Page "The Hacienda (Milpitas Ranchhouse)" Paragraph 2

The fertile valley surrounding The Hacienda was documented by Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà in 1769.

Based on his recommendation, Father Junípero Serra established Mission San Antonio de Padua in the valley in 1771, and it thrived.

Of all the California missions, San Antonio de Padua converted the highest number of Native Americans, peaking at 1, 300 Salinan converts in 1805.

In the 1830s, the mission was secularized and its holdings were divided into at least ten land grants ( including Rancho Milpitas, or Little Fields Ranch ) given to soldiers and civilians supportive of Mexican government.

English-speaking settlers began arriving in significant numbers in 1849 with the discovery of gold in California.

Nearby Jolon was established as a gold mining town on an old Salinan village site in 1860, astride El Camino Real, the old road connecting all the Spanish missions in California.