Rancho Bolsa de Tomales
Encyclopedia
Rancho Bolsa de Tomales was a Mexican land grant
in present day Marin County
and Sonoma County, California
given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico
to Juan Nepomuceno Padilla. The name means "the Pool of the Tomales Indians," which referred to Burbank’s Lake. The grant extended along the Pacific coast from Estero de San Antonio
south to Walker Creek, and encompassed present day Tomales
. Stemple Creek
tranversed the property. The land claim was rejected as fraudulent by the US Supreme Court.
in 1845. Padilla was involved in a dispute with José de la Cruz Sánchez
and his brother Francisco Sanchez, over the position. In 1845, Pio Pico awarded Padilla the four square league Rancho Roblar de la Miseria
, in Sonoma County and later, the five square league Rancho Bolsa de Tomales. During the Bear Flag Revolt in June 1846, a band of Californios led by Captain Juan Padilla , killed two members of the Bear Flag Party, Thomas Cowie and George Fowler. Padilla and his band to retreated to Rancho Olompali
, and a group of Americans set fire to Padilla’s Sonoma ranch.
In 1848, after he returned from Los Angeles, Padilla, who long had been blamed for the murders in Santa Rosa
, was attacked by a group of former Bear Flaggers in a Sonoma
hotel. In 1849, Padilla sold Rancho Bolsa de Tomales to Felix Berreyesa and Jesus Molina. In 1850 Padilla sold Rancho Roblar de la Miseria, and returned to Los Angeles. Juan Nepomuceno Padilla married Maria Marta Avila (1825 - ) in 1851.
With the cession
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Bolsa de Tomales was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852. The grant was confirmed by Land Commission and by the District Court, but reversed by the US Supreme Court on the basis of doubtful character of the claim and sent back to the District Court for re-examination. The District Court again confirmed the grant, a group of squatters who had been living on the ranch appealed the decision and the case went back to US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court found "... the production of a fraudulent and false certificate of approval signed by the governor and secretary who signed the grant and proved by the same witnesses in the same way that the grant was proved, affords (in the absence of explanatory evidence,) strong ground for believing all the title papers to be fabricated", and the claim was rejected.
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
in present day Marin County
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
and Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
to Juan Nepomuceno Padilla. The name means "the Pool of the Tomales Indians," which referred to Burbank’s Lake. The grant extended along the Pacific coast from Estero de San Antonio
Estero de San Antonio
Estero de San Antonio is a stream in the northern California counties of Marin and Sonoma which empties into Bodega Bay.-Course:The Estero springs just north of the Marin-Sonoma county line and runs south along Gericke Road into Marin County...
south to Walker Creek, and encompassed present day Tomales
Tomales, California
Tomales is a census-designated place on State Route 1 in Marin County, California, United States. The population was 204 at the 2010 census. The largest employer in Tomales is Tomales High School, which has a student body of approximately 250.-Geography:Tomales is located above Keys Creek,...
. Stemple Creek
Stemple Creek
Stemple Creek is a long, westward-flowing stream in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin, which feeds into the Estero de San Antonio. Its waters ultimately reach Bodega Bay, part of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary on the Pacific Ocean.-Course:Stemple Creek springs from...
tranversed the property. The land claim was rejected as fraudulent by the US Supreme Court.
History
Juan Nepomuceno Padilla (1824–) came from Mexico to California. Padilla was elected as the alcalde of Yerba BuenaYerba Buena (town)
Yerba Buena was the original name of San Francisco when in the Spanish Las Californias Province of New Spain, and then after 1822 in the Mexican territory of Alta California, until the Mexican American War ended with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, when California became a territory of the...
in 1845. Padilla was involved in a dispute with José de la Cruz Sánchez
José de la Cruz Sánchez
José de la Cruz Sánchez was the eleventh Alcalde of San Francisco in 1845.-Life:José de la Cruz Sánchez was the eldest son of José Antonio Sánchez grantee of Rancho Buri Buri in present day San Mateo. José de la Cruz married Josefa Ramona Eduarda Mercado y Sal and they had eight children...
and his brother Francisco Sanchez, over the position. In 1845, Pio Pico awarded Padilla the four square league Rancho Roblar de la Miseria
Rancho Roblar de la Miseria
Rancho Roblar de la Miseria was a Mexican land grant in present day Sonoma County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Juan Nepomuceno Padilla. "El Roblar de la Miseria" means "The Oak of the Misery"...
, in Sonoma County and later, the five square league Rancho Bolsa de Tomales. During the Bear Flag Revolt in June 1846, a band of Californios led by Captain Juan Padilla , killed two members of the Bear Flag Party, Thomas Cowie and George Fowler. Padilla and his band to retreated to Rancho Olompali
Rancho Olompali
Rancho Olompali was a Mexican land grant in present day Marin County, California given in 1834 by governor Manuel Micheltorena to Camilo Ynitia, son of a Coast Miwok chief. The name Olómpali comes from the Coast Miwok language and likely means southern village or southern people. The land...
, and a group of Americans set fire to Padilla’s Sonoma ranch.
In 1848, after he returned from Los Angeles, Padilla, who long had been blamed for the murders in Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
, was attacked by a group of former Bear Flaggers in a Sonoma
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
hotel. In 1849, Padilla sold Rancho Bolsa de Tomales to Felix Berreyesa and Jesus Molina. In 1850 Padilla sold Rancho Roblar de la Miseria, and returned to Los Angeles. Juan Nepomuceno Padilla married Maria Marta Avila (1825 - ) in 1851.
With the cession
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Bolsa de Tomales was filed with the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
in 1852. The grant was confirmed by Land Commission and by the District Court, but reversed by the US Supreme Court on the basis of doubtful character of the claim and sent back to the District Court for re-examination. The District Court again confirmed the grant, a group of squatters who had been living on the ranch appealed the decision and the case went back to US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court found "... the production of a fraudulent and false certificate of approval signed by the governor and secretary who signed the grant and proved by the same witnesses in the same way that the grant was proved, affords (in the absence of explanatory evidence,) strong ground for believing all the title papers to be fabricated", and the claim was rejected.