Rancho San Bernardo 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 Diego County, California with two square leagues given in 1842 by Governor

Juan B. Alvarado Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo (February 14, 1809 – July 13, 1882) was a Californio politician that served as Governor of Alta California from 1837-42. Prior to his term as governor, Alvarado briefly led a movement for independen ...

and an additional two square leagues given in 1845 by Governor

Pío Pico Don Pío de Jesús Pico (May 5, 1801 – September 11, 1894) was a Californio politician, ranchero, and entrepreneur, famous for serving as the last governor of California (present-day U.S. state of California) under Mexican rule. A member of ...

to José Francisco Snook. The grant was between present-day Escondido and

Poway Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. The unincorporated community became a city on December 1, 1980. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city has a population of 49,701 as of 2 ...

, and encompassed present-day

Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo is a master-planned community in the northern hills of the city of San Diego, California. Geography The topography of Rancho Bernardo consists of canyons and rolling hills that have large bedrock outcroppings. The major floral bio ...

, 4S Ranch, the

San Pasqual Valley San Pasqual Valley, historically spelt as San Pascual (Spanish for " Saint Paschal"), is the northernmost community of the city of San Diego. It is named for the Kumeyaay village of San Pasqual that was once located there. It is bordered on the ...

, and

Lake Hodges Lake Hodges is a lake and reservoir located within the city limits of San Diego, California. It is about north of Downtown San Diego, just north of the Rancho Bernardo community, and just south of the city's border with Escondido. When full, th ...

History

Joseph Snook (1798–1848), an Englishman, had been since 1824 a mariner along the Mexican coast, in the employ of Virmond, as master of the English brig Avacucho and later of the Mexican brig Catalina. In 1833, he became a Mexican citizen, and changed his name to Jose Francisco Snook. In 1837, Snook married Maria Antonia Alvarado (1811–), daughter of Juan Bautista Alvarado, grantee of

Rancho Rincon del Diablo Rancho Rincon del Diablo was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Diego County, California given in 1843 to Juan Bautista Alvarado. The name means "the devil's corner" or "the devil's lurking place". The rancho lands include the present day ...

, which formed the north boundary of Rancho San Bernardo. In 1838, Snook and his wife took over an portion (known as the “Inverness Pocket”) of Berry’s Rancho Punta de los Reyes grant near

Tomales Bay Tomales Bay is a long, narrow inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County in northern California in the United States. It is approximately long and averages nearly wide, effectively separating the Point Reyes Peninsula from the mainland of Mar ...

, and eventually gained title to it from Governor Alvarado. In 1839, Snook sold this land to Antonio Osio, and they returned to San Diego County. By 1842, Snook had received the two square league Rancho San Bernardo land grant from Governor Alvarado. In 1845 Snook convinced Governor Pico to add two square leagues. While Snook was away at sea, the rancho became the site of the 1846

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 ...

Battle of San Pasqual. Snook died in 1848 and his widow married Henry Clayton, who came to San Diego with the Mexican boundary survey. 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 San Bernardo 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 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 María Antonia Alvarado de Snook in 1874. Report of the Surveyor General 1844 - 1886
In 1867, Snook's heirs sold Rancho San Bernardo to Thomas Fox acting for James McCoy, sheriff and state senator in 1868. McCoy had come to San Diego in 1850 as a soldier, and become one of the most influential citizens of the early American days. McCoy sold to Charles Wetmore, Sylvester Lyman and Omar Oaks. In 1886, Charles Snook of England sued Wetmore, Lyman and Oaks to recover a 2/9 interest in Rancho San Bernardo.

References

{{California history San Bernardo (Snook) San Bernardo (Snook) 1842 establishments in Alta California

History

See also

References