Rancho San Lorenzo was a 26,722-acre (108.14 km2) Mexican land grant given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Guillermo Castro a career soldier posted to the Pueblo of San José. The land grant included present day Hayward, San Lorenzo, and Castro Valley, including Crow Canyon, Cull Canyon, and Palomares Canyons.
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The grant was located on the route of El Camino Viejo.
Castro's grant was patented in 1865.[1] Soon after, Castro began to sell off his land to pay debts. The last of his holding was sold in a sheriff's sale in 1864 to Faxon Atherton. Atherton in turn began selling off his portion in smaller parcels.[2]
Guillermo and Maria Louisa Peralta Castro owned Rancho San Lorenzo Alta. Francisco and Barbara Soto owned an adjacent rancho called Rancho San Lorenzo Baja - sometimes called San Lorenzito,or Little San Lorenzo. Barbara Soto was Guillermo Castro's sister.[3] Soto's grant was patented at 6,686 acres (27 km2) in 1877.
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