Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita was a 48824 acres (197.6 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...

 mostly in present day Merced County, California

Merced County, California

Merced County , is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, north of Fresno and southeast of San Jose. As of the 2010 census, the population was 255,793, up from 210,554 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Merced...

 and also a small part in Fresno County, California

Fresno County, California

Fresno County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of the 2010 census, it is the tenth most populous county in California with a population of 930,450, and the sixth largest in size with an area of . The county...

 given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Francisco Maria Soberanes. Sanjon is Spanish for ditch or deep slough. The grant was west of the San Joaquin River

San Joaquin River

The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...

 and encompassed present day Santa Rita Park

Santa Rita Park, California

Santa Rita Park is an unincorporated community in Merced County, California. It is located east of Dos Palos Y, at an elevation of 118 feet .The Santa Rita Park post office opened in 1940 and moved in 1966....

 and Dos Palos Y

Dos Palos Y, California

Dos Palos Y is a census-designated place in Merced County, California. It is located east of Dos Palos, at an elevation of 112 feet . The population was 323 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

.

History

The Soberanes family partiarch, José Maria Soberanes (1753-1803) accompanied the Portola expedition

Portola 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 also 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 daughter, Maria Josefa Soberanes, was granted Rancho Los Coches

Rancho Los Coches (Soberanes)

Rancho Los Coches was a 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.-History:...

 in 1841. Feliciano's son, Francisco Maria Soberanes (1818-1887), was granted the eleven square league Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita in 1841. Francisco Soberanes married Ysabel Boronda, daughter of José Manuel Boronda, grantee of Rancho Los Laureles

Rancho Los Laureles

Rancho Los Laureles was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José M. Boronda and Vicente Blas Martínez. Los Laureles refers to the California Bay Laurel tree...

.

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 Sanjon de Santa Rita 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 Francisco Soberanes in 1862.

Francisco Soberanes sold nine square leagues to Manuel Castro in 1853, who sold two square leagues to Salisbury Haly in 1858. In 1866 Henry Miller

Henry Miller (rancher)

Henry Miller was a German-American rancher who at one point in the late 19th century was one of the largest land-owners in the United States.-Biography:...

purchased the entire rancho. The Lux & Miller headquarters was located on the rancho, near pesent day Santa Rita Park.