San Leandro Portals to Past History for Fun

Castro Valley sold for $400,000 worth of gambling debts! Castro Valley was part of the original 28,000 acre (110 km²) land grant given to Don Guillermo Castro, called  Rancho San Lorenzo . This land grant included  Hayward ,  San Lorenzo , and Castro Valley, including Crow Canyon, Cull Canyon, and Palomares Canyons.  Don Guillermo Castro - The San Lorenzo Land Grant Don Guillermo was born in California, then a Mexican possession in 1810. The son of Don Carlos Castro of Las Lagas Rancho. His birthplace was located near the village of Coyote in Santa Clara County along what is now highway 101.A career soldier, he served in the Mexican army as a lieutenant of militia at the pueblo of San Jose. In 1838, he was listed as a surveyor of government lands in San Jose, and it is about this time he acquired his land grant, roughly 28,000 acres, then known as Rancho San Lorenzo. This land included those areas we...

.   IF YOU LIVE HERE YOU PRONOUNCE ESTUDILLO “ESTA-DILLO”.  Sorry Spanish speakers… As I tell you this story you will recognize some of our street names with origins in our founding families. The 1 st settler was Don Jose Joaquin and this wife Dona Juana .   Don Joaquin, as he was referred to, was friends with the new governor, Don Juan Alvarado . Alvarado was put to the task of was dividing up grazing lands between friends.  Some of the Estudillo land was redistributed to Guillermo Castro , who was related to the governor by marriage.  The hills of Castro Valley to Eastern Hayward was appropriated and Estudillo was left with all the grazing land below that.  Estudillo Home Corner of W. Estudillo & Carpentier Now San Leanders Church Castro Valley was part of the original 28,000 acre (110 km²) land grant given to Castro, called Rancho San Lorenzo. This land grant included Hayward, San Lorenzo, and Castro Valley, including Cro...