Rancho Rio de los Americanos
Encyclopedia
Rancho Rio de los Americanos was a 35521 acres (143.7 km²) Mexican land grant
in present-day Sacramento County, California
given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to William Leidesdorff
(1810–1848). The grant takes its name from Río de los Americanos, the name of the American River
during the Mexican-rule era. The grant originally consisted of 8 square leagues and extended from the eastern border of John Sutter
's New Helvetia (east of Sacramento
) 4 leagues along the south bank of the American River, to the eastern end of present day Folsom
, and included present-day cities of Rancho Cordova
and Folsom.
on the site at today's River Bend Park, near Bradshaw Road and Folsom Blvd, in the city of Rancho Cordova
. Leidesdorff died suddenly three years later, on May 18, 1848, at the age of 38, unmarried and with no other family in California, intestate but leaving a large estate of property at the dawn of the California Gold Rush.
His death came twelve days before the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
and the cession
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War. Leidesdorff's vast estate passed to his mother, Anna Marie Spark, and surviving siblings, who resided in and were citizens of St. Croix, Danish West Indies
, today's U.S. Virgin Islands.
Captain Joseph Libbey Folsom
(1817–1855), a graduate of West Point
had come to California in 1847 as Captain and Assistant Quartermaster of Jonathan D. Stevenson
's 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers. He was the first Collector of the Port of San Francisco
under American rule in 1848. Folsom was familiar with Leidesdorff's vast holdings and his family in St. Croix. In 1849, Folsom took leave from the U.S. Army, and after stopping in New York
to arrange financing, went to St. Croix, where he located some of Leidesdorff's relatives, including his mother. Anna Spark signed a note authorizing Folsom to purchase the title to her son's estate, including Leidesdorff's extensive real estate holdings in San Francisco as well as Rancho Rio de los Americanos, for $75,000, with a $5,000 down payment and the remainder in two installments. When Spark realized the true value of the estate, she refused to accept further payment or to give title to Folsom. Folsom hired the law firm of Halleck, Peachy & Billings
to force Spark to accept the final payments. The State of California Senate in 1854 made an attempt to control the estate, contending that since Spark was not an American citizen, among other legal questions, that she could not inherit property in California, and hence could not transfer it to Folsom. In 1855, the California Supreme Court ruled that Spark could inherit the properties; and therefore, the title legally passed to Folsom.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, Folsom filed a claim for the grant with the Public Land Commission
in 1852. The claim was confirmed by the Commission in 1855 and the District Court in 1857. Although clear title was tied up in court, Folsom continued to develop the grant. In 1854, Folsom began to sell parcels of the Rancho. He renamed the former Negro Bar townsite near the river Granite City, and had lots surveyed and sold. When Folsom died suddenly at the age of 38, in 1855, one month after the Commission confirmed his title to the grant, the town was renamed Folsom.
Folsom's estate was handled by his executors, Halleck, Peachy & Billings
. A survey of the grant, known as the Hays survey, was completed and approved by the Surveyor General of California. Folsom had been dead three years, when in 1858 the Department of Interior
disapproved the survey. Jacob Thompson
, the Secretary of the Interior
, determined that the survey did not conform to either the description of the land granted by the Mexican government, the land as shown on the Diseño, or to the decree of the Court. The District Court ordered a new survey, known as the Mandeville survey; but in 1852, it reversed itself and approved the original Hays survey. However, the United States appealed this ruling to the United States Supreme Court.
In 1857 the Natoma Water and Mining Company, founded in 1851 and engaged in granite
quarry
ing, agriculture, gold mining
and hydro-electric power, purchased 5000 acres (20.2 km²) from the Folsom estate. Amos Parmalee Catlin appeared as counsel for the Natoma Water and Mining Company. The US Supreme Court ruled the Hays survey valid, and the grant was patented
to Joseph L. Folsom in 1864. In 1862, Horatio G. Livermore acquired the Natoma Water and Mining Company and 9000 acres (36.4 km²) of Rancho Rio de los Americanos.
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 Sacramento County, California
Sacramento County, California
Sacramento County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Sacramento, which is also the state capital. As of 2010 the county had a population of 1,418,788....
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 William Leidesdorff
William Leidesdorff
William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. was one of the earliest mixed-race U.S. citizens in California and a highly successful, enterprising businessman. He was a West Indian immigrant of African Cuban, possibly Carib, Danish and Jewish ancestry. William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. became a United...
(1810–1848). The grant takes its name from Río de los Americanos, the name of the American River
American River
The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
during the Mexican-rule era. The grant originally consisted of 8 square leagues and extended from the eastern border of 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...
's New Helvetia (east of Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
) 4 leagues along the south bank of the American River, to the eastern end of present day Folsom
Folsom, California
Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Folsom is most commonly known for its famous Folsom Prison. The population was 72,203 at the 2010 census....
, and included present-day cities of Rancho Cordova
Rancho Cordova, California
Rancho Cordova is a city in Sacramento County, California, USA, that incorporated in 2003. It is part of the Sacramento Metropolitan Area. The population was 64,776 at the 2010 census. Rancho Cordova is the Sacramento area's largest employment sub-center, with a daily influx of over 45,000...
and Folsom.
History
William Alexander Leidesdorff, U.S. Vice Consul at the Port of San Francisco, hired a farm manager and financed construction of four adobe dwellingsAdobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
on the site at today's River Bend Park, near Bradshaw Road and Folsom Blvd, in the city of Rancho Cordova
Rancho Cordova, California
Rancho Cordova is a city in Sacramento County, California, USA, that incorporated in 2003. It is part of the Sacramento Metropolitan Area. The population was 64,776 at the 2010 census. Rancho Cordova is the Sacramento area's largest employment sub-center, with a daily influx of over 45,000...
. Leidesdorff died suddenly three years later, on May 18, 1848, at the age of 38, unmarried and with no other family in California, intestate but leaving a large estate of property at the dawn of the California Gold Rush.
His death came twelve days before the signing of the 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...
and 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. Leidesdorff's vast estate passed to his mother, Anna Marie Spark, and surviving siblings, who resided in and were citizens of St. Croix, Danish West Indies
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly the Danish West Indies, they were sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of...
, today's U.S. Virgin Islands.
Captain Joseph Libbey Folsom
Joseph Libbey Folsom
Joseph Libbey Folsom was a U.S. Army officer and real estate investor in the early days of California's statehood. He is the founder of what is now Folsom, California...
(1817–1855), a graduate of West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
had come to California in 1847 as Captain and Assistant Quartermaster of Jonathan D. Stevenson
Jonathan D. Stevenson
Jonathan Drake Stevenson was born in New York; won a seat in the New York State Assembly ; was the commanding officer of the First Regiment of New York Volunteers during the Mexican-American War in California; entered California mining and real estate businesses; and died in San Francisco on...
's 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers. He was the first Collector of the Port of San Francisco
Port of San Francisco
The Port of San Francisco lies on the western edge of the San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate. It has been called one of the three great natural harbors in the world, but it took two long centuries for navigators from Spain and England to find the anchorage originally called Yerba Buena...
under American rule in 1848. Folsom was familiar with Leidesdorff's vast holdings and his family in St. Croix. In 1849, Folsom took leave from the U.S. Army, and after stopping in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to arrange financing, went to St. Croix, where he located some of Leidesdorff's relatives, including his mother. Anna Spark signed a note authorizing Folsom to purchase the title to her son's estate, including Leidesdorff's extensive real estate holdings in San Francisco as well as Rancho Rio de los Americanos, for $75,000, with a $5,000 down payment and the remainder in two installments. When Spark realized the true value of the estate, she refused to accept further payment or to give title to Folsom. Folsom hired the law firm of Halleck, Peachy & Billings
Halleck, Peachy & Billings
Halleck, Peachy & Billings was one of the leading early law firms in San Francisco, California and specialized in land cases. The firm was organized by Frederick H. Billings and Archibald Carey Peachy in 1849, who were joined soon after by Henry Wager Halleck. Halleck, Peachy & Billings was...
to force Spark to accept the final payments. The State of California Senate in 1854 made an attempt to control the estate, contending that since Spark was not an American citizen, among other legal questions, that she could not inherit property in California, and hence could not transfer it to Folsom. In 1855, the California Supreme Court ruled that Spark could inherit the properties; and therefore, the title legally passed to Folsom.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, Folsom filed a claim for the grant 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. The claim was confirmed by the Commission in 1855 and the District Court in 1857. Although clear title was tied up in court, Folsom continued to develop the grant. In 1854, Folsom began to sell parcels of the Rancho. He renamed the former Negro Bar townsite near the river Granite City, and had lots surveyed and sold. When Folsom died suddenly at the age of 38, in 1855, one month after the Commission confirmed his title to the grant, the town was renamed Folsom.
Folsom's estate was handled by his executors, Halleck, Peachy & Billings
Halleck, Peachy & Billings
Halleck, Peachy & Billings was one of the leading early law firms in San Francisco, California and specialized in land cases. The firm was organized by Frederick H. Billings and Archibald Carey Peachy in 1849, who were joined soon after by Henry Wager Halleck. Halleck, Peachy & Billings was...
. A survey of the grant, known as the Hays survey, was completed and approved by the Surveyor General of California. Folsom had been dead three years, when in 1858 the Department of Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
disapproved the survey. Jacob Thompson
Jacob Thompson
Jacob Thompson was a lawyer and politician who served as United States Secretary of the Interior from 1857 to 1861.-Biography:...
, the Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
, determined that the survey did not conform to either the description of the land granted by the Mexican government, the land as shown on the Diseño, or to the decree of the Court. The District Court ordered a new survey, known as the Mandeville survey; but in 1852, it reversed itself and approved the original Hays survey. However, the United States appealed this ruling to the United States Supreme Court.
In 1857 the Natoma Water and Mining Company, founded in 1851 and engaged in granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing, agriculture, gold mining
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
and hydro-electric power, purchased 5000 acres (20.2 km²) from the Folsom estate. Amos Parmalee Catlin appeared as counsel for the Natoma Water and Mining Company. The US Supreme Court ruled the Hays survey valid, 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 Joseph L. Folsom in 1864. In 1862, Horatio G. Livermore acquired the Natoma Water and Mining Company and 9000 acres (36.4 km²) of Rancho Rio de los Americanos.