Rancho Los Meganos 1835 Land Grant
Rancho Los Meganos was a 13,316-acre (53.89 km2)
Mexican land grant in present day Contra Costa County,
California given in 1835 by Governor José Castro
to Jose Noriega. "Meganos" means "sand dunes" in
Spanish. Rancho Los Meganos extends eastward from
present day Antioch along the San Joaquin River
to the Old River. The rancho lands included present
day Oakley, Knightsen, and Brentwood.
Antioch California Founded 1850
Antioch is one of the oldest towns in California,
having been founded in 1850. The year following
the discovery of gold, there was a plague that overtook
the city and wiped out most of the population.
The town was founded by two brothers, William and
Joseph Smith, who named the town Smith’s Landing.
In 1851, the town's new minister persuaded the residents
to change the name of the town to Antioch, for the
biblical city of Antioch.