Juana Briones de Miranda
Encyclopedia
Juana Briones de Miranda (1802-1889) was born near the Santa Cruz
Mission, in California
. Her parents arrived with the earliest explorations of this then remote fringe of the Spanish empire, and her family members had accompanied both the Gaspar de Portolà
and the Juan Bautista de Anza
Expeditions. She was the daughter of a Marcos Briones, a soldier posted near Monterey, who later moved to the San Francisco Presidio. She married a soldier, Apolinario Miranda, in 1820 and raised seven children plus an orphaned Indian girl. She later gained a clerical separation from her husband. After establishing a farm near the Presidio of San Francisco, Juana became a pioneer settler at Yerba Buena, the area of San Francisco which is today known as North Beach. On early maps this area was designated as Playa de Juana Briones (Juana Briones Beach). The area of North Beach presently known as Washington Square, San Francisco
was at that time under her cultivation. A natural entrepreneur, she marketed her milk and produce to the sailors from whaling ships or those who arrived in port for the hide and tallow trade. Her pioneer status is commemorated by an historical plaque on the square.
in Santa Clara County, south of San Francisco. Juana Briones managed to retain the title to her land in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties throughout the tumultuous American period that followed the Gold Rush
. Briones excelled not only in business and farming: her reputation for hospitality and skills in medicine were widely recognized. She trained her nephew, Pablo—who was later known as the Doctor of Bolinas (California)--in medicinal arts, although she never received a formal education and could not read or write.
above Palo Alto, California
at 4155 Old Adobe Road, two blocks west of the intersection of Arastradero Road and Foothill Expressway. Although it contained a structure that dated from the early twentieth century, two walls that were in the oldest corner of the home exhibited the original rancho home's construction. These walls were historically significant, as they preserved a rare construction method: infilling a crib of horizontal redwood boards with adobe. This technique provided her dwelling with the excellent insulating characteristics of adobe, while protecting that building material from erosion
problems during the rainy season, and destruction by earthquake
, two problems with traditional adobe construction. Other than the unusual method of using materials, the original home exhibited the familiar layout of the traditional adobe: a strip of connected rooms with an external corridor. Current owners of the house, Jaim Nulman and Avelyn Welczer, seek to demolish the house and build a new one in its place. The Friends of Juana Briones oppose the demolition. As of 8 June 2007, the Santa Clara County Superior Court hadn't decided the issue.
Juana Briones sold most of her rancho to the Murphy family, who came to California with Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party
in 1844. She died in 1889 in nearby Mayfield (now part of Palo Alto, California). She gave the remaining portions of her rancho to her children, who bore their father’s name, Miranda. Her footprints on the local landscape include the house, Juana Briones Elementary School, Juana Briones Park, and several street names incorporating either Miranda or first names of her children.
Juana Briones, like many early Hispanic
women of California, has been overlooked by traditional histories, but she was mentioned in the following sources:
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
Mission, in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Her parents arrived with the earliest explorations of this then remote fringe of the Spanish empire, and her family members had accompanied both the Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
and the Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Early life:...
Expeditions. She was the daughter of a Marcos Briones, a soldier posted near Monterey, who later moved to the San Francisco Presidio. She married a soldier, Apolinario Miranda, in 1820 and raised seven children plus an orphaned Indian girl. She later gained a clerical separation from her husband. After establishing a farm near the Presidio of San Francisco, Juana became a pioneer settler at Yerba Buena, the area of San Francisco which is today known as North Beach. On early maps this area was designated as Playa de Juana Briones (Juana Briones Beach). The area of North Beach presently known as Washington Square, San Francisco
Washington Square, San Francisco
Washington Square is a park in the North Beach district of San Francisco, California. The popular destination, for both locals and tourists, is surrounded by eating establishments and the Sts. Peter and Paul Church...
was at that time under her cultivation. A natural entrepreneur, she marketed her milk and produce to the sailors from whaling ships or those who arrived in port for the hide and tallow trade. Her pioneer status is commemorated by an historical plaque on the square.
Land purchase
In 1844, she used her revenues to purchase from two Indians the 4400 acres (17.8 km²) Rancho La Purísima ConcepciónRancho La Purísima Concepción
Rancho La Purísima Concepción was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Gorgonio and his son José Ramon, Ohlone Indians...
in Santa Clara County, south of San Francisco. Juana Briones managed to retain the title to her land in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties throughout the tumultuous American period that followed the Gold Rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
. Briones excelled not only in business and farming: her reputation for hospitality and skills in medicine were widely recognized. She trained her nephew, Pablo—who was later known as the Doctor of Bolinas (California)--in medicinal arts, although she never received a formal education and could not read or write.
Early residence
A remnant of her early rancho home is in the foothillsFoothills
Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills to the adjacent topographically high mountains.-Examples:...
above Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
at 4155 Old Adobe Road, two blocks west of the intersection of Arastradero Road and Foothill Expressway. Although it contained a structure that dated from the early twentieth century, two walls that were in the oldest corner of the home exhibited the original rancho home's construction. These walls were historically significant, as they preserved a rare construction method: infilling a crib of horizontal redwood boards with adobe. This technique provided her dwelling with the excellent insulating characteristics of adobe, while protecting that building material from erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
problems during the rainy season, and destruction by earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
, two problems with traditional adobe construction. Other than the unusual method of using materials, the original home exhibited the familiar layout of the traditional adobe: a strip of connected rooms with an external corridor. Current owners of the house, Jaim Nulman and Avelyn Welczer, seek to demolish the house and build a new one in its place. The Friends of Juana Briones oppose the demolition. As of 8 June 2007, the Santa Clara County Superior Court hadn't decided the issue.
Juana Briones sold most of her rancho to the Murphy family, who came to California with Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party
Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party
The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party consisted of ten families who migrated from Iowa to California prior to the Mexican-American War or the California Gold Rush. The Stephens Party is significant in California history because they were the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada during the...
in 1844. She died in 1889 in nearby Mayfield (now part of Palo Alto, California). She gave the remaining portions of her rancho to her children, who bore their father’s name, Miranda. Her footprints on the local landscape include the house, Juana Briones Elementary School, Juana Briones Park, and several street names incorporating either Miranda or first names of her children.
Juana Briones, like many early Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
women of California, has been overlooked by traditional histories, but she was mentioned in the following sources:
- Jeanne Farr McDonnell, Juana Briones of Nineteenth-Century California
- Hubert Howe BancroftHubert Howe BancroftHubert Howe Bancroft was an American historian and ethnologist who wrote and published works concerning the western United States, Texas, Mexico, Central America, British Columbia and Alaska.-Biography:...
, History of California - J.N. Bowman, “Juana Briones de Miranda”, Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly, September, 1957.
- Florence M. Fava, Los Altos Hills, 1976.
- More recently, she was profiled in a Radcliff Institute exhibition and related article titled “Enterprising Women” Harvard Magazine, January-February 2003
- 1860 CA Census has her in SC County page 436 Fremont Twp as age 56 she is listed as Juana Miranda dwellin 1747