Rancho Napa was a 22718 acres (91.9 km²) Mexican land grant

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 Napa County, California

Napa County, California

Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa....

 given in 1838 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Salvador Vallejo. The grant extends along the Napa Valley, north of present day Napa

Napa, California

-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...

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History

Jose Manuel Salvador Vallejo (1813 - 1876) was the younger brother of General Mariano Guadalupe 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...

. He was Captain of militia at Sonoma

Sonoma, California

Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...

 and married Maria de la Cruz Carrillo. In 1839 Governor Alvarado granted to Salvador Vallejo an additional grant known as Salvador's Ranch.

Unlike most Mexican land grants in California that remained intact at the end of the Mexican era, Rancho Napa was subdivided. Salvador Vallejo subdivided and sold much of the land in 1847 (during the Mexican-American War and before the transfer of California to the United States), retaining 3179 acres (12.9 km²) for himself. There were claims 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 for 26 tracts (Land Cases 66 ND, 67 ND, 71 ND, 76 ND, 78 ND, 79 ND, 109 ND, 110 ND, 111 ND, 112 ND, 114 ND, 116 ND, 117 ND, 118 ND, 120 ND, 122 ND, 123 ND, 139 ND, 141 ND, 146 ND, 149 ND, 169 ND, 225 ND, 261 ND, 313 ND, and 393 ND) of Rancho Napa and 4 tracts (Land Cases 212 ND, 241 ND, 249 ND, and 249 ND) of Salvador's Rancho.

In 1863 Salvador Vallejo was a Major in the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

, and after the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, he resigned and returned to his ranch in Napa in 1865, and died in 1876.