Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros
Encyclopedia
Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros was a 17760 acres (71.9 km²) Mexican land grant
mostly in present day Contra Costa County, California
but partially in Alameda County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to Antonio Higuera, Francisco Alviso and Manuel Miranda. The name means "Canyon of the Cowboys" in Spanish.
who also owned Rancho Las Positas
to the south.
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 los Vaqueros was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852.
In 1854, Livermore and Noriega came to an agreement, where Livermore purchased Noriega's half of Rancho Las Positas and sold his half of Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros to Noriega. This was the beginning of several lawsuits, and the ownership of the property was not resolved until 1897. Noriega hired an attorney, and gave him a half interest in Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros in lieu of fee, and sold the other half to Maximo Fernandez. Both halves of Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros were again sold in separate transactions in 1857. Unknown to Noriega, Livermore had already conveyed his interest in Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros to his wife and children in 1852; so that the deed from Livermore to Noriega in fact conveyed nothing, in as much as Livermore had then no title to convey. When Livermore died in 1858, his widow and children claimed Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros based on the deed predating the Noriega transfer. At the same time, the four children of Antonio Higuera claimed a one third interest in Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros. By 1860, various parties held deeds totaling nearly twice the Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros grant. Finally in 1897 Mary Crocker, heir to Charles McLaughlin, was the owner of the entire rancho.
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...
mostly in present day Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
but partially in Alameda County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...
to Antonio Higuera, Francisco Alviso and Manuel Miranda. The name means "Canyon of the Cowboys" in Spanish.
History
Antonio Higuera, Francisco Alviso and Manuel Miranda were granted the four league rancho in 1844. Jose Antonio Higuera (1795 - ), who was married to Josefa Antonio Alviso, was the uncle of brothers-in-law Francisco Alviso (1818 - ) and Manuel Miranda (1816 - ). Francisco Alviso was married to Maria Isabela Miranda, and Manuel Ciriaco Miranda was married to Maria Del Carmen Alviso. In 1847 Alviso and Miranda sold their interests to Jose Noriega and Robert LivermoreRobert Livermore
Robert Thomas Livermore was a rancher and landowner in the early days of California, whose holdings eventually formed the basis of the city that bears his name: Livermore, California....
who also owned Rancho Las Positas
Rancho Las Positas
Rancho Las Positas was a Mexican land grant in present day Alameda County, California given in 1839 by governor Juan Alvarado to Robert Livermore and Jose Noriega. Las Positas means "little watering holes" in Spanish...
to the south.
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 los Vaqueros 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.
In 1854, Livermore and Noriega came to an agreement, where Livermore purchased Noriega's half of Rancho Las Positas and sold his half of Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros to Noriega. This was the beginning of several lawsuits, and the ownership of the property was not resolved until 1897. Noriega hired an attorney, and gave him a half interest in Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros in lieu of fee, and sold the other half to Maximo Fernandez. Both halves of Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros were again sold in separate transactions in 1857. Unknown to Noriega, Livermore had already conveyed his interest in Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros to his wife and children in 1852; so that the deed from Livermore to Noriega in fact conveyed nothing, in as much as Livermore had then no title to convey. When Livermore died in 1858, his widow and children claimed Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros based on the deed predating the Noriega transfer. At the same time, the four children of Antonio Higuera claimed a one third interest in Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros. By 1860, various parties held deeds totaling nearly twice the Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros grant. Finally in 1897 Mary Crocker, heir to Charles McLaughlin, was the owner of the entire rancho.