Rancho Bosquejo
Rancho Bosquejo (also called "Lassen's Rancho") was a 22,206-acre (89.86 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Tehama County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Peter Lassen. The name means "Wooded Ranch" in Spanish. The grant extended along the east bank of the Sacramento River south of Rancho Rio de los Molinos and Toomes Creek, and encompassed present day Vina on Deer Creek.
Peter Lassen (1800–1859) was born in Denmark, and immigrated to the United States in 1829. Ten years later he traveled to Oregon, and by 1840 he had made his way to California, where he worked for John Sutter. After becoming a Mexican citizen in 1844, Lassen's five square league land grant, Rancho Bosquejo, was approved. Lassen built a home on his land, and had livestock and planted crops by late 1845. In 1845, Lassen invited William B. Ide to come to his ranch and build a sawmill. Shortly later, after a misunderstanding, Ide moved north to Rancho Barranca Colorado.
On the north side of Deer Creek, in 1845, Lassen laid out a townsite, calling it "Benton City", in honor of Senator Thomas Benton from Missouri, whose daughter, Jessie Benton, married General John C. Frémont. Frémont and some of his men visited Lassen's ranch in 1846.
In 1847 Lassen, as a part of Commodore 's party, returned to Missouri, in hope of encouraging emigrants to settle at Benton City. Prior to his 1847 departure, Lassen deeded over the land he owned north of Deer Creek (one-fifth of his ranch) to his ranch manager Daniel Sill. In 1848, Lassen brought back a small group of emigrants from Missouri over the Lassen Trail; also bringing with him the first Masonic charter into California. When Lassen arrived back at Benton City he found it nearly vacated, the settlers having left to join the Gold Rush.
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