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4 Environmental Analysis 4.5 Cultural Resources service of the Mexican Government. No Mexican land grants were identified for the Project site. The Rancho Las Positas was west of the Project site in the modern-day town of Livermore (Livermore Heritage Guild 2022). This period is also characterized by declines in the Native American population in the San Joaquin Valley due to the introduction of new diseases and increasing military raids (Wallace 1978). American Period (1848—Present) Following the end of hostilities between Mexico and the United States in January 1847, the United States officially obtained California from Mexico through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848 (Hoover et al. 1962). In 1850, California was accepted into the Union of the United States, primarily due to the population increase created by the Gold Rush of 1849. This increase in foreign immigrants searching for riches and land further decimated the indigenous population. In 1849, Thomas Goodale put up a blue denim tent along Grant Line Road, near Midway Road, which served as a tavern and stagecoach stop for McLead's Stage Line to Stockton (Wood 1883:462). About 4 years later, Simon Zimmerman purchased Goodale's tavern and changed the name to Mountain House (Thompson and West 1878:25). Roads to and from Mountain House proceeded north to Martinez (and beyond) and to the south through the Altamont Pass into Livermore Valley. The original route of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway followed Grant Line Road out of Tracy to Altamont Pass. Alameda County was established in 1853 and was carved from parts of Santa Clara and Contra Costa Counties. San Joaquin County was incorporated in 1850. By midcentury, settlers began to move to the area that would become Midway (just west of the Project area). In 1856, Franz (Frank) Haera (a German immigrant) and his wife Cecilia moved to what would become Midway and constructed the Zinc House. In 1872, he was granted 160 acres of land by the United States government (northwest of the Project area) and eventually raised sheep. The 1900 United States Federal Census lists Frank Haera (misspelled "Haira") as born in Germany in 1832. His occupation is listed as a farmer, his wife is listed as Cecilia (age 45), and a son is listed as Henry (age 6) (U.S. Census Bureau 1900). Frank Haera passed away at 68 years old in Midway, California, in 1901 (The San Francisco Call 1901a). Frank Haera's 648-acre ranch, livestock (6 horses, 60 head of cattle), 100 tons of hay, and farming implements were auctioned off in November of 1901 (The San Francisco Call 1901b). The Zinc House burnt down in the 1930s (Reeve 2002). The completion of the Central Pacific Railroad (a previously recorded segment, P-39-000098, south of the Project area) in 1869 brought more settlers to the Midway area. The community of Midway began to grow along the railroad and the town eventually included a railroad station, the Midway Public School, a store, a post office (ca. 1870 to 1918), and several residential homes and ranches (Wood 1883; Durham 1998). In 1869, Michael MulQueeney (an Irish immigrant) purchased large tracts of land 2 miles from Midway for ranching. Within 14 years of acquiring land, MulQueeney established one of the largest ranches in Alameda County with 8,000 acres of land and 5,000 to 8,000 sheep (Wood 1883). Michael was married to Mary E., and they had three sons: Michael Jr., John, and William. Michael Sr. passed way in 1884, leaving his ranch and assets to his wife and sons. Griffith Energy Storage Project 4.5-7 Tetra Tech/SCH 2022120675 Draft Environmental Impact Report August 2023