Schaefer Ranch Dublin California

In order to talk about the history of Schaefer Ranch, we will need to cover not only what is known these days as Dublin, but also what is now called Castro Valley. We will make an attempt to condense the information that we have gathered online as well as in local history facilities. We are thankful for all of the resources that are available in the area and online and will attempt to credit (and provide links where available) those resources.

Long ago this area was covered by water. Whether the waters just receded, large land plates shifted, or the land rose due to volcanic activity in the area, we do not know. You can find fossils in the hills that are millions of years old (there are samples in the Dublin Heritage Center).
It is believed that the original inhabitants of this area were the Meganos and Ancestral Ohlone Indians back around 500 B.C. to 1000 A.D. More recently the Seunan tribe of the Ohlone Indians were living here up to the mid 1800's. As with many parts of the Americas, this region became part of the colonization of another European country. In 1772, Lt. Pedro Fages led the first European expedition through the Dublin area. The region was once called the Province of California, which was a colony of Spain in North America. In 1773, it was divided into Alta (Northern), California and Baja, California (with the dividing line just about where the California/Mexico border is today). The lands to the north were given to the Franciscan Order. In 1824, the land became a federally run territory, following Mexican's independence from Spain in 1821. Alta eventually ceded to the United States under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the Spanish Mexican war, Mexico gave land grants (about 800) to many of its soldiers (Californios). One of those grants was given to Guillermo Castro and another to Jose Maria Amador.