Joseph Ballinger Chiles (July 16, 1810 – June 25, 1885), 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 José B. Chiles, was a Californian ranchero, military officer, and entrepreneur. Born in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, Chiles served as a colonel in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

during the

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

, before eventually immigrating to Alta California, where he became a Mexican citizen and acquired multiple rancho grants in the

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

and Sacramento Valley.Napa Historical Society - Joseph Ballinger Chiles
/ref>

California

Widowed, he placed his children with relatives to join the Bartleson-Bidwell Party of 1841, the first

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

to enter Mexican Alta California over the Sierra Nevadas. He returned east in 1842 and subsequently led seven more wagon trains into California. At

Fort Hall Fort Hall was a fort in the western United States that was built in 1834 as a fur trading post by Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth. It was located on the Snake River in the eastern Oregon Country, now part of present-day Bannock County in southeastern Ida ...

he met Joseph Rutherford Walker whom he convinced to lead half the settlers with him traveling in wagons back to California down the

Humboldt River The Humboldt River is an extensive river drainage system located in north-central Nevada. It extends in a general east-to-west direction from its headwaters in the Jarbidge, Independence, and Ruby Mountains in Elko County, to its terminus in th ...

. Chiles led the rest in a pack train party up the

Malheur River The Malheur River (local pronunciation: "MAL-hyure") is a tributary of the Snake River in eastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a high desert area, between the Harney Basin and the Blue Mountains and the Snake. Despite the similari ...

and on south to California via the Pit and

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. Walker's party in 1843 also abandoned their wagons and finished getting to California by pack train. In 1844, Chiles received Mexican citizenship and was granted the Rancho Catacula in

. He operated a grist mill and a ferry across the

. In 1850, he also purchased part of the Rancho Laguna de Santos Calle. The area is the present day site of

Davis, California Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 66,850 in 2020, not including the on-campus population of the University of California, Davi ...

References

External links

DavisWiki.org: Joseph B. Chiles
California pioneers Land owners from California 1810 births 1885 deaths American emigrants to Mexico Naturalized citizens of Mexican California People of the California Gold Rush People from Davis, California History of Yolo County, California 19th-century American businesspeople {{California-stub

California

See also

References

External links