![Carlos_Maria_Weber](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Carlos_Maria_Weber.jpg)
Rancho Campo de los Franceses was a
Mexican land grant
The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...
in present-day
San Joaquin County, California
San Joaquin County (; Spanish: ''San Joaquín'', meaning " St. Joachim"), officially the County of San Joaquin, is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 779,233. The county seat is Stockton.
San Jo ...
given in 1844 by Governor
Manuel Micheltorena
Joseph Manuel María Joaquin Micheltorena y Llano (8 June 1804 – 7 September 1853) was a brigadier general of the Mexican Army, adjutant-general of the same, governor, commandant-general and inspector of the department of Las Californias, then ...
to Guillermo Gulnac. "Campo de los Franceses” which in English means “French Camp” refers to French-Canadian fur trappers who wintered there. The grant included present-day
French Camp and
Stockton.
History
Carlos Maria Weber (1814-1881), born Karl David Weber in
Steinwenden
Steinwenden is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country ...
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, immigrated to America in 1836. After spending time in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, he came overland from
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
to California with the
Bartleson-Bidwell Party in 1841. Shortly after his arrival, Karl began calling himself Charles. Weber went to work for
John Sutter
John Augustus Sutter (February 23, 1803 – June 18, 1880), born Johann August Sutter and known in Spanish as Don Juan Sutter, was a Swiss immigrant of Mexican and American citizenship, known for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area th ...
, who vouched for "Carlos Maria Weber" to the Mexican authorities. In 1842, Weber settled in the
Pueblo of San José
San Jose, California, is the third largest city in the state, and the largest of all cities in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, with a population of 1,021,795.
Site chosen by Anza
For thousands of years before the arrival of E ...
and became a business partner of Guillermo (William) Gulnac. William Gulnac (1801-1851), born in
Hudson, New York
Hudson is a city and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. Located on the east side of the Hudson River and 120 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named for the rive ...
, was a blacksmith and fur trapper who came to the Pueblo of San José in 1833. He married Maria Ceseña, sister of Liberata Ceseña, the patentee of
Rancho Laguna Seca
Rancho Laguna Seca was a Mexican land grant in present-day Monterey County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Catalina M. Munrás. "Laguna Seca" means "Dry Lake" in Spanish, referring to the seasonal lake, Laguna Seca. The ...
, and became a naturalized Mexican citizen. He was elected regidor in 1839. Weber and Gulnac operated several businesses. They set up a corn-mill, ran a bakery and a smithy, mined for salt, made shoes and soap, and kept cattle and horses.
Gulnac, a Mexican citizen, petitioned Governor Micheltorena for a tract of land eleven leagues in extent, for the benefit of himself and eleven other families who were to assist him in forming a settlement. The governor ordered that the petitioner to say whether the grant was asked for a colony, and that if so the names of the families should be stated in the title; but if he desired it for himself individually, that he should ask for it within reasonable limits. The grant states that is for the benefit of Gulnac and his family and that of eleven other families; but their names are not mentioned. It may be presumed that the Governor finally determined to grant the land to Gulnac alone, leaving him to make such arrangements with the families who were to settle upon the land as he might see fit.
Gulnac and Weber dissolved their partnership in 1843. Gulnac's attempts to settle the Rancho Campo de los Franceses failed, and he sold the land to Weber in 1845. In 1846, Weber induced a number of settlers to locate on the rancho, when the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
broke out. Weber was first considered a
Californio
Californio (plural Californios) is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish-speaking community has resided there sinc ...
and then an American. He was offered a captaincy by Mexican General
José Castro
José Antonio Castro (1808 – February 1860) was a Californio politician, statesman, and general who served as interim Governor of Alta California and later Governor of Baja California. During the Bear Flag Revolt and the American Conquest of ...
, which he declined. He later became a captain in the cavalry of the United States. Captain Weber's decision to change sides lost him a great deal of the trust he had built up among his Mexican business partners. As a result, he sold his business in 1849.
Weber moved to the grant in 1847, and laid out a town, which he named Tuleburg in 1849. Soon afterward he renamed it Stockton, in honour of Commodore
Robert F. Stockton
Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-p ...
. As the head of navigation on the
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River (; es, Río San Joaquín) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suis ...
, the city grew rapidly as a miners’ supply point 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 ...
. Weber himself set off for the gold fields, and worked there as a gold prospector and a merchant.
Returning from the gold mines in 1850, Weber married Helen Murphy (1822–1895), daughter of Martin Murphy, owner of
Rancho Ojo del Agua de la Coche
Rancho Ojo de Agua de la Coche was a Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Clara County, California given in 1835 by Governor José Figueroa to Juan María Hernandez. The name means "pig's spring". The grant extended south from Rancho Lagu ...
. Helen and Carlos moved to what is still Weber Point in Stockton and had three children: Charles Martin Weber (1851–1912), Julia Helen Weber (1853–1935) and Thomas Jefferson Weber (1855–1892). Capt. Weber's brother, Adolf Weber (1825-1906), came from Germany to California in 1853 in search of his brother and settled in San Francisco, where he worked as a chemist at the State Mint and ultimately founded Humboldt Savings and Loan (1869).
With the
cession
The act of cession is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty. Ballentine's Law Dictionary defines cession as "a surrender; a giving up; a relinquishment of jurisdictio ...
of California to the United States following the
Mexican-American War
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexicans, Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% ...
, the 1848
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( es, Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo), officially the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is the peace treaty that was signed on 2 ...
provided that land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, Weber filed a claim with the
Public Land Commission
The California Land Act of 1851 (), enacted following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the admission of California as a state in 1850, established a three-member Public Land Commission to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican la ...
in 1852 and the grant was confirmed by the Commission in 1855 and the US District Court in 1857. His opponents appealed the decision to the
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
, but the grant was
patented
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
to Carlos Weber in 1861.
A claim was filed by Agustin Jouan, an agent of
Joseph Yves Limantour
Joseph Yves Limantour (1812 – 1885) was a French merchant who engaged in the California sea trade during the years preceding American occupation of that Mexican province in 1846. He was also known in California as José Limantour.
Life
Liman ...
, and 12 families with the Land Commission in 1853, but was rejected by the Commission in 1855. A claim was filed by Justo Larios et al. with the Land Commission in 1853 and rejected by the Commission in 1855.
Historic sites
*First building in present City of Stockton. In August 1844, Thomas Lindsay, one of the first settlers at Rancho del Campo de los Franceses, built the first dwelling on this site.
*French Camp. The terminus of the Oregon-California trail used by French-Canadian trappers employed by the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
from about 1832 to 1845.
Michel Laframboise
Michel Laframboise (May 11, 1793 – January 25, 1865) was a French Canadian fur trader in the Oregon Country who settled on the French Prairie in the modern U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Quebec, he worked for the Pacific Fur Company, the ...
, among others, met fur hunters here annually, where they camped with their families.
*Weber Point. Site of a two-story adobe-and-redwood house built in 1850 by Charles M. Weber, founder and pioneer developer of Stockton. it remained Captain Weber's home until his death in 1881.
Weber Point California Historical Landmark No. 165
/ref>
References
{{coord , 38.020, -121.230, region:US-CA, display=title
Campo de los Franceses
Ranchos of San Joaquin County, California
San Joaquin Valley