William Marcus West

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William Marcus "Mark" West was a Scottish American pioneer who settled in what is now eastern Sonoma County, California, United States.

Scotland Country in Europe, part of the United Kingdom

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Sharing a border with England to the southeast, Scotland is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast, the Irish Sea to the south, and the North Channel to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, situated on the northern third of the island of Great Britain, Scotland has over 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of more than 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Settler person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there

A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally from a sedentary culture, as opposed to nomads who share and rotate their settlements with little or no concept of individual land ownership. Settlements are often built on land already claimed or owned by another group. Many times settlers are backed by governments or large countries. They also sometimes leave in search of religious freedom.

Contents

Life

West came to the area in 1832, soon after marrying Guadalupe Vasquez, a sister of General Vallejo. At the time, the area belonged to Mexico. In 1840, he acquired the 6,663-acre (26.96 km2) Rancho San Miguel, located north of Santa Rosa Creek. Mark West established a hacienda, post office, and trading post near Mark West Creek. [1]

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Californian military commander, politician, and rancher

Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californio general, statesman, and public figure. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of the Republic of Mexico, and shaped the transition of Alta California from a territory of Mexico to the U. S. state of California. He served in the first session of the California State Senate. The city of Vallejo, California is named for him, and the nearby city of Benicia is named for his wife.

Mexico Country in the southern portion of North America

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost 2,000,000 square kilometers (770,000 sq mi), the nation is the fourth largest country in the Americas by total area and the 13th largest independent state in the world. With an estimated population of over 129 million people, Mexico is the tenth most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world, while being the second most populous nation in Latin America after Brazil. Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states plus Mexico City (CDMX), which is the capital city and its most populous city. Other metropolises in the country include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, and León.

Rancho San Miguel was a 6,663-acre (26.96 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Sonoma County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to William Marcus West. The grant was located north of present-day Santa Rosa, between Mark West Creek and Santa Rosa Creek, and encompassed present-day Mark West and Mark West Springs.

Maria Francisca Guadalupe Vasquez y Lugo, who was the daughter of Felipe Vasquez y and Nicanor Lugo, married Mark West at the Mission San Carlos Boromeo in 1834. She was the granddaughter of Juan Athanasio Vasquez, who was a soldier in the Anza 1776 Expedition. Her father, Jose Felipe Vasquez y Bojorquez, was grantee of Rancho Chamiscal in 1835

Legacy

Several geographic features in the area were named after him, including Mark West Creek, Mark West School, and the communities of Mark West and Mark West Springs, California. [2]

Mark West, California Place in California, United States

Mark West is an unincorporated community immediately north of Santa Rosa, California in Sonoma County, California, United States. Mark West is located along Mark West Springs Road adjacent to U.S. Highway 101. The community of Mark West is named for Scottish American pioneer William Marcus West.

Mark West Springs, California Place in California, United States

Mark West Springs is an unincorporated community in eastern Santa Rosa, California. Mark West Springs is located on Porter Creek Road in the Mayacamas Mountains. Mark West Creek flows through the community.

See also

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Mark West Creek stream in California

Mark West Creek is a 29.9-mile-long (48.1 km) stream that rises in the Mayacamas Mountains of Sonoma County, California, United States. Tributaries of Mark West Creek include Porter Creek and Hummingbird Creek, both of which originate in the same mountain range. Discharge waters of Mark West Creek reach the Russian River after a confluence with the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The Community Clean Water Institute has developed a program for monitoring pollutants in Mark West Creek.

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Rancho Corral de Tierra was a 7,766-acre (31.43 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day coastal western San Mateo County, northern California.

Rancho Agua Puerca y las Trancas was a 4,421-acre (17.89 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Ramón Rodríguez and Francisco Alviso. "Agua Puerca" is a combination of "water" and "pork, or pig", and probably refers to the stagnant water in the lagoon formed at the outlet of the stream at Davenport Landing, the original southern boundary. "Las Trancas" means "the bars" and may refer to the sand bars which naturally form at many California coastal creek outlets, forming stagnant lagoons just behind the beach.

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Rancho San Joaquin was a 7,425-acre (30.05 km2) Mexican land grant in present day San Benito County, California given in 1836 by Governor Nicolás Gutiérrez to Cruz Cervantes. The grant was located north east of present day Hollister and was bounded on the north by Rancho Ausaymas y San Felipe, on the south by Rancho Santa Ana y Quien Sabe, on the west by Santa Ana Creek, and on the east by the hills.

Rancho Chamisal was a 2,737-acre (11.08 km2) Mexican land grant in the Salinas Valley, in present day Monterey County, California given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to Felipe Vasquez. The grant was located east of Monterey and extended along Pilarcitos Canyon, south of the Salinas River. The grant was bounded by Rancho El Toro on the east.

Maria Ygnacia Lopez de Carrillo was the original grantee of Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa, the land on which Santa Rosa, California would later be founded. She was also the mother of the woman after whom Benicia, California was named and the grandmother of Romualdo Pacheco, the 12th governor of California.

References

  1. ↑ "Towns of Sonoma County" . Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  2. ↑ Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce: Mark West history


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