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Dublin, California
Schaefer Ranch
Guillermo Castro was a career soldier for Mexico and was born in Santa Clara county. He was also a rancher, a surveyor, and a Magistrate. In 1841, the governor granted him 26,722 acres as a reward for his service. This land was called Rancho San Lorenzo (it covered modern day San Lorenzo, Hayward, Castro Valley, and parts of Dublin heading east, up to about the hills of Briarhill (near Silvergate and Dublin Blvd.).
Unfortunately, Guillermo had a gambling problem and sold off portions of his land to cover gambling debts. He also had to pay for lawsuits to force squatters off of his land. In 1864, the sherrif sold off the last amount of land that he owned. Destitute, he left for Chile with his wife and younger children where he remained the rest of his life.
Jose Maria Amador was the son of Pedro and Maria Amador and was born at the Presidio in San Francisco in 1794. Maria Amador was literate and taught her children to read. Jose served in the military (as did his father) and then became an administrator of the Mission San Jose. He also was a indian fighter, a pioneer and a rancher. In 1826, Jose Maria Amador applied for a land grant that became effective in 1834. The area was called Rancho San Ramon and totalled 16,516.95 acres. The north part of that grant bordered what is now Crow Canyon Road.
Jose Maria Amador had his headquarters in a placed called Alamilla Spring where he had several adobes including a two story adobe (something that was not common). Today that location is now called Dublin and there is a historical marker there just north of Dublin Blvd. near the intersection and west of San Ramon Road in front of the southern entrance of the The Springs apartments. The actual adobes were just west of the marker.
Amador sold some of the land to new immigrants in the area. A large chunk of it went to Norris and other land went to Dougherty, Micheal Murray, and Jeremiah Fallon. Gold brought a lot of people to the area and California became a state in 1850. Alameda County was formed in 1853 (by taking parts of Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties).
Unfortunately, Guillermo had a gambling problem and sold off portions of his land to cover gambling debts. He also had to pay for lawsuits to force squatters off of his land. In 1864, the sherrif sold off the last amount of land that he owned. Destitute, he left for Chile with his wife and younger children where he remained the rest of his life.
Jose Maria Amador was the son of Pedro and Maria Amador and was born at the Presidio in San Francisco in 1794. Maria Amador was literate and taught her children to read. Jose served in the military (as did his father) and then became an administrator of the Mission San Jose. He also was a indian fighter, a pioneer and a rancher. In 1826, Jose Maria Amador applied for a land grant that became effective in 1834. The area was called Rancho San Ramon and totalled 16,516.95 acres. The north part of that grant bordered what is now Crow Canyon Road.
Jose Maria Amador had his headquarters in a placed called Alamilla Spring where he had several adobes including a two story adobe (something that was not common). Today that location is now called Dublin and there is a historical marker there just north of Dublin Blvd. near the intersection and west of San Ramon Road in front of the southern entrance of the The Springs apartments. The actual adobes were just west of the marker.
Amador sold some of the land to new immigrants in the area. A large chunk of it went to Norris and other land went to Dougherty, Micheal Murray, and Jeremiah Fallon. Gold brought a lot of people to the area and California became a state in 1850. Alameda County was formed in 1853 (by taking parts of Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties).
Guillermo Castro
History
Amador's Historical Marker