William Marcus "Mark" West was a Scottish American pioneer who settled in what is now eastern Sonoma County, California, United States.
Life[edit]
West came to the area in 1832, soon after marrying Guadalupe Vasquez, a sister of General Vallejo. At the time, the area belonged to Mexico. In 1840, he acquired the 6,663-acre (26.96 km2) Rancho San Miguel, located north of Santa Rosa Creek. Mark West established a hacienda, post office, and trading post near Mark West Creek.[1]
Maria Francisca Guadalupe Vasquez y Lugo, who was the daughter of Felipe Vasquez y and Nicanor Lugo, married Mark West at the Mission San Carlos Boromeo in 1834. She was the granddaughter of Juan Athanasio Vasquez, who was a soldier in the Anza 1776 Expedition. Her father, Jose Felipe Vasquez y Bojorquez, was grantee of Rancho Chamiscal in 1835
Legacy[edit]
Several geographic features in the area were named after him, including Mark West Creek, Mark West School, and the communities of Mark West and Mark West Springs, California.[2]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Towns of Sonoma County". Retrieved 2008-01-21.
- ^ Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce: Mark West history