Castro Family History

How Castro & Rengstorff Park Got Their Names

The heart of the historic Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas

Photo Above: Historical Marker Noting the Site of the Castro Adobe at the Northwest Corner of Rengstorff Avenue and Central Expressway.

Strip malls, expressways, apartment complexes, and a misnamed park hide the fact that the area around modern-day Rengstorff Park is one of the most historic sites in Mountain View.

This area was once the heart of the vast Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas (Ranch of the Ewe/Lamb Pasture), an 8,800-acre land grant given to Francisco Estrada by the newly formed Mexican government in 1842.  Francisco and his wife Inez Castro built the first-known permanent residence in what is now Mountain View in the early 1840s. Their small adobe house was located near what is now Central Expressway and Rengstorff Avenue.

The Castro Family

The Estradas both met early deaths; Inez in 1844 and Francisco in 1845. The couple had no heirs, so the title of their rancho passed to Inez’s father, Mariano Castro. In 1849, Mariano sold the eastern half of the rancho to Irish-immigrant Martin Murphy, Junior. Murphy’s portion of the rancho later developed into the city of Sunnyvale.

Around 1850, Mariano replaced the small Estrada adobe with new house. The new house combined the old adobe style of building with wood construction, and featured a large porch facing west. Mariano lived in the home and raised livestock on the rancho until he became very ill and moved into his other home in San Jose.

The Castro Family Adobe c. 1850

Crisanto Castro

After his father Mariano’s death in 1856, Crisanto Castro continued to live on the rancho with his widowed mother Maria Trinidad Peralta, and his unmarried sisters.

Francisca Armijo Castro

In 1857, Crisanto married Francisca Armijo. The couple and their children played a prominent role in the early development of Mountain View.

The end of the Mexican American War, the transfer of California to the United States in 1848, and the Gold Rush of 1849 brought a sudden influx of newcomers to the region. Many of these settlers squatted on the Castro family’s rancho. From 1852 to 1871 the Castro family fought a protracted legal battle to secure the title to their land. In the interim years, they sold off large portions of the rancho to pay attorney fees, including the area that became Downtown Mountain View, with its main street, Castro Street, named after the family. The Castros also deeded land to civic uses, including the town’s cemetery, now Pioneer Memorial Park.

1876 Map of the "Villa Lands of Mountain View"
Castro Station C. 1974, Looking North Toward Rengstorff Avenue.

In 1864, the San Francisco-San Jose railroad was routed through the Castro’s rancho land. The family was not compensated until six months after trains began running. They were paid $500 for 17-acres of land for the railroad right-of-way. The railroad company also promised the Castros a “flagstop” near their home. The family simply had to wave a banner to get passing trains stop to pick them up. This railroad stop was eventually formalized as “Castro Station,” easily confused with the next stop on the line, “Mountain View Station” at Castro Street. The Castro Station was decommissioned in 2000, replaced with the new San Antonio Station a half-mile to the north.

In 1911, Crisanto Castro built a beautiful new Mission-style home for his family. He named it Villa Francisca in honor of his wife, who passed away in 1907. Villa Francisca became a symbol of the Castro family and the Mountain View area’s ties to California’s Spanish and Mexican eras.  

Pictured From Left to Right Are Susan Castro, Cristano Iv Castro, Mercedes Castro and in the Back Frank “pancho” Castro in Front of Their Family Home, Villa Francesca, Built in 1911 and Named in Honor of Their Mother, Francisca.
Five of Crisanto and Francisca Castro’s Children, as Adults. From Left to Right; Joe Castro, Susan Castro, Andrew Castro, Mercedes Castro, and Frank Castro.

Mercedes Castro was the last member of the family to occupy the Villa Francisca. In 1958, she sold the house and the surrounding 23.5 acres of land–the last vestige of the Castro’s 8,800 acre rancho–to the City of Mountain View. Her hope was that the City would turn the land into the park, and the Villa Francisca into a history museum or senior center. 

On May 3, 1959, the Mountain View Pioneer and Historical Association and the City of Mountain View dedicated a historical marker at the site of the first Estrada/Castro Adobe at the corner of Central Expressway and Rengstorff Avenue. Mercedes Castro was an honored guest at the event. At the time, the Villa Francisca was still standing and awaiting its future as a museum or senior center. 

Reverend Father James Doyle (Left) and Mercedes Castro (Right) at the Dedication of a Historic Placard Marking the Site of the First Estrada/Castro Adobe.

Renovating the Villa Francisca for a new use was not enthusiastically supported by city officials. In 1961, a suspicious fire damaged the first floor of the Villa’s west wing. Rather than repair the damage, the city quickly demolished the entire building. Meanwhile, the surrounding 25-acres of land were transformed into a park. The city contemplated naming the park in honor of the Castros, but were convinced by councilman Harry True to name it “Mountain View Recreation Center Park.” He is quoted in the Palo Alto Times saying:

“I go along that the Castro family was a great family in Mountain View, but this is 1959 and this park belongs to all the people of Mountain View. I would like to see the city’s name on it.”

The Castro Family's Villa Francisca C. 1960

However, the name Mountain View Recreation Center Park did not last long. In 1970, the park was renamed Rengstorff Park to match its location on Rengstorff Avenue. Ironically, until 1929 Rengstorff Avenue was named Pastoria Avenue–in honor of the Castro family’s Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas.

Rengstorff Avenue is named for German pioneer Henry Rengstorff whose restored house is now a City museum and arguably Mountain View’s most well-known historic landmark, located in Shoreline Park. Today, many people incorrectly assume that Henry Rengstorff once owned the land now occupied by Rengstorff Park. Sadly, the demolition of Villa Francisca erased the most prominent reminder of the Castro family’s presence here.   

Rengstorff Avenue in 1966, Showing Rengstorff Park on the Left and Castro City on the Right.

The Castro family name lives on across the street from their former homestead, in the small historic neighborhood known as Castro City. The neighborhood was originally subdivided in 1908 and dubbed “University Park” by land speculators who hoped university professors and San Franciscans would buy lots and build country cottages along streets with Stanford University-inspired names such as Leland Avenue and College Avenue. Instead the neighborhood evolved into an affordable, predominantly Latino enclave by the 1950s. The Castro City Market and gas station, run by the Nakamura family, was a neighborhood landmark until 1992 and the building is now home to La Plaza Market.

Postcard Showing a Mountain View Residence, Believed to Be in Castro City
Castro City Market

The Castro family name also lives on at the nearby Mariano Castro Elementary School and adjacent Castro Park. When the school opened in 1948, it was named Escuela Avenue School, due to its location on Escuela Avenue. “Escuela” means school in Spanish, and in 1957 local residents with a grasp of the language realized the name “School Avenue School” was a bit ridiculous and petitioned for it to be renamed. The name was changed to honor Mariano Castro in 1959.

Early Photo of Escuela Avenue School, Now Named Mariano Castro Elementary School

Today, in Rengstorff Park’s BBQ area, a group of mature eucalyptus and oak trees mark the spot where the Castro family’s Villa Francisca once stood. The eucalyptus were likely planted by the Castro family. A new sign recently installed near the BBQ area describes the park’s connection to the Castros and includes a small map of their rancho.

One of the MVHA’s goals in the coming years is to work with the City to install a larger interpretive marker or public art piece that commemorates the rich history of the park and its connection to the Castros, Mountain View’s founding family. 

Rengstorff Park Bbq Area, Site of the Villa Francisca
Sign at Rengstorff Park Explaining Park's Connection to the Castro Family

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