Juan Jose Castro, claimant for El Sobrante, eleven square leagues, granted April 23, 1841, by Juan B. Alvarado to J. J. Castro, claim filed March 9, 1852, confirmed by the commission July 3, 1855, and appeal dismissed April 6, 1857. Andres Pico et al., claimants for Mission San Jose 30,000 acres, granted May 5, 1846, by Pio Pico to Andres Pico and Juan B. Alvarado; claim filed March 22, 1852, confirmed by the commission December 18, 1855, and rejected by the district court, June 30, 1859. Jose Maria Amador, claimant for San Ramon four square leagues and 1,800 varas, granted August 17, 1835, by Jose Figueroa to J. M. Amador, claim filed March 23, 1852, confirmed by the commission. August 1, 1854, by the district court January 14, 1856, and appeal dismissed January 10, 1857. Patented March 18, 1865. Antonio Sunol et al., claimants for El Valle de San Jose, described by boundaries, granted April 10, 1839, by Juan B. Alvarado to Antonio Maria Pico et al., claim filed May 18, 1852, confirmed by the commission January 31, 1854, by the district court January 14, 1856, and decision of the United States supreme court as to the right of appeal in 20 Howard, 261; containing 48,435.92 acres. Patented March 15, 1865. Jose Joaquin Estudillo, claimant for San Leandro, one square league, granted October 16, 1842, by Juan B. Alvarado to Joaquin Estudillo; claim filed May 31, 1852, confirmed by the commission January 9, 1855, by the district court May 7, 1857, and by the United States supreme court; containing 6,829.58 acres. Patented July 15, 1863. Thomas Pacheco and Augustin Alviso, claimants for Potrero de los Ceritos, three square leagues, granted March 23, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to T. Pacheco and A. Alviso; claim filed May 31, 1852, confirmed by the commission February 14, 1854, by the district court October 29, 1855, and by the United States supreme court; containing 10,610.26 acres. Patented February 21, 1866. Antonio Maria Peralta, claimant for part of San Antonio, two square leagues, granted August 16, 1820, by Pablo V. de Sola to Luis Peralta; claim filed June 18, 1852, confirmed by the commission February 7, 1854, by the district court December 4, 1855, and appeal dismissed October 20, 1857. Patented February 3, 1858. Ygnacio Peralta, claimant for part of San Antonio, two square leagues, granted August 16, 1820, by Pablo V. de Sola to Luis Peralta; claim filed June 18, 1852, confirmed by the commission February 7, 1854, by the district court January 13, 1857, and appeal dismissed April 20, 1857. Patented February 10, 1877. Guillermo Castro, claimant Castro, claimant for part of for part of San Lorenzo, 600 varas square, granted February 23, 1841, by Juan B. Alvarado to G. Castro and for San Lorenzo, six square leagues, granted October 24, 1843, by Manuel Micheltorena to G. Castro; claim filed July 8, 1852, confirmed by the commission. February 14, 1853, by the district court July 6, 1855, and appeal dismissed January 16, 1858. Patented April 14, 1877. Barbara Soto et al., claimants for San Lorenzo, one and a half square leagues, granted October 10, 1842, by Manuel Micheltorena and January 20, 1844, by Juan B. Alvarado to Francisco Soto; claim filed January 22, 1853, confirmed by the commission April 24, 1855, by the district court April 23, 1857, and appeal dismissed April 29, 1857. Patented February 14, 1865. Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany, claimant for Mission San Jose, in Alameda county, founded under Carlos IV, June 11, 1797; claim filed February 19, 1853, confirmed by the commission December 18, 1855, appeal dismissed in Northern District, March 16, 1857, and in Southern District March 15, 1858; containing 28.33 acres. Patented March 3, 1858. Guillermo Castro, claimant for land granted January 14, 1840, by Juan B. Alvarado to G. Castro; claim filed March 2, 1853, rejected by the commission, May 15, 1855, and appeal dismissed for failure of prosecution March 9, 1857. Charles B. Strode, claimant for part of San Antonio, 5,000 acres, granted by P. V. de Sola and Luis Antonio Arguello to Luis Peralta; claim filed March 2, 1853. Discontinued. Charles B. Strode, claimant for part of San Antonio, 10,000 acres, granted by P. V. de Sola and Luis Antonio Arguello to Luis Peralta; claim filed March 2, 1853. Discontinued. NAME OF RANCH San Antonio San Antonio San Antonio San Leandro San Lorenzo San Lorenzo Valle de San Jose Area of private grants.. NAME OF CONFIRMEE Ygo. Peralta Y. and D. Peralta L. M. Peralta Andres Pico and Alvarado Yountz Administrator 196,036.95 275,963.05 472,000.00 CHAPTER III THE AMERICAN SETTLERS In the spring of 1826 Jedediah S. Smith, of New York, and a party of American hunters crossed the Rocky Mountain system to the Green River valley which they followed down to the Colorado river, thence took a westerly course, crossed the Sierra Nevada range and reached the Great Central valley of California near its lower extremity. During the winter of 1826-7 the party spent the time near Tulare lake and in the valleys of the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers, continuing until the summer of 1827. In May, 1827, Smith pitched camp in what is now Alameda county near the Mission San Jose to the surprise of Father Narcise Duran, who not knowing who they were and wishing to find out, made verbal inquiries with that object in view. He