Rancho Cañada de Pala
Encyclopedia
Rancho Cañada de Pala was a 15714 acres (63.6 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Santa Clara County, California
given in 1839 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José de Jesús Bernal. The origin of the name Cañada de Pala is the subject of debate. The word "pala" translates as "shovel" in Spanish, but means "water", in many Native Californian dialects. The grant was in the foothills and mountains of the Diablo Range
, east of San Jose
and included most of what is now Grant Ranch Park
and all of present day Blue Oak Ranch Reserve
.
.
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 Cañada de Pala was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to José de Jesús Bernal, José Antonio Bernal and Juan Bernal in 1863.
The "Halls Valley" area which encompasses most of the present day Grant Ranch Park was deeded to Benal's attorney, Frederick Hall, to pay for processing his claim. In 1850, the southern third of the rancho was sold to Samuel Q. Broughton (1824-). Broughton, a native of Kentucky
, came overland to California in 1846. Adam Grant was a founder of Murphy, Grant, & Company, a dry goods store which sold supplies to gold miners.bought his initial holding of Cañada de Pala in 1880. Grant's son, Joseph D. Grant,eventually owned approximately 9533 acres (38.6 km²). In 1974, Grant Ranch was purchased by Santa Clara County for park use.
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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 Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
given in 1839 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José de Jesús Bernal. The origin of the name Cañada de Pala is the subject of debate. The word "pala" translates as "shovel" in Spanish, but means "water", in many Native Californian dialects. The grant was in the foothills and mountains of the Diablo Range
Diablo Range
The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges. It is located in the eastern San Francisco Bay area south to the Salinas Valley area of northern California, the United States.-Geography:...
, east of San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and included most of what is now Grant Ranch Park
Grant Ranch Park
Grant Ranch Park is the largest park in Santa Clara County, California, USA. Also known as Joseph D. Grant County Park, this site is situated in the eastern foothills of Santa Clara Valley....
and all of present day Blue Oak Ranch Reserve
Blue Oak Ranch Reserve
The Blue Oak Ranch Reserve a unit of the University of California Natural Reserve System, is an ecological reserve and biological field station located in the Diablo Range, northwest of Mount Hamilton, in Santa Clara County, California, United States, located on at 1,500' asl .The land, part of...
.
History
José de Jesús Bernal was granted Rancho Cañada de Pala in 1839. Jose de Jesus and his two brothers built adobes around a spring-fed pond on a ridge overlooking the Santa Clara Valley. They pastured cattle and horses on this land. Bernal's uncle, Joaquin Bernal, occupied the nearby Rancho Santa TeresaRancho Santa Teresa
Rancho Santa Teresa was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to José Joaquín Bernal...
.
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 Cañada de Pala 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, and the grant was patented
Land patent
A land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...
to José de Jesús Bernal, José Antonio Bernal and Juan Bernal in 1863.
The "Halls Valley" area which encompasses most of the present day Grant Ranch Park was deeded to Benal's attorney, Frederick Hall, to pay for processing his claim. In 1850, the southern third of the rancho was sold to Samuel Q. Broughton (1824-). Broughton, a native of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, came overland to California in 1846. Adam Grant was a founder of Murphy, Grant, & Company, a dry goods store which sold supplies to gold miners.bought his initial holding of Cañada de Pala in 1880. Grant's son, Joseph D. Grant,eventually owned approximately 9533 acres (38.6 km²). In 1974, Grant Ranch was purchased by Santa Clara County for park use.
External links
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