Rancho Los Putos
Encyclopedia
Rancho Los Putoswas a 44384 acres (179.6 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Solano County, California
given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to Juan Felipe Peña and Juan Manuel Cabeza Vaca. The Los Putos name comes from the nearby Putah Creek
(formerly Rio Los Putos). The grant encompassed present day Vacaville
, all of Lagoon Valley and stretched into what is now, Yolo County
almost to Davis
.
to California
with the Workman-Rowland Party in 1841. Pena came with his wife, Isabella Gonsalves and their six children. Vaca's wife died in 1839, but he was accompanied by their eight children. Vaca married Estefano Martinez in 1845.
General Vallejo
is credited with recommending the Lagoon Valley area to Vaca and Pena. The Los Putos grant of 10 square leagues was made in 1843 by Governor Micheltorena. The grant was originally called Rancho Lihuaytos - which was the name of Putah Creek at that time. The grant overlapped the Rancho Rio de los Putos
grant of William Wolfskill
, and in 1845, Governor Pio Pico
made a correcting grant 10 square leagues.
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 Putos was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1853, and the grant was patented
to Juan Felipe Peña and Juan Manuel Vaca in 1858.
The first sales of Rancho property began in 1849, when Vaca sold a half-league of land between Alamo Creek and Ulatis Creek to John Patton and Albert Lyon. In 1850 Pena sold a half-league to Jacob David Hoppe
and Zimri Hollingsworth.
Then in 1850, came the history making sale, when Vaca sold one square league (about 9 square miles) of land to William McDaniel
with the provision that one square mile (640 acres) would be used to create a township called Vacaville
. Vaca received about half of subdivided lots in the town. McDaniel's partner was the Benicia
attorney Lansing B. Mizner. In exchange for laying out the town and tending to the legal paperwork, Mizner received half of the land in the deal with Vaca. Vaca could not speak, read, write English, but Mizner, fluent in both Spanish and English, was the interpreter for the transaction. It might be noted that McDaniel was a federal land agent and it was against the laws of the land for him to be involved in purchasing land.
Pena was upset, and it was the cause of the major quarrel between Pena and Vaca. In response, Pena received two hundred lots in the town of Vacaville. Vaca was also upset about the McDaniel deal. He said he had believed he was signing over only one square mile. Vaca posted in the Benicia newspaper: “Caution. I hereby notify all persons not to purchase any lands from William McDaniel, which he claims to have purchased from me under a title which he obtained from me under false pretenses, and I shall institute suit against him to annul the title so fraudulently obtained by him. Manual Vaca”. McDaniel sued Vaca for libel and the loss of a land sale. The jury found Vaca guilty of libel, but the California Supreme Court overturned the decision, ruling that Vaca’s newspaper warning was something that “every freeman and freeholder would be justified in making if the circumstances raised a strong presumption that the fraud had been attempted upon him to get possession of his estate”.
After Vaca and Pena argued over the William McDaniel land sale, Vaca sold his adobe to John Wesley Hill. Juan Manual Vaca died in 1856.
Pena died in 1863, leaving his land to his children and the adobe to his only daughter, Nestora Pena Rivera (who married Jesus Tapia Rivera), along with 1000 acres (4 km²). His wife Isabella stayed at the adobe until she died in 1884.
A survey correcting the boundaries of the William Wolfskill Rio de los Putos grant and the Vaca-Pena Rancho was made in 1858. Adjustments had to be made to the original boundary lines of the grant. The boundary lines were finally established as a twisted and elongated configuration.
The legal fees for the years 1853 through to the official United States patent in 1858, were paid in land. They turned large parcels of land to pay taxes. By 1855, the tax rolls show only 13777 acres (55.8 km²) of the original 44384 acres (179.6 km²) Vaca-Pena grant remaining in the original owners’ hands. By 1880 most of the land grant was sold.
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 Solano County, California
Solano County, California
Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. The county's population was reported by the U.S. Census to be 413,344 in 2010...
given in 1843 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 Juan Felipe Peña and Juan Manuel Cabeza Vaca. The Los Putos name comes from the nearby Putah Creek
Putah Creek
Putah Creek is a major stream in Northern California, a tributary of the Yolo Bypass. The creek has its headwaters in the Mayacamas Mountains, a part of the Coast Range...
(formerly Rio Los Putos). The grant encompassed present day Vacaville
Vacaville, California
Vacaville, California is a city located in the northeastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area in Solano County. The city is nearly half way between Sacramento and San Francisco on I-80. It sits approximately from Sacramento, and from San Francisco...
