The second Yankee settler in Contra Costa County was Elam Brown. Elam served as wagon train master for fourteen families who left St. Joseph, Missouri on May 1, 1846.
In 1847, Brown purchased a 3,329 acre Mexican Land Grant named Rancho Acalanes and 300 cattle for $900. At that time the going price for cattle was $2.50 per head on the hoof. In February 1848 he built his first home on the Rancho along with two other families, thereby creating the first community in central Contra Costa County. He helped write the State of California's Constitution, served two terms in the assembly and installed a horse drawn grist mill in Happy Valley.
Lafayette remained a quiet farming village until the post-World War 11 building boom turned cornfields into housing developments.
Lafayette remained a quiet farming village until the post-World War 11 building boom turned cornfields into housing developments.
