Joseph Yves Limantour

Joseph Yves Limantour (1812 – 1885) was a French merchant who engaged in the California sea trade during the years preceding American occupation of that Mexican province in 1846.

Limantour Beach in Marin County, California bears his name because he wrecked his schooner, the Ayacucho, on Point Reyes in October 1841.

In a three-way deal, Vallejo purchased the Gale's schooner Star of Oregon for 350 cows, and then transferred ownership to Limantour.

There he accidentally found the original Mexican espediente, or packet of documents with official seals and signatures, in the Recorder of Monterey's office in 1853.

When the board of land commissioners denied his claim, he appealed to the United States District Court in San Francisco.

[5] A week later he added claims to additional lands in Northern and Southern California, totaling 924.34 square miles, or 594,783 acres (240,700 ha).

[6] Limantour began accepting quitclaim payments from land-owners in San Francisco, collecting according to his detractors between $200,000 and $250,000, assessed at 10 per cent of property value.

Two studies completed soon after California became a state, the first by Captain Henry W. Hallecka, and the second by William Carey Jones, a lawyer and linguist, had not found Limantour's grants.

A box of Mexican financial records were coincidentally located at the United States Armory in Benicia, California.

Hopkins told the court that there was no charge to Limantour and credit to Micheltorena for a certificate for lands in Upper and Lower California for more than $6,000 nor any reference to any such item.

[3] United States Attorney Delia Torre presented additional evidence that the Limantour documents were fraudulent.