One day in the early 1850s, James Ross stood on "the Embarcadero" wharf that later was to bear his name, Ross Landing, chatting with Benjamin Buckelew whose Rancho he had decided to purchase. Ross realized the possibilities and saw the beauty around him. There was still much timber to be cut!

The sale included a busily working steam saw mill at Point San Quentin, all the machinery and equipment. Two sloops, a yawl, plus horses, cattle, and pigs. There was continuous revenue to be made from lumber, so in 1857, for $50,000 in Gold Coin, James Ross became the landowner of the 8,877 acre "Rancho Punte de San Quentin y Canada de San Anselmo."