Rancho Los Coches (Soberanes)
Encyclopedia
Rancho Los Coches was a 8794 acres (35.6 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Monterey County, California
given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to María Josefa Soberanes. The name means "the pigs". The grant was south of Soledad
and extended along the Arroyo Seco.
to San Francisco Bay in 1769. Soberanes married Maria Josefa Castro (1759-1822) and received Rancho Buena Vista
. His sons Feliciano Soberanes (1788-1868) and Mariano Soberanes (1794-1859) were granted Rancho El Alisal
in 1833. Feliciano Soberanes married Maria Antonia Rodriguez (1795-1883) in 1810. He was the grantee of Rancho San Lorenzo
in 1841 and Rancho Ex-Mission Soledad
in 1845. Feliciano's son Francisco Maria Soberanes (1818-1887), was granted Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita
in 1841.
Feliciano's daughter, Maria Josefa Soberanes, was granted the two square league Rancho Los Coches in 1841. In 1839 Maria Josefa Soberanes married William Brunner Richardson, a tailor who had come from Baltimore, Maryland, seven years before. Rancho Los Coches became known as the Richardson 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 Los Coches was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1853, and the grant was patented
to María Josefa Soberanes in 1883.
For six months in 1846-47, during the Mexican–American War
, Captain John C. Frémont
camped on the Richardson ranch property. This was a major loss for the Richardsons and was the probable reason for the ultimate demise of the Rancho. From 1848 to 1854, the rancho was a stop on the San Juan Bautista
-Soledad stage line, and from 1854 to 1868 the Butterfield Overland Stage
running between San Francisco
and Los Angeles
. Like most of the other California Ranchos, Los Coches was already in trouble when the drought of 1860 hit. The property was acquired by David Jacks
in a sheriff's sale in 1865.
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 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to María Josefa Soberanes. The name means "the pigs". The grant was south of Soledad
Soledad, California
Soledad, meaning "solitude" and "loneliness" in Spanish, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Soledad is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 190 feet...
and extended along the Arroyo Seco.
History
The Soberanes family partiarch, José Maria Soberanes (1753-1803) accompanied the Portola expeditionPortola expedition
250px|right|Point of San Francisco Bay DiscoveryThe Portolá Expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá from July 14, 1769 to January 24, 1770. It was the first recorded Spanish land entry and exploration of present day California, United States...
to San Francisco Bay in 1769. Soberanes married Maria Josefa Castro (1759-1822) and received Rancho Buena Vista
Rancho Buena Vista (Soberanes)
Rancho Buena Vista was a Spanish land concession in the Salinas Valley, in present day Monterey County, California given in 1795 to Jose Maria Soberanes and Joaquin Castro. The grant was just south of Spreckels.-History:...
. His sons Feliciano Soberanes (1788-1868) and Mariano Soberanes (1794-1859) were granted Rancho El Alisal
Rancho El Alisal
Rancho El Alisal was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to brothers Feliciano and Mariano Soberanes and to William Edward Petty Hartnell. Alisal means Alder tree in spanish...
in 1833. Feliciano Soberanes married Maria Antonia Rodriguez (1795-1883) in 1810. He was the grantee of Rancho San Lorenzo
Rancho San Lorenzo (Soberanes)
Rancho San Lorenzo was a Mexican land grant in the southern Salinas Valley, in present day Monterey County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Feliciano Soberanes...
in 1841 and Rancho Ex-Mission Soledad
Rancho Ex-Mission Soledad
Rancho Ex-Mission Soledad was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Feliciano Soberanes...
in 1845. Feliciano's son Francisco Maria Soberanes (1818-1887), was granted Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita
Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita
Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita was a Mexican land grant mostly in present day Merced County, California and also a small part in Fresno County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Francisco Maria Soberanes. Sanjon is Spanish for ditch or deep slough...
in 1841.
Feliciano's daughter, Maria Josefa Soberanes, was granted the two square league Rancho Los Coches in 1841. In 1839 Maria Josefa Soberanes married William Brunner Richardson, a tailor who had come from Baltimore, Maryland, seven years before. Rancho Los Coches became known as the Richardson 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 Los Coches 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 María Josefa Soberanes in 1883.
For six months in 1846-47, during the Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
, Captain 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...
camped on the Richardson ranch property. This was a major loss for the Richardsons and was the probable reason for the ultimate demise of the Rancho. From 1848 to 1854, the rancho was a stop on the San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista, California
San Juan Bautista is a city in San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2010 census, up from 1,549 at the 2000 census. The city of San Juan Bautista was named after Mission San Juan Bautista...
-Soledad stage line, and from 1854 to 1868 the Butterfield Overland Stage
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
running between San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Like most of the other California Ranchos, Los Coches was already in trouble when the drought of 1860 hit. The property was acquired by David Jacks
David Jack (businessman)
David Jack , also known as David Jacks, was a powerful Californian landowner, developer, and businessman. Born in Scotland, he emigrated to California during the 1849 Gold Rush, and soon acquired several thousand acres in and around Monterey, shaping the history of Monterey County in the first...
in a sheriff's sale in 1865.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Richardson Adobe. The adobe was buillt William Brunner Richardson in 1843 with wooden additions made in 1848.