Chief_Solano_(Namesake_of_Solano_County,_California)

Rancho Suisun 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 fo ...

in present-day

Solano County, California Solano County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield. Solano County comprises the Vallejo–Fairfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which i ...

given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Francisco Solano Indian chief and Captain in the Mexican Army. The rancho lands include the present-day city of

Fairfield, California Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, in the North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately ...

History

Chief Solano receive a four square leagues land grant due to his friendship and support of General

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (4 July 1807 – 18 January 1890) was a Californio general, statesman, and public figure. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of the Republic of Mexico, and shaped the trans ...

. However Solano was not able to retain it, and sold it to General Vallejo in May 1850. There was a dispute between Vallejo and José Francisco Armijo of

Rancho Tolenas Rancho Tolenas was a Mexican land grant in present-day Solano County and Napa County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado to José Francisco Armijo. The grant was north east of present-day Fairfield and was bounded on th ...

about the boundary between the two ranchos. In August 1850, General Vallejo sold Rancho Suisun to Capt.

Archibald Alexander Ritchie Archibald Alexander Ritchie (28 January 1806 – 9 July 1856) was an American ship captain, China trader, and California businessman. Early years Ritchie's family originated in Scotland and Ireland. His grandfather, William Ritchie, was born on ...

. Three days later, Ritchie sold a one-third interest in the land to Capt. Robert Henry Waterman, who like Ritchie had been involved in the China trade. Waterman, who came from

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan are ...

, established

in 1856. Rancho Suisun would become an ongoing legal battle for Ritchie until his death in 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 jurisdict ...

of California to the United States following the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial 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% of Mexic ...

, 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 Suisun 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 l ...

in 1852 and the grant was confirmed by the Commission. The United States unsuccessfully appealed the legality of Chief Solano's title to the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

and of 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 Archibald A. Ritchie in 1857. A claim for Rancho Suisun was filed with the

in 1852, and of the grant was patented to J. H. Fine in 1882.

Archibald Alexander Ritchie

(January 28, 1806, New Castle, Delaware - July 9, 1856, Napa, California). Ritchie was a sea captain involved in trading with China. In 1838, Capt. Ritchie left the sea to become the resident agent at Canton, China where he lived until 1847. The discovery of gold in California brought Capt. Ritchie to San Francisco. He was prominent merchant providing supplies for the gold rush. In 1850, Ritchie made

Benicia Benicia ( , ) is a waterside city in Solano County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at th ...

his primary residence until 1854. In 1850 Ritchie purchased Rancho Suisun from General Vallejo. Ritchie and Paul S. Forbes acquired

Rancho Guenoc Rancho Guenoc was a Mexican land grant in present-day Lake County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pio Pico to George Rock. Rancho Guenoc was one of three land grants (along with Rancho Lupyomi and Rancho Collayomi) in Lake County. Lake C ...

and the adjoining

Rancho Collayomi Rancho Collayomi (also called Rancho Callayomi) was a Mexican land grant in present-day Lake County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Robert T. Ridley. Rancho Collayomi was one of three land grants (along with Rancho ...

in Lake County in 1851. Ritchie hired John M. Hamilton, his brother-in-law, and Robert Sterling, nephew of Capt. Robert Henry Waterman, as managers. On July 9, 1856, nearing Napa from Sonoma, Ritchie was thrown from his wagon and killed.Albert Shumante, 1991,''Captain A.A. Ritchie, California Pioneer - An Account of His Life, Family and Ranchos''

References

External links

Diseño del Rancho Suisun : Solano Co., Calif.
at

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suisun California ranchos Ranchos of Solano County, California

History

Archibald Alexander Ritchie

See also

References

External links