Rancho San Lorenzo (Randall)
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Rancho San Lorenzo was a
Mexican land grant In Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California, ranchos were concessions and land grants made by the Spanish and Mexican governments from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an indu ...
in present-day
Monterey County, California Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county (United States), county located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 439,035. The count ...
given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Francisco Rico. The grant extended along San Lorenzo Creek in Peach Tree Valley.


History


Francisco Ygnicio Rico

Francisco Rico (1826–) was born Mexico and came to
Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...
with his father, Vicente Rico, in 1831. Francisco Rico, was the grantee of Rancho San Lorenzo in 1842, and Rancho Del Rio Estanislao in 1843. In 1845 he was appointed by the Mexican Government second officer of the port of Monterey, under
Pablo de la Guerra Pablo de la Guerra (29 November 1819 – 5 February 1874) was a Californio politician, judge, and signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He served several terms in the California State Senate between 1849 and 1862, and as acting lieu ...
, and held the captaincy of a company of the Monterey cavalry. Rico was active with
José María Flores General José María Flores (1818–1866) was a captain in the Mexican Army and was a member of ''la otra banda''. He was appointed Governor and ''Comandante General'' ''pro tem'' of Alta California from November 1846 to January 1847, and defen ...
on the Mexican side in the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
. He was the leader of the escort of the captured Thomas O. Larkin. Flores dispatched Rico to retake
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, but he was recalled back to Los Angeles. Rico and
José Antonio Carrillo Captain José Antonio Ezequiel Carrillo (1796–1862) was a Californio politician, ranchero, and signer of the California Constitution in 1849. He served three terms as Alcalde of Los Angeles (mayor). History A member of the prominent Carrillo ...
revolted against Flores. Flores was placed under arrest, but quickly was restored to power. Rico and Carrillo were jailed for the revolt, but released shortly afterwards. Rico married Tomasa Sepulveda (–1870) in 1847. After the Mexican–American War, Rico was extensively engaged in the cattle business in Monterey County. In 1849, he turned his attention to gold mining and merchandising, in partnership with Thomas O. Larkin. In 1855, Francisco Rico bought all of
Rancho San Bernardo San Bernardo (also, Rancho San Bernardo) is a village in Chihuahua, Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the ...
. The droughts of 1863 and 1864 resulted in heavy losses of stock, which finally proved a financial calamity to him.


Andrew Randall

Andrew Randall (1819–1856), a native of Rhode Island, came to California in 1849 as the newly appointed customs inspector for Monterey. Randall was an entrepreneur with training as a geologist. He founded, and was elected chairman of the
California Academy of Sciences The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, that is among the largest List of natural history museums, museums of natural history in the world, housing over ...
. In addition to Rancho San Lorenzo he was the claimant for
Rancho Cañada de la Segunda 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 ...
in Monterey County; and
Rancho Punta de los Reyes Rancho Punta de los Reyes was a Mexican land grant in present day Marin County, California, given in 1836 by Governor Nicolás Gutiérrez to James Richard Berry. The grant was east of Rancho Las Baulines and south of Rancho Tomales y Baulines. ...
and Rancho Punta de los Reyes Sobrante in
Marin County Marin County ( ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is ac ...
; and Rancho Aguas Frias in Butte County - a little over . However he had stretched his credit to the limit, and Randall could not or would not pay immediately. Joseph Hetherington a creditor undertook to force payment by hounding him on every occasion with insults and threats. Hetherington fatally shot Randall in a San Francisco hotel on July 24, 1856, and the Committee of Vigilance hanged Hetherington July 29, 1856. 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 jurisdicti ...
of California to the United States following the
Mexican-American War Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...
, the 1848
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the cap ...
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim 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 the California State Lands Commission to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican l ...
in 1853, 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 ...
to Andrew Randall in 1870.


Peach Tree Ranch

Miller and Lux acquired Rancho San Lorenzo from the Randall heirs. Miller and Lux created the Peach Tree Ranch with the land. Subsequent owners of the ranch included George Mee. The Peach Tree Ranch remains an active ranch. It was most recently purchased by
Henry Earl Singleton Henry Earl Singleton (November 27, 1916 – August 31, 1999) was an American electrical engineer, business executive, and rancher/land owner. Singleton made significant contributions to aircraft inertial guidance and was elected to the National ...
and it remains owned by the Singleton family.


References


External links


Singleton Ranches
{{California history San Lorenzo (Randall)