USA > California > A memorial and biographical history of the coast counties of Central California > Part 20
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Auriferous black sand is worked in the
San Andres hills, where gold was found sev- eral years ago, and a company organized in 1886. This sand is the remains of an old sea beach, now forming dunes and hills of friable sand-rock and beds of sand. The latter deposits contain these black sands car -. rying gold.
Several small veins of coal have been dis- covered, and small quantities have been mined about fifteen miles north of Watson- ville, in the Santa Cruz mountains and on the Corralitos creek, and croppings have been found on the Valencia creek and also near Felton.
The State Mineralogist reports, in 1888, that the bituminous rock deposits were yield- ing large quantities of paving material. The total shipments for the year are given at 8,182 tons. The industry is growing and becoming very important, as the supply is practically inexhaustible, with a future de- mand likely to be nnlimited.
Asphalt pavements properly laid are ex- ceedingly popular in large cities, as Wash- ington, Paris, etc., although liable in winter to be injured by frosts, while in California they are nearly free from this trouble.
Bituminons rock is formed by the dis- charge of liquid asphaltum, or " brea," as it is called in Spanish, from springs upon sand or gravel, with which it mningles, thus form- ing a conglomerate, from which the volatile portions are, in course of years, thoroughly evaporated. It is thus by natural processes that a composite material is formed, which, when subjected to a high degree of heat and
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mixed with lime, and properly treated, makes one of the best paving materials, at least in a frostless country, which has ever been dis- covered.
The Californians, as well as the Americans in early times, especially in the southern portions of the State, where Inmber was scarce, adopted this method of roofing their houses.
CHAPTER II.
HISTORY.
HE history of early voyages along the coast of Alta California has been given elsewhere in this work. The description of Cabrillo's explorations in 1542-'43, three and a half centuries ago, as given in the histori- cal sketch of Monterey county, will serve with- out repetition here, with slight variations, as a correct account of that pioncer navigator's voyage along the coast of Santa Cruz, as well as of San Mateo. The same may be said of Vizcaino's voyage, sixty years later. It is not to be supposed that Cabrillo, before his death, January 3, 1543, or Ferrelo, his suc- cessor in command, or Vizcaino, at those re- mote periods, and in this remote part of the world, penetrated inland at any point to any great distance as they sailed along these un- known shores.
The true historical period of California cominences with the founding of the Frau- ciscan missions, in the year 1769. This date marks an important epoch, because it signal- izes the introduction of European civilization into a region, where hitherto only ignorant
savages and wild animals had lived. The missions symbolize the coming and perma- nent settlement of a race of men capable of making, as well as recording, history.
Although the Indians of Central California were very numerous at the time of the ad- vent of the Franciscan fathers, their intelli- gence was of so low a grade, that their annals, even if they had been preserved, would have possessed but little interest for Europeans. Evidently they had made but little progress in evolution, during the unknown ages of their occupation of this land, where the climate was so mild, and Nature so kind, that they were enabled to live almost withiont exertion. The Indian tribes, whose habita- tions were in the Rocky mountains, or in the northern part of North America, were nn- doubtedly stimulated by the rigors of a colder climate and by their environment to activity, both physical and mental, that was unknown to the torpid aborigines of California. Thus, the former had developed into spirited and war-like races, while the latter had remained apparently, for ages, on a dead level, but little at all above that of the wild animals, which disputed with them the mastery of the land over which both roamed.
The establishment of a mission on the San Lorenzo river was finally determined on in 1789, although the fathers had known of the desirableness of