SOBERANES, ARGUELLO, FIGUEROA and PICO FANS
A two-story, board-covered adobe in Southern Monterey Country has filled many roles in
its 124 year history. Known as Los Coches (The Pigs) Rancho and Richardson Adobe ,
this one-time Stage coach stop is now a wayside park along a busy freeway. Located 21/2
mils south of Soledad on Hiway 101, at its intersection wit the road to Aroyo Seco, it is
a curious link to California's Mexican period. The story of Los Coches Rancho begins
in 1841 when Mexican Govenor Juan B ALVARADO granted 8,994 acres to Maria Josefa
SOBERANES, the beautiful daughter of a distiguished Monterey family. Her father,
Feliciano, and her Uncle Mariano SOBERANES were the recipients of other extensive land
grants from Governors ARGUELLO and FIGUEROA and Pio PICO. Their father Jose Maria
SOBERANES was ony 16 when he accompanied Don Gaspar de PORTOLA on his famous trek to San
Francisco Bay in 1769. As Jose rode through the beautiful Salinas Valley he dreamed
of someday returning there and living the life of a ranchero. He mustered out of service
in 1795 and with his father-in-law, Joaquin CASTRO, received the 8,446 acre Rancho Buena
Vista, one of the first large grants in the Mission Soledad area. Young SOBERANES worked
hard but died before he could prove title to all the land. His widow moved to
Monterey and a few years later their son, Felicaiano, took over in the valley. By 1841
other grants had given the family 22,000 acres, wich in later years were increased to
115,000. In 1839 Maria Josefa SOBERANES married William Brunner RICHARDSON, a
hard-working tailor who had come from Baltimore, Maryland, seven years before. The adobe
was buillt in 1843 with wooden additions being made in 1848. It still stands despite the
relatively crude builing techniques of that era. For six months in 1846-47, Captain
John C Fremont camped on the RIchardson ranch property and incurred a bill with the owner
for oxen, food and clothing. This $580 debt of the U S Army has never been paid. William
Richardson served with Fremonts forces for a time before settling down as a rancher at Los
Coches. The ranch enjoyed its heyday between 1848 and 18868. For the first six years
of that period it was a stop on the San Juan-Soledad stage and from 1854 to 1868 it served
passengers and employees of the Bixby Overland State running between San Francisco and Los
Angeles. William RICHARDSON was postmaster at the stop. The property was acquired by
David JACKS in 1865. His daughter , the late Margaret Jacks donated the adobe and 10 acres
to the state in 1958, Mrs Adeline RICHARDSON O'BIREN of Oakland, a grandaughter of William
B RICHARDSON, donated a marker and has been a leader in seeking to reopen the adobe as a
museum. The Division of Beaches and Parks maintains the wayside stop and historical
monument. A plaque has been placed at the adobe by the California State Park Commission
with Mrs O'Brien as sponsor.-
The above is a piece I found in the History section of the Santa Clara library-
I have no date for the writing of this article.
Just hoping someone may be out there who wants to continue this list with the opportunity
to share and learn more about the history of California! Looking forward to other
posts!! Carolyn http://www.compuology.com/cagenweb/maripcty.htm