, all of Lagoon Valley and stretched into what is now, Yolo County
Yolo County, California
Yolo County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, bordered by the other counties of Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Lake, Colusa, and Sutter. The city of Woodland is its county seat, though Davis is its largest city....
almost to Davis
Davis, California
Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
History
Juan Felipe Pena ( - 1863) and Juan Manuel Vaca (1782–1856) came from New MexicoNew 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
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with the Workman-Rowland Party in 1841. Pena came with his wife, Isabella Gonsalves and their six children. Vaca's wife died in 1839, but he was accompanied by their eight children. Vaca married Estefano Martinez in 1845.
General Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...
is credited with recommending the Lagoon Valley area to Vaca and Pena. The Los Putos grant of 10 square leagues was made in 1843 by Governor Micheltorena. The grant was originally called Rancho Lihuaytos - which was the name of Putah Creek at that time. The grant overlapped the Rancho Rio de los Putos
Rancho Rio de los Putos
Rancho Rio de los Putos was a Mexican land grant in present day Solano County and Yolo County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to William Wolfskill. The grant extended a long both banks of Putah Creek and encompassed present day Winters...
grant of William Wolfskill
William Wolfskill
William Wolfskill was a cowboy and agronomist from Los Angeles, California, who was highly influential in the development of California's agricultural industry in the 19th century.-Valencia orange:...
, and in 1845, Governor Pio Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
made a correcting grant 10 square leagues.
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 Putos 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 Juan Felipe Peña and Juan Manuel Vaca in 1858.
The first sales of Rancho property began in 1849, when Vaca sold a half-league of land between Alamo Creek and Ulatis Creek to John Patton and Albert Lyon. In 1850 Pena sold a half-league to Jacob David Hoppe
Rancho Ulistac
Rancho Ulistac was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Marcello and Cristobal, Indians...
and Zimri Hollingsworth.
Then in 1850, came the history making sale, when Vaca sold one square league (about 9 square miles) of land to William McDaniel
William McDaniel
William McDaniel was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.-Missouri:Born in Grayson County, Kentucky, McDaniel moved to Missouri in the late 1820s. He served as member of the State senate in 1838 and 1840. He served in the Missouri Volunteers during the Seminole War. McDaniel was elected...
with the provision that one square mile (640 acres) would be used to create a township called Vacaville
Vacaville, California
Vacaville, California is a city located in the northeastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area in Solano County. The city is nearly half way between Sacramento and San Francisco on I-80. It sits approximately from Sacramento, and from San Francisco...
. Vaca received about half of subdivided lots in the town. McDaniel's partner was the Benicia
Benicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San...
attorney Lansing B. Mizner. In exchange for laying out the town and tending to the legal paperwork, Mizner received half of the land in the deal with Vaca. Vaca could not speak, read, write English, but Mizner, fluent in both Spanish and English, was the interpreter for the transaction. It might be noted that McDaniel was a federal land agent and it was against the laws of the land for him to be involved in purchasing land.
Pena was upset, and it was the cause of the major quarrel between Pena and Vaca. In response, Pena received two hundred lots in the town of Vacaville. Vaca was also upset about the McDaniel deal. He said he had believed he was signing over only one square mile. Vaca posted in the Benicia newspaper: “Caution. I hereby notify all persons not to purchase any lands from William McDaniel, which he claims to have purchased from me under a title which he obtained from me under false pretenses, and I shall institute suit against him to annul the title so fraudulently obtained by him. Manual Vaca”. McDaniel sued Vaca for libel and the loss of a land sale. The jury found Vaca guilty of libel, but the California Supreme Court overturned the decision, ruling that Vaca’s newspaper warning was something that “every freeman and freeholder would be justified in making if the circumstances raised a strong presumption that the fraud had been attempted upon him to get possession of his estate”.
After Vaca and Pena argued over the William McDaniel land sale, Vaca sold his adobe to John Wesley Hill. Juan Manual Vaca died in 1856.
Pena died in 1863, leaving his land to his children and the adobe to his only daughter, Nestora Pena Rivera (who married Jesus Tapia Rivera), along with 1000 acres (4 km²). His wife Isabella stayed at the adobe until she died in 1884.
A survey correcting the boundaries of the William Wolfskill Rio de los Putos grant and the Vaca-Pena Rancho was made in 1858. Adjustments had to be made to the original boundary lines of the grant. The boundary lines were finally established as a twisted and elongated configuration.
The legal fees for the years 1853 through to the official United States patent in 1858, were paid in land. They turned large parcels of land to pay taxes. By 1855, the tax rolls show only 13777 acres (55.8 km²) of the original 44384 acres (179.6 km²) Vaca-Pena grant remaining in the original owners’ hands. By 1880 most of the land grant was sold.
Historic sites of the Rancho
- Vaca-Pena Adobe. The Peña Adobe was erected in 1843. The Vaca adobe home was destroyed in the earthquake of 1892.