Edward Turner Bale (1810 – October 9, 1849), later known by his

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

name Don Eduardo A. Bale, was a British-born Californian physician, entrepreneur, and ranchero. He is known for having built the Bale Grist Mill in

Napa County, California Napa County () is a county north of San Pablo Bay located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,019. The county seat is the City of Napa. Napa County was one of the original co ...

Life

Bale arrived from England in

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...

in 1837 on the ''H.M.S. Harriet'', having served as the ship's surgeon. He soon became Surgeon-In-Chief of the Mexican Army under General Mariano Vallejo, and on March 21, 1839, married Vallejo's niece Maria Ignacia Soberanes. After becoming a citizen of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in March 1841, in June, Bale was granted the

Rancho Carne Humana Rancho Carne Humana was a Mexican land grant in present-day Napa County, California, given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Edward Turner Bale. The name means "human flesh" in Spanish. There is speculation as to why the name was chosen. The ...

, which comprised the land between what is now Rutherford and Calistoga, California. Construction of the Bale Grist Mill located between

St. Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constit ...

and Calistoga was completed in 1846, the same year the Bear Flag Revolt claimed independence from Mexico. Bale's connection to the Bear Flag Party is uncertain, but there is evidence that they met at his mill before the capture of Sonoma. Several of Bale's acquaintances were members of the Bear Flag Party.http://www.calarchives4u.com/history/history-napa.htm Napa History During the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

, Bale tried his hand at mining, and eventually caught a fever from which he never recovered. He died on October 9, 1849.

Legacy

On December 26, 1860, his daughter Carolina married winemaker

Charles Krug Charles Krug (1825–1892) was among the pioneers of winemaking in the Napa Valley, California, and was the founder of the Charles Krug Winery. Biography Charles Krug visited the United States from Prussia in 1847, and became a citizen in 1852. I ...

. Bale's wife made sure the daughter was protected in a prenuptial that allowed for her to keep of land north of

St. Helena, California St. Helena ( ; Wappo language, Wappo: ''Anakotanoma'') is a city in Napa County, California, Napa County, in the Wine Country of California. Located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the ...

, on which Krug planted a vineyard. Bale, California is named for him.

References

Napa County Chronology
based on information from the book ''From Golden Fields to Purple Harvest''

* Dean Albertson, 1949, ''Dr. Edward Turner Bale, Incorrigible Californio'', California Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Sep., 1949), pp. 259–269 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bale, Edward Turner 19th-century English medical doctors People of the Conquest of California Mexican people of the Mexican–American War American people of the Mexican–American War 1810 births 1849 deaths American emigrants to Mexico English emigrants to the United States Naturalized citizens of Mexican California People from Napa County, California History of Napa County, California