public Land Commission. This was required by a new law called the Land Act of 1851.

The Supreme Court's Decision

The Land Commission first approved Vallejo's claim. A higher court, the District Court, also agreed. But when the case went to the US Supreme Court, they said no. In 1862, the Supreme Court decided that the Mexican government did not have the right to give out the Suscol land grant.

Because the grant was rejected, there is no official size for it. However, the documents from the Supreme Court talked about an area of about 84,000 acres (340 km²).

What Happened to the Land?

Before the Supreme Court's decision, Vallejo had sold Rancho Suscol to his son-in-law, John B. Frisbie. Frisbie was married to Vallejo's oldest daughter, Epifania. Frisbie then sold parts of the land to investors from San Francisco. These investors hoped to make money as the cities of Benicia and Vallejo, and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, grew.

When the land grant was rejected, the land immediately became public land. This meant anyone could claim it under the California Land Act of 1851. Within a year, more than 250 people claimed 160-acre (0.65 km²) plots of land. They did this under a federal law called the homestead law.

The Suscol Act

When the Supreme Court rejected the land claim in 1862, John B. Frisbie tried to get help from the US Congress. He wanted Congress to pass a law that would let people who had bought land from a rejected grant buy it back from the government. They would pay $1.25 per acre, with no limit on how much land they could buy.

Under an older law, the Pre-emption Act of 1841, people could buy back their land for $1.25 an acre, but only up to 160 acres (0.65 km²). Frisbie's first attempt to pass his new law in 1862 failed.

A New Law and Conflicts

However, Frisbie succeeded a year later. In 1863, a new version of the law was passed. This law, called the Suscol Act, only applied to people who owned land within the old boundaries of Rancho Suscol.

But in the time it took for the Suscol Act to pass, many homesteaders had already claimed their land under the 1841 law. This led to some small fights, but mostly, both sides went to court.

A homesteader named Whitney sued Frisbie. Whitney wanted the court to make Frisbie give him the land. But the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Frisbie. This meant the homesteaders who had claimed land under the older law were forced to leave.