Rancho Valle de San José facts for kids
The Rancho Valle de San José was a huge piece of land, about 48,436 acres (196 km²), in what is now Alameda County, California. It was also known as "Valle de San José y Corralitos." This land used to be the grazing fields for animals belonging to Mission San José.
In 1839, the governor of California, Juan Alvarado, gave this land as a grant. It was given to four people: Antonio Maria Pico, Agustín Bernal, Juan Pablo Bernal, and Antonio Suñol (along with his wife, María Dolores Bernal de Suñol). Today, this land covers the areas of Sunol and Pleasanton.
History of the Rancho
This large land grant, about eleven square leagues (a Spanish way to measure land), was given to four children of José Joaquín Bernal and María Josefa Daría Sánchez. José Joaquín Bernal was a soldier who came to California with the De Anza Expedition in 1776. He served at the Presidio of San Francisco and the Pueblo of San José. He also received another land grant called Rancho Santa Teresa.
Antonio María Pico (1809–1869) was the son of José Dolores Pico. He also received another land grant called Rancho Pescadero. In 1831, Antonio María Pico married María del Pilar Bernal. Later, Pico sold his one-fourth share of the Rancho El Valle de San José to Juan Pablo Bernal.
The Bernal family did not move to the rancho right away. They only moved there after the Gold Rush began. They wanted to protect their land from people who might try to claim it without permission. Agustín Bernal moved to his part of the rancho and built a special adobe (a type of mud-brick house) in 1850.
María Dolores Bernal married Antonio Suñol (1796–1865). 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 valid. So, in 1852, a claim for Rancho Valle de San José was filed with the Public Land Commission. The land grant was officially given to Antonio Suñol in 1865.
John W. Kottinger (1820–1892) came to California from Austria in 1849. He married María del Refugio Angustias Bernal, who was the daughter of Juan Pablo Bernal. They received about 4,500 acres (18 km²) from Rancho Valle de San José. John Kottinger is known as one of the people who helped start the town of Pleasanton, California.
By 1874, a company called the Spring Valley Water Company had bought most of the land and water rights from the rancho.
Historic Sites of the Rancho
- Kottinger Adobe Barn: This barn was built by John Kottinger in 1852. It is made of adobe and is the oldest building in downtown Pleasanton.
