The “Opposite Shore,” today’s Contra Costa County, California, is located east of the City of San Francisco. The county has a rich cattle and agricultural history dating prior to 1776. It is the heart of Mexican California Rancho life in the West. The Spanish and Mexican colonial Ranchos were key to populating and holding the Alta California frontier in culture and contest for European empire. Holding Russia at bay (Fort Ross) was key to ensuring Western European power in North America.

This digital engagement project deepens our understanding of Rancho history, its impact on indigenous peoples, and Hispanic cultural traditions prior to the Mexican-American War. This effort will extend beyond existing historiography and include cultural folklore, generational memory, and Hispanic traditions gathered from over 20 county-wide historical and genealogical societies. Publication in a digital format will make its scholarship accessible to the public for years to come.

The Rancho period of California history (1776-1848) focuses on the “Opposite Shore” or eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County. Here is the heart of pre-United States Spanish/Mexican Rancho life. This project is a collaborative effort amongst over 20 local historical societies to create a public history project. It brings together the independent research conducted by each organization with an extensive genealogical study of Rancho and indigenous people descendants. The product is a digital humanities website application.

This Project consist of 3 parts:

1. Diseños & Ranchos 1776-1848: This portion of our presentation will outline the steps we took to research, collaborate, and publish a narrative that represents our collective history. The research gathered from the myriad historical societies in Contra Costa County, U.S. Land Courts, and public records will be interpreted and compiled to create a cohesive and accurate account of the 20 local Ranchos.

2. Descendant Genealogical Study: An interdisciplinary study that connects history and genealogy to illuminate the family lineages of Rancheros’ descendants.

3. Community Engagement and Descendant Romeria: Historical research, genealogy, and community collide at a Rancho Romeria. Descendants of the Ranchos were invited to share their contemporary histories, their memories, and their traditions at a Romeria, a party or festival. The Romeria brought together our academic research and the community to create generational continuity from the Early Californios to Present Day residents.