Rancho Las Flores 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
Tehama County, California
Tehama County ( ; Wintun for "high water") is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,829. The county seat and largest city is Red Bluff.
Tehama County comprises the ...
given in 1844 by Governor
Manuel Micheltorena to
William Chard
William George Chard (1812 - September 19, 1877) was a California pioneer.
Life
William George Chard was born in Columbia County, New York in 1812. He came to California via New Mexico with trappers Cyrus Alexander and Lemuel Carpenter, arrivin ...
. The name means "ranch of the flowers". The grant was on the west side of the
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–S ...
and was bounded by
Rancho Barranca Colorado and Coyote Creek on the north and by
Rancho Saucos and Elder Creek on the south, and encompassed present-day
Gerber and Proberta.
History
William George Chard (1812–1877) was born in
New York and came to California via
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
about 1832. Chard lived in Los Angeles for four years, before he moved to the
Monterey
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 bot ...
area. Chard married Maria Esteven Robles (1823-1871) in 1837. In 1843, Chard was a business partner of
Josiah Belden
Josiah Belden (May 4, 1815 – April 23, 1892), known in Spanish as Josías Belden, was a Californian politician and trader. He was born in Connecticut, eventually emigrating to Alta California (then part of Mexico). In California, he became a M ...
in Monterey. Chard was granted three square leagues and arrived in the area in the company of Albert G. Toomes (
Rancho Rio de los Molinos Rancho Rio de los Molinos was a Mexican land grant in present-day Tehama County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Albert Gallatin Toomes. "Rio de los Molinos" means "River of the Mills". The long narrow grant exten ...
), Robert Hasty Thomes (
Rancho Saucos) and Job Francis Dye (
Rancho Primer Cañon o Rio de Los Berrendos Rancho Primer Cañon o Rio de Los Berrendos was a Mexican land grant in present day Tehama County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Job Francis Dye. Rio de Los Berrendos means River of the Antelopes. The grant was on t ...
). Chard was superintendent of the
New Almaden
, settlement_type = Neighborhood of San Jose
, nickname =
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_flag =
, image_seal =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, image_map1 =
, mapsize1 =
, map_caption1 =
, pushpin_map = United States Sa ...
quicksilver mine south of
San Jose until 1846.
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, 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 the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Las Flores was filed with the
Public Land Commission in 1852, and 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 William George Chard in 1859.
Report of the Surveyor General 1844 - 1886
References
{{California history
Flores, Las
Las Flores
1844 establishments in Alta California