Rancho Arroyo de Las Nueces y Bolbones
Rancho Arroyo de Las Nueces y Bolbones (also called "San Miguel") was a Mexican land grant in present-day Contra Costa County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Juana Sanchez de Pacheco. The grant was named after the principal waterway, Arroyo de las Nueces (Walnut Creek), and for the local group of indigenous Americans (known as Bolbones in Spanish, also known as Volvon). The grant was on the western slope of Mount Diablo and includes the area of the present-day city of Walnut Creek. Approximately a quarter of the original rancho has been protected since the early 20th century within the boundaries of Mt. Diablo State Park. History Juana Lorenza Sanchez de Pacheco (1776–1853) was the widow of Miguel Antonio Pacheco (1745–1829), a soldier. He was the son of Juan Salvio Pacheco (1729–1777) and Maria Carmen del Valle, who came to San Francisco in 1776 with the De Anza Expedition. He was a cousin of Salvio Pacheco, founder of Concord, California. The Pacheco family used its land for grazing cattle, but did not settle on the rancho. With the cession of California to the United States following its victory in the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe