10 CAUFORNIA JUST PRIOR TO THE GOLD DISCOVERY.
the upper Alameda. Here lives the venturesome English sailor, Robert Livermore, by whose name the nook is becoming known, and whose rapidly increasing possessions embrace stock-ranges, wheat-fields, vine- yards, and orchards, with even a rude grist-mill. ^^ Ad- joining him are the ranchos Valle de San Jos^ of J. and A. Bernal, and Suflol and San Ramon of J. M. Amador, also known by his name. Northward, along the bay, lies the Rancho Arroyo de la Alameda of Jos^ Jesus Vallejo; the San Lorenzo of G. Castro and F. Soto; the San Leandro of J. J. Estudillo; the Sobrante of J. I. Castro; and in the hills and along the shore, covering the present Oakland and Alameda, the San Antonio of Luis M. Peralta and his sons.^^
Similar to the Alameda Valley, and formed by the rear of the same range, enclosing the towering Monte del Diablo, lies the vale of Contra Costa, watered by several creeks, among them the San Pablo and San Ramon, or Walnut, and extending into the marshes of the San Joaquin. Here also the most desirable tracts are covered by grants, notably the San Pablo tract of F. Castro; El Pinole of Ignacio Martinez, with vineyards and orchards; the Acalanes of C. Valencia, on which are now settled Elam Brown, justice of the peace, and Nat. Jones ;^* the Palos Colorados of J. Moraga; the Monte del Diablo of S. Pacheco; the M^danos belonging to the Mesa fam- ily; and the M^ganos of Dr John Marsh, the said doctor being a kind of crank from Harvard college,
1' His neighbor on Rancho Los Pozitos, of two sauare leagues, was Jos4 Noriega; and west and south in the valley extended Rancho Valie de San Joe6, 48,000 acres, Santa Rita, 9,000 acres, belonging to J. D. Pacheco, the San Ramon rancho of Amador, four square leagues, and Canada de los Va- queros of Livermore. Both Colton, Three Years, 266, and Taylor, El Dorado, i. 73, refer to the spot as Livermore Pass, leadmg from San Jos^ town to the valley of the Sacramento.
^ D. Peralta received the Berkeley part, V. the Oakland, M. the East Oak- land and Alameda, and I. the south-east. The grant covered five leagues. The extent of the Alameda, San Lorenzo, and San Leandro grants was in square leagues respectively about four, seven, and one; Sobrante was eleven leaffues.
'* By purchase in 1847, the latter owning one tenth of the three-quarter
