Name/Title
Gray Letters 1862 08 02Entry/Object ID
2024.10.1.100Description
This is a letter from Edward Crocker in New Bedford, MA to Samuel C Gray in Benicia dated 08/02/1862. Mr. Crocker mentions that the whaling business is suffering in part due to the Civil War and this has affected business in general due to a lack of oil. He then generalizes on the downturn in business generally due to the war.
Mr. Crocker comments on the fact that the Suscol Ranch situation may be settled and that land owners will be able to perfect their land claims. Rancho Suscol was an 84,000 acre Mexican Land grant that covered Napa, Sonoma, and Solano counties. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1862 that the Land Grant was rejected making the land “public domain”. Hundreds of homesteaders moved onto the land leading to disputes and some violence. Finally, in 1863, Congress passed a law allowing the original owners to pre-empt their land for $1.25 per acre and court decisions supported this act. The homesteaders were evicted.Collection
Benicia Historical Museum Collection
