Rancho Las Positas 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

Alameda County, California Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. Al ...

given in 1839 by governor Juan Alvarado to

Robert Livermore Robert Thomas Livermore, also known as Don Roberto Livermore, (c. 3 November 1799 – 14 February 1858) was an English-born Californian ranchero. He emigrated to Alta California in 1822, eventually becoming a Mexican citizen and a prominent lando ...

and

José Noriega Don José Noriega (March 19, 1796 - May 30, 1869) was a Spanish-born Californio ranchero and politician. He served as Alcalde of San José (mayor) and was a prominent landowner in the Bay Area. Biography Noriega was born on 19 March 1796 in ...

. Las Positas means "little watering holes" in Spanish. The rancho included the present-day city of Livermore.

History

In 1834 Livermore and his business partner José Noriega were keeping livestock at Rancho Las Positas, where they also built an adobe. Livermore and his wife Josefa Higuera Molina, first settled in the

Sunol Valley Sunol Valley ( es, Valle de Suñol) is located in Alameda County, California, United States. The small town of Sunol lies in the valley. It is largely rural, but is in proximity to the highly populated Bay Area suburbs of Fremont, Pleasanton, a ...

, but later moved to Rancho Las Positas, as Livermore was making regular trips there to manage his rancho. Initially an adobe structure built by Livermore and Amador served as their house on the rancho. 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 the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Las Positas was filed 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 patented to Livermore and Noriega in 1872. In 1847 José Noriega and Robert Livermore also purchased

Rancho Canada de los Vaqueros Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California **List of California Ranchos *Ranchos, Buenos Ai ...

to the north of Rancho Las Positas. In 1854, Livermore and Noriega came to an agreement to separate their properties. Livermore purchased Noriega's half of Rancho Las Positas and sold his half of Rancho Canada de los Vaqueros to Noreiga. But Livermore had already conveyed all his interest in Rancho Canada de los Vaqueros to his wife and children in 1852, of which fact Noriega was ignorant; so that the deed from Livermore to Noriega in fact conveyed nothing, inasmuch as Livermore had then no title to convey. This was the beginning of several lawsuits. When Livermore died in 1858, before the establishment of the town that bears his name, he left behind Josefa and eight children.

Historic sites of the Rancho

The first building on the ranch was an adobe on Las Positas Creek, and in 1849 a two-story house was added; it was the first wooden building in the valley.

References

{{Alameda County, California Positas, Las Las Positas Livermore Valley Diablo Range El Camino Viejo Las Positas

History

Historic sites of the Rancho

See also

References