Rancho Esquon
Encyclopedia
Rancho Esquon was a 22194 acres (89.8 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Butte County, California
given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to Samuel Neal. The grant, located south of present day Chico
, extended on the east bank of Butte Creek, and encompassed present day Durham
, Esquon
, Gridley
, and Nelson
. Rancho Aguas Frias
was directly across Butte Creek.
and a blacksmith by trade, came to California with John C. Frémont
's second expedition in 1844. After working for John Sutter
briefly, Samuel Neal was awarded the five square league Rancho Esquon grant in 1844. In 1849, Neal mined gold on the Feather River at a location that became known as Neals Diggins
. For six years David Dutton worked with Neal on the Rancho.
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 Esquon was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Samuel Neal in 1860.
Upon his early death in 1859, Neal willed most of his land to R.W. Durham. Robert Waddell Durham (1818–1871), a partner in the Waddell branch of the Pony Express
, came to California from Missouri
. Durham became a close friend of Samuel Neal, and worked as Neal's business manager at the ranch. Durham, an early farming community, was settled by R.W. Durham and his brother, William W. Durham (1811-1873), in 1852. Like Neal, Durham never married and having no children of his own, sent for his nephews (sons of his other brother George Durham), George W.Durham (1834–1880) and William Wellington Durham (1844–1907) from Missouri, to assist him in managing the inherited rancho.
In 1868, R.W. Durham sold 17800 acres (72 km²) in the southerly part of Rancho Esquon to George Gridley and his eldest son, C.E. Gridley. George Gridley was a sheep rancher. R.W. Durham died in 1871, and his elder brother William died in 1873, and their portion of the rancho was subdivided in lots and sold. In 1879 George Gridley sold his 17800 acres (72 km²) to E.B. Pond, John Boggs and C.W. Clarke, who then sold them to Leland Stanford
in 1880. The Stanford-Durham Ranch later became the property of Stanford University
.
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 Butte County, California
Butte County, California
Butte County is a county located in the Central Valley of the US state of California, north of the state capital of Sacramento. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 220,000. The county seat is Oroville. Butte County is the "Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty."Butte County is watered by the...
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 Samuel Neal. The grant, located south of present day Chico
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
, extended on the east bank of Butte Creek, and encompassed present day Durham
Durham, California
Durham is a census-designated place in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 5,518 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, Esquon
Esquon, California
Esquon is an unincorporated community in Butte County, California. It lies south-southeast of Durham on the Sacramento Northern Railroad, at an elevation of 135 feet ....
, Gridley
Gridley, California
Gridley is a city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 6,584 at the 2010 census, up from 5,382 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, and Nelson
Nelson, California
Nelson is an unincorporated community in Butte County, California. It lies south-southeast of Durham, at an elevation of 121 feet . Nelson's first post office was established in 1873; its zip code is 95958. The place was founded in 1873 by the California and Oregon Railroad Company and named for...
. Rancho Aguas Frias
Rancho Aguas Frias
Rancho Aguas Frias was a Mexican land grant in present day Butte County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Antonio Maria Osio and his son Salvador Osio. Aguas Frias means "cold water" in Spanish. The grant, located south of present day Chico, extended along the west...
was directly across Butte Creek.
History
Samuel Neal (1816–1859), a native of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and a blacksmith by trade, came to California with John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
's second expedition in 1844. After working for John Sutter
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...
briefly, Samuel Neal was awarded the five square league Rancho Esquon grant in 1844. In 1849, Neal mined gold on the Feather River at a location that became known as Neals Diggins
Neals Diggins, California
Neals Diggins is a former settlement and mining camp in Butte County, California, United States. It was located on the Feather River upstream from Oroville, on the opposite bank from Long's Bar. It was founded by Sam Neal, a local rancher, in 1848...
. For six years David Dutton worked with Neal on the Rancho.
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 Esquon 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 Samuel Neal in 1860.
Upon his early death in 1859, Neal willed most of his land to R.W. Durham. Robert Waddell Durham (1818–1871), a partner in the Waddell branch of the Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
, came to California from Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Durham became a close friend of Samuel Neal, and worked as Neal's business manager at the ranch. Durham, an early farming community, was settled by R.W. Durham and his brother, William W. Durham (1811-1873), in 1852. Like Neal, Durham never married and having no children of his own, sent for his nephews (sons of his other brother George Durham), George W.Durham (1834–1880) and William Wellington Durham (1844–1907) from Missouri, to assist him in managing the inherited rancho.
In 1868, R.W. Durham sold 17800 acres (72 km²) in the southerly part of Rancho Esquon to George Gridley and his eldest son, C.E. Gridley. George Gridley was a sheep rancher. R.W. Durham died in 1871, and his elder brother William died in 1873, and their portion of the rancho was subdivided in lots and sold. In 1879 George Gridley sold his 17800 acres (72 km²) to E.B. Pond, John Boggs and C.W. Clarke, who then sold them to Leland Stanford
Leland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford was an American tycoon, industrialist, robber baron, politician and founder of Stanford University.-Early years:...
in 1880. The Stanford-Durham Ranch later became the property of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.