On October 4, 1821 a land grant of 4,394 acres was
issued by Pablo
Vincente de Sola, the last Spanish governor of California, to
Josè Loreto Higuera. Higuera was a descendent of Ygnacio
Anastacio Higuera who had arrived with the de Anza party.
Higuera named his land, Rancho Los Tularcitos ("place of the little
tule marshes") although early deeds show it as "Rancho San Ignatio".
The rancho stretched from the confluence of Calera
and Pennitencia
creeks in the
northwest to a large white oak tree that marked its southeastern corner
(this tree stood just east of the intersection of modern day Calaveras
Blvd and Abel Street).
South of
Rancho Los Tularcitos was the land of Pueblo de San José. The
land grant was
renewed by Mexican Governor Juan B. Alvarado on February 18, 1839. When
the United
States acquired California as part of the Mexican Cession, an
application was filed
with the federal government to a patent and this was issued on July 8,
1870.
In 1828, Higuera built an adobe house near Arroyo Calera and a few
years later built
another nearly 
200 feet south along the creek. It is most
likely the labor for these
constructions was provided by the local Muwekma Ohlone Indians living
near Mission
San José. A few hundred feet to the southeast stood an ancient
temescal or sweat
house (sauna) used by the local tribes in ceremonies. Around the
rancho's central
compound, prickly pear cactus was planted to form a hedge. Part of this
original
hedge may be seen today by looking east from the adobe. The pepper,
fig, and olive
trees surrounding the present park are historic, believed to have been
planted by
Josè Higuera in the 1830s.
During the time of the Mexican War, the adobe was the stopping place
for a detachment
led by 
Francisco
Sánchez. At that time, it was known as the hacienda of Don
José Higuera.
Sanchéz had six American soldiers with him, one was Lieutenant
Washington A.
Bartlett, acting alcalde of San Francisco. They had been captured by
Sanchéz
while looking for food south of San Francisco near Sixteen Mile House.
After enjoying
the hospitality of Don José for two days the detachment moved on
to the south.
Don José was host to merrymaking of a more peaceful nature on
other occasions.
One of the most memorable was the marriage of his beautiful
granddaughter, Margarita
to Nicolás Chavarria. It is said the fiesta continued day and
night for three
days and was attended by hundreds of well-wishers.
|
Margarita was the daughter of Valentin Higuera and Maria Margarita Sais. Valentin's brother, Fulgencio Higuera, was the grantee of At right is a photo from the Santa Clara County Recorder's Book of Brands and Marks of the registration on November 17, 1834 of the cattle brand used by Valentin Higuera. Below the brand is how the ears of his cattle were cut to show that he owned them. |
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He sold his portion of
the Rancho
lands to Clemente Columbet for the princely sum of $3,000. Columbet had
operated
a hotel in San Jose in 1849. He added a second story to the adobe and
divided it
into bedrooms. He turned the large single room downstairs into a
reception room.
To attract customers to his countryside "resort" he ran a coachline to
connect with central Milpitas, then nearly two miles distant. After a
short time
it became obvious that his country hotel would not earn the profits he
had hoped
for, so he closed it.
Columbet sold his interest in the property to Henry Curtner, a native
of Vermont
who had come overland to settle in Milpitas. Curtner built a fine house
on the site
of the Indian sauna. He ran cattle and farmed the land. The adobe of
Don José
became a bunkhouse for workers on the Curtner ranch. In time, the
second story added
by Clemente Columbet in the 1860s, deteriorated and in the 1950s was
removed.
The building you see today is a shell built by Marion Weller, Curtner's
granddaughter,
in the early 1960s to preserve and protect the ruins of the old adobe.
In the 1970s
Mrs. Weller sold many acres of her ranch to a developer, who as
parkland mitigation, gave bricked over adobe, the nearby wooden
building sometimes known as the "Casino"
(now known by the more accurate name of "The Caretaker's Cottage") and
the adjoining acreage to the city of Milpitas. Shortly thereafter the
city tore down the southern brick wall of the main building and added a
kitchen and indoor restrooms
to the end of the adobe. For
over a decade the building was rented for Scout meetings, birthday
celebration, and
wedding receptions. Following the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, it
was learned
the kitchen addition had seriously compromised the structural integrity
of the old
home. Therefore, extensive restoration and reconstruction was necessary
to make it
safe for the public. In 1993, the city built exterior access public
restrooms adjoining
the kitchen
addition. Today there are historical exhibits in the adobe which can be
visited by
special arrangement with the city.