Rancho Johnson
Encyclopedia
Rancho Johnson was a 22197 acres (89.8 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Yuba County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to Pablo Gutiérrez. The grant was located along the north side of Bear River
, and emcompassed present day Wheatland
.
since Sante Fe
, was awarded the five square league land grant. As required, Gutiérrez built an adobe house (at the place afterwards called Johnson's Crossing). Gutiérrez was killed in 1845, and his property sold at auction by Sutter, as magistrate of the region, to William Johnson and his partner Sebastian Keyser (Kayser). Johnson took the east half of the grant, and Keyser the west. In 1846, they built an adobe house a short distance below Johnson's Crossing. Johnson’s Rancho, as it came to be called, was the last stop on the Emigrant Trail
to Sutter's Fort
. Seven members of the ill-fated Donner Party
staggered into this ranch in 1847, seeking help for those left in the snowbound Sierra Nevada Mountains.
William Johnson (d.1863) was an English sailor out of Boston
who for several years previous to this purchase, had traded between Hawaii
and San Francisco. In 1847, Johnson married Mary Murphy (1831–1867), a survivor of the Donner Party, but they were soon divorced. In 1848 Mary married Charles Covillaud, owner of nearby Rancho Honcut
, who named Marysville
for her. In 1849 Johnson sold his share in the ranch to James Kyle, Jonathan B. Truesdale, James Emory, and William Cleveland, and went to Hawaii. Truesdale sold his interest to Cleveland, Kyle, and James Imbrie, who then sold to Eugene Gillespie and Henry E. Robinson.
Sebastian Keyser (d.1850), born in Austria
, was a trapper who had accompanied Sutter in 1838 from Missouri
, through New Mexico
to California. Keyser went to Oregon
but returned in 1841 to work for Sutter at his Rancho New Helvetia
. Keyser was also the grantee of Rancho Llano Seco
. In 1845 he settled on the Bear River as a half-owner of Rancho Johnson, and married Elizabeth Rhoads. Keyser sold his interest in the rancho to Eugene Gillespie and Henry E. Robinson in 1849. Keyser then operated a ferry on the Cosumnes River
, where he drowned in 1850.
In 1849, Henry Robinson and Eugene Gillespie, who had title to the whole Rancho Johnson grant, laid out a town called Kearny, in honor of General Kearny
. However the venture failed, and the town was never settled.
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 Johnson was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to William Johnson in 1857.
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 Yuba 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 Pablo Gutiérrez. The grant was located along the north side of Bear River
Bear River (Feather River tributary)
The Bear River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sierra Nevada, winding through four California counties: Yuba, Sutter, Placer, and Nevada....
, and emcompassed present day Wheatland
Wheatland, California
Wheatland is a city in Yuba County, California, United States. The population was 3,456 at the 2010 census, up from 2,275 at the 2000 census. Wheatland is located southeast of Marysville...
.
History
In 1844, Pablo Gutiérrez (d.1845), a Mexican who had worked for John SutterJohn 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...
since Sante Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, was awarded the five square league land grant. As required, Gutiérrez built an adobe house (at the place afterwards called Johnson's Crossing). Gutiérrez was killed in 1845, and his property sold at auction by Sutter, as magistrate of the region, to William Johnson and his partner Sebastian Keyser (Kayser). Johnson took the east half of the grant, and Keyser the west. In 1846, they built an adobe house a short distance below Johnson's Crossing. Johnson’s Rancho, as it came to be called, was the last stop on the Emigrant Trail
Emigrant Trail
The Emigrant Trails were the northern networks of overland wagon trails throughout the American West, used by emigrants from the eastern United States to settle lands west of the Interior Plains during the overland migrations of the mid-19th century...
to Sutter's Fort
Sutter's Fort
Sutter's Fort State Historic Park is a state-protected park in Sacramento, California which includes Sutter's Fort and the California State Indian Museum. Begun in 1839 and originally called "New Helvetia" by its builder, John Sutter, the fort was a 19th century agricultural and trade colony in...
. Seven members of the ill-fated Donner Party
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
staggered into this ranch in 1847, seeking help for those left in the snowbound Sierra Nevada Mountains.
William Johnson (d.1863) was an English sailor out of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
who for several years previous to this purchase, had traded between Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and San Francisco. In 1847, Johnson married Mary Murphy (1831–1867), a survivor of the Donner Party, but they were soon divorced. In 1848 Mary married Charles Covillaud, owner of nearby Rancho Honcut
Rancho Honcut
Rancho Honcut was a Mexican land grant in present day Yuba County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Theodore Cordua. The rancho is named after Honcut Creek which bounded the grant on the north...
, who named Marysville
Marysville, California
Marysville is the county seat of Yuba County, California, United States. The population was 12,072 at the 2010 census, down from 12,268 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistical Area, often referred to as the Yuba-Sutter Area after the two counties, Yuba and...
for her. In 1849 Johnson sold his share in the ranch to James Kyle, Jonathan B. Truesdale, James Emory, and William Cleveland, and went to Hawaii. Truesdale sold his interest to Cleveland, Kyle, and James Imbrie, who then sold to Eugene Gillespie and Henry E. Robinson.
Sebastian Keyser (d.1850), born in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, was a trapper who had accompanied Sutter in 1838 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...
, through New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
to California. Keyser went to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
but returned in 1841 to work for Sutter at his Rancho New Helvetia
Rancho New Helvetia
Rancho New Helvetia was a Mexican land grant in present day Sacramento County, Sutter County and Yuba County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to John Sutter. The name means "new Switzerland" after Sutter's home country...
. Keyser was also the grantee of Rancho Llano Seco
Rancho Llano Seco
Rancho Llano Seco was a Mexican land grant in present day Butte County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pio Pico to Sebastian Keyser . Llano Seco means "dry plains" in Spanish...
. In 1845 he settled on the Bear River as a half-owner of Rancho Johnson, and married Elizabeth Rhoads. Keyser sold his interest in the rancho to Eugene Gillespie and Henry E. Robinson in 1849. Keyser then operated a ferry on the Cosumnes River
Cosumnes River
The Cosumnes River is a river in northern California in the United States. It rises on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and flows approximately into the Central Valley, emptying into the Mokelumne River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.-Name:...
, where he drowned in 1850.
In 1849, Henry Robinson and Eugene Gillespie, who had title to the whole Rancho Johnson grant, laid out a town called Kearny, in honor of General Kearny
Stephen W. Kearny
Stephen Watts Kearny surname also appears as Kearney in some historic sources; August 30, 1794 October 31, 1848), was one of the foremost antebellum frontier officers of the United States Army. He is remembered for his significant contributions in the Mexican-American War, especially the conquest...
. However the venture failed, and the town was never settled.
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 Johnson 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 William Johnson in 1857.