Rancho Las Putas
Rancho Las Putas was a 35,516-acre (143.73 km2) Mexican land grant in present day Napa County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to José de Jesús Berreyesa and Sexto "Sisto" Berreyesa. The name Las Putas came from Putah Creek, which ran through the property. Most of the grant is now covered by Lake Berryessa.
The Berryessa Valley was about 10 miles (16 km) long and 3 miles (5 km) at its widest, with Putah Creek running through its center. Several thousand years before Europeans arrived, Pomo people lived in relative ease on the rich land, as wildlife and plant foodstuffs were plentiful.
Nasario Antonio Berreyesa was born into the Berreyesa family at Mission Santa Clara de Asís on July 28, 1787. Nicknamed José, Berreyesa married María de Jesus Antonia Villela (born October 6, 1793) in 1806. The couple had eleven children, including José de Jesus born January 31, 1815 and Sexto "Sisto" Antonio born on March 28, 1818. Both brothers were born in San Francisco and christened at Mission San Francisco de Asís.
Nasario Antonio "José" Berreyesa served as a corporal at the San Francisco Presidio during 1819–1824, then moved to become the original settler of the Berryessa Valley in the 1830s. Berreyesa engaged 100 natives to help him manage his livestock—a herd which soon grew to 5,000 cattle and 20,000 horses, and extended eastward over Berryessa Peak into Capay Valley. The nearby hills held deer and bear. Trails made by the bears made it possible for men, horses and cattle to find their way through the hills into Capay Valley.
Sons Sisto Antonio and José de Jesus served in the Mexican army, stationed in San Francisco, from the 1830s to 1842. In 1838, the two men married twin sisters: José de Jesus married María Anastasia Higuera, and Sisto Antonio married María Nicolasa Higuera.
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