received the following reply in writing from Captain Smith. Reverend Father: I understand, through the medium of one of your Christian Indians, that you are anxious to know who we are, as some of the Indians have been at the mission and informed you that there were certain white people in the country. We are Americans on our journey to the River Columbia. We came in at the Mission San Gabriel in January last. I went to San Diego and saw the general, and got a passport from him to pass on to that place. I have made several efforts to cross the mountains, but the snows being so deep I could not succeed in getting over. I returned to this place (it being the only point to kill meat) to wait a few weeks till the snow melts so that I can go on. The Indians here also being friendly, I consider it the most safe point for me to remain until such time as I can cross the mountains with my horses, having lost a great many in attempting to cross ten or fifteen days since. I am a long ways from home, and am anxious to get there as soon as the nature of the case will admit. Our situation is quite unpleasant, being destitute of clothing and most of the necessaries of life, wild meat being our principal subsistence. I am, Reverend Father, your strange but real friend and Christian brother. J. S. SMITH. No doubt this courteous letter satisfied the father. In all probability the Smith party while in this portion of the state in the spring of 1827 explored the entire eastern coast line of the bay of San Francisco; and if so passed over the present site of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda and their suburbs. In 1850 a small flour mill was built at Niles and was the property of J. J. Vallejo; three years later he built a much larger and better one on the same site-both run by water power. In 1852 a small flour mill was built at the Mission San Jose by E. L. Beard and H. G. Ellsworth; it was likewise operated by water power. In 1853 J. M. Homer built a steam flour mill at Alvarado. Mr. Homer raised large quantities of wheat, barley and potatoes which at certain times brought almost fabulous prices and at others nothing at all. Mr. Homer's mill at Alvarado was afterward bought by Calvin J. Stevens and moved to Livermore. John Boyle in 1853, built at San Lorenzo the first blacksmith shop in the county; it was the start of the big agricultural works there. Later in the thirties and early in the forties the Americans further east began to arrive in California. Dr. John Marsh said that in 1846 California had 7,000 persons of Spanish descent, 10,000 civilized or domesticated Indians and about seven hundred Americans, 100 English, Irish and Scotch and about fifty French, Germans, Italians and others. In addition there were immense numbers of wild naked brute Indians. He further said that the far-famed missions no longer existed-had nearly all been broken up and apportioned into farms. In 1843 Julius Martin, Winston Bennett and Thomas J. Shodden-Americans from the East-crossed the mountains and settled in the Contra Costa region-Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara counties. In 1844 the Murphys located in Santa Clara valley. William M. Mendenhall, John M. Horner, Elaim Brown and others came to this region. A number of the Mormons who came with Samuel Brannan in July, 1846, to San Francisco on the bark, Brooklyn, crossed the bay and settled at Washington, a few miles from San Jose Mission, where they afterward erected a Mormon church. According to the statement of one of them, parties coming over from San Francisco to explore the Contra Costa region landed at the mouth of the Temescal creek, and first visited the house of Vicente Peralta, two or three miles inland, at whose hands they invariably had hospitable entertainment; then following the foothills they called on Antonio Peralta near Fruit Vale; thence on Ygnacio Peralta near San Leandro creek; from there they went to Estudillo's rancho on the south side of the creek, and thence to Guillermo Castro's on the present site of Haywards. The roads then lead to Amador's and Livermore's ranchos, eastward, and the Mission San Jose southward. San Antonio, now Brooklyn, and every other rancho had their embarcaderos on the bay shore, to which trading vessels used to send their boats for hides and tallow. With the discovery of the gold placers in 1848 Mission San Jose became an important trading center, where fortunes were rapidly made. Henry C. Smith, after a short visit to the mines opened a store at the mission, and made a great deal of money. A small town sprang up which was the nucleus of the first American settlement in Alameda county. There were no settlements beyond the ranchos. Oakland did not exist. Charles McLaughlin ran the stage from Oakland to San Jose in 1853-4. Duncan Cameron ran opposition to him, both lines passing through Alvarado and Centerville. Cameron used California bronchos for his stages and mudwagons; he tamed and subdued them to a certain extent, but they were always wild and largely unmanageable. When they started, after being held until hitched, it was almost like a Roman chariot race to see them going at full speed through mud and water. Often for hours at a time the bronchos and the stage loaded with passengers would be mired down and incapable of moving until pried out. There were such mud holes between Centerville and Alva |