Ygnacio Martínez (1774–1848) was commandant of the
Presidio of San Francisco from 1822–1827, and again from 1828–1832. He was a member of the
town council in 1824 and 1827. Martinez retired in 1831. In 1834 Martinez appealed to Mexican authorities, saying that he had lost his title papers for a land grant made to him by Governor
Luís Antonio Argüello in 1823 for his military service. He said the grant was known as Pinole y Cañada del Hambre. Record evidence was not found to support his claim, and he was required to petition anew, which he did in 1837. While proceedings were pending upon the Martinez petition, Felipe Briones in 1839, also petitioned for a grant of El Pinole. In 1842, Governor Alvarado, made a four square-league grant of Rancho El Pinole to Ygnacio Martinez, and a three square-league grant of
Rancho Boca de la Cañada del Pinole to Briones. Martínez did not move his family to the rancho until 1836, living until that time at the
Pueblo of San José. To fulfill the requirements upon which grants were made by the government, he proceeded to build a home and other homes of adobe in the valley of Pinole about two and half miles from
San Pablo Bay. Martinez occupied and cultivated a large portion of the land, including setting up a vineyard and fruit orchards. When Martinez died in 1848, his eleven children inherited his property. His daughter, Maria A. Martinez, was married to
William A. Richardson. Martinez's daughter, Susana, was married to Colonel William M. Smith. Following the
Mexican-American War and the
cession of California to the United States, the 1848
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the existing Mexican land grants would be honored by the United States. Grantees were required to file claims for their properties under the Land Act of 1851. The Martinez descendants did so with the
Public Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was
patented to María Antonia Martínez de Richardson et al. in 1868. In 1849, William M. Smith established the town site of
Martinez on of the family land grant. Later the heirs of William Welch of the adjacent
Rancho Las Juntas, who owned the property on the east side of Arroyo del Hambre (
Alhambra Creek), contributed another to be included in the new town. In 1865, John Tormey purchased of the Rancho El Pinole from some of the Martinez heirs. Two years later in 1867, John Tormey and his brother Patrick purchased an additional from the Martinez heirs. The Tormey brothers divided their purchase into two portions. John Tormey took the western half, which encompassed
Pinole and additional parts of the Pinole and
Briones valleys. Patrick Tormey's share to the north and east included the Rodeo Valley and what would eventually become the towns of
Rodeo,
Oleum,
Selby and
Tormey. ==Historic sites==