Rancho Sanel
Encyclopedia
Rancho Sanel was a 17754 acres (71.8 km²) Mexican land grant
in present day Mendocino County, California
given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
to Fernando Feliz (or Felix). The grant extended along the Russian River
and encompassed present day Hopland
. It is named after a village of the Pomo people
near Hopland; the name means sweat-house in the Pomo language. Neither Spanish nor Mexican influence extended into Mendocino County beyond establishing two ranchos in southern Mendocino County: Rancho Sanel at Hopland in 1844 and Rancho Yokaya
in the Ukiah Valley
in 1845.
- November, 12 1859, Hopland, California
), who was a regidor (town councilman) at the Pueblo of San José in 1831, was the grantee of Rancho Novato
in 1839. When Feliz received the Rancho Sanel grant, he sold Rancho Novato, and brought his cattle to Rancho Sanel and erected an adobe house just south of the present town of Hopland. His family was located there before 1853, and in 1854 Luis Peña and others joined him.
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 Sanel was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
to Fernando Feliz in 1860.
Feliz' legal adviser,John Knight, received the northern most one square league of the grant for his services. This latter tract took the name of Knight's Valley. Elijah Dooley (b.1833) was among the first to purchase land from the Sanel grant, and bought 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) in 1858. Henry Harper Willard (1828 - 1888) born in New York, came to California in 1847 with Jonathan D. Stevenson
's 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers
. Willard and his wife, Mary Maxima, and Joseph Knox and his wife, Maria, settled in the Sanel Valley in 1856. Maxima and Maria were daughters of the indian chief Camilo Ynitia. In 1859, Willard, Knox and Conner found Hopland. By 1884, Willard owned 1800 acres (7.3 km²). Willard died in 1888, and Mary Maxima married Armstrong McCabe in 1891. Elijah Hall Duncan (b.1824) purchased acreage from the rancho in 1858, and in 1879 purchased another 460 acres (1.9 km²). Feliz died in 1859. Feliz sold land at low prices and advantageous terms to settlers, and his descendants had nothing left of the rancho but a town lot in East Hopland.
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 Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
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 Fernando Feliz (or Felix). The grant extended along the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...
and encompassed present day Hopland
Hopland, California
Hopland is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located on the west bank of the Russian River south-southeast of Ukiah, at an elevation of 502 feet . The population was 756 at the 2010 census....
. It is named after a village of the Pomo people
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
near Hopland; the name means sweat-house in the Pomo language. Neither Spanish nor Mexican influence extended into Mendocino County beyond establishing two ranchos in southern Mendocino County: Rancho Sanel at Hopland in 1844 and Rancho Yokaya
Rancho Yokaya
Rancho Yokaya was a Mexican land grant in present day Mendocino County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Cayetano Juarez. The name Yokaya means "south valley" in the language of the Pomo people...
in the Ukiah Valley
Ukiah Valley, California
Ukiah Valley is a valley located in Mendocino County, California, United States. It contains the Mendocino County seat of Ukiah. It also is home to the unincorporated towns of Redwood Valley, Calpella, Potter Valley and Talmage...
in 1845.
History
Fernando De La Trinidad Feliz (May 30, 1795 Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos 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...
- November, 12 1859, Hopland, California
Hopland, California
Hopland is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located on the west bank of the Russian River south-southeast of Ukiah, at an elevation of 502 feet . The population was 756 at the 2010 census....
), who was a regidor (town councilman) at the Pueblo of San José in 1831, was the grantee of Rancho Novato
Rancho Novato
Rancho Novato was a Mexican land grant in present day Marin County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Fernando Feliz...
in 1839. When Feliz received the Rancho Sanel grant, he sold Rancho Novato, and brought his cattle to Rancho Sanel and erected an adobe house just south of the present town of Hopland. His family was located there before 1853, and in 1854 Luis Peña and others joined him.
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 Sanel 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 Fernando Feliz in 1860.
Feliz' legal adviser,John Knight, received the northern most one square league of the grant for his services. This latter tract took the name of Knight's Valley. Elijah Dooley (b.1833) was among the first to purchase land from the Sanel grant, and bought 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) in 1858. Henry Harper Willard (1828 - 1888) born in New York, came to California in 1847 with 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
1st Regiment of New York Volunteers
1st Regiment of New York Volunteers, for service in California and during the war with Mexico, was raised in 1846 during the Mexican American War by Jonathan D. Stevenson. Accepted by the United States Army on August 1846 the 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers was transported around Cape Horn to...
. Willard and his wife, Mary Maxima, and Joseph Knox and his wife, Maria, settled in the Sanel Valley in 1856. Maxima and Maria were daughters of the indian chief Camilo Ynitia. In 1859, Willard, Knox and Conner found Hopland. By 1884, Willard owned 1800 acres (7.3 km²). Willard died in 1888, and Mary Maxima married Armstrong McCabe in 1891. Elijah Hall Duncan (b.1824) purchased acreage from the rancho in 1858, and in 1879 purchased another 460 acres (1.9 km²). Feliz died in 1859. Feliz sold land at low prices and advantageous terms to settlers, and his descendants had nothing left of the rancho but a town lot in East Hopland.