Rancho Cañada de la Carpenteria was a 2236 acres (9 km²) Mexican land grant

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 Monterey County, California

Monterey County, California

Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...

 given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to Joaquín Soto. The name means valley of the carpenter's shop. The grant was near the San Benito County, California

San Benito County, California

San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California, south of San Jose. As of 2010 the population was 55,269. The county seat is Hollister, which includes nearly two-thirds of the county's population. El Camino Real passes through the county and...

 line, in hilly terrain north of Rancho Los Carneros

Rancho Los Carneros (McDougall)

Rancho Los Carneros was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to María Antonia Linares. The name means "sheep". The grant was near the San Benito County, California line and south of Rancho Cañada de la Carpenteria...

 and encompassed the former settlement of Dunbarton

Dunbarton, California

Dunbarton is a former settlement in Monterey County, California. It was located south of Aromas, at an elevation of 141 feet . Dunbarton still appeared on USGS maps as of 1917.The Dunbarton post office operated from 1900 to 1909....

.

History

The one-half square league Rancho Cañada de la Carpenteria was granted to Joaquín Soto in 1835.

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 la Carpenteria 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 1853 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 Joaquín Soto in 1873.