Click Here to Print This Story!   Click Here to get a PDF Copy of this Story!   

Successful Pioneers

John Rico

Going back into the history of the Vacaville area, perhaps one of the names which has never received proper recognition is that of Antonio Marie Esquivel, a Mexican pauper, who came to California in August of 1854, and worked for wages in the Vacaville area.

Many of the boundary maps of the Vacaville area today show the name of Esquivel. All this is due to the fact that this Mexican laborer saved his money and started to buy Vacaville area lands, and at one time owned 2490 acres, all adapted to grain growing in the area north of the city. This is perhaps one of the success stories of Vacaville’s yesteryear.

L. W. Buck, a native of New York, came to the Vacaville area in 1874 and purchased what was known as the Weldon rancho, consisting of 156 acres. His children became prominent in Vacaville’s later history — Emma L., Frank H., Nellie M., Fred M. and Ann M.

Another successful Vacaville area pioneer was W. B. R. Kidd, who came here in 1877 and settled in Lagoon Valley, purchasing the old Scarlett property of 330 acres.

The name of Levi Korns is also a part of Vacaville’s past. He settled here in 1859, and purchased 125 acres of land known as the Bunker Hill ranch.

The name of William J. Pleasants is synonymous with the Vacaville area. He came to the valley in 1850. In the Elmira area, the name of James Roe Rogers is part of the past history. He moved to the Elmira section in 1853 and purchased 500 acres of land.

Without a doubt one of the oldest settlers of the Vacaville area was Demetrio Pena who came to the valley in 1841. His father, in company with Manuel Vaca, after whom Vacaville is named, took up ten leagues of land. In 1844, Demetrio Pena and his father moved to Lagoon Valley and acquired 800 acres of land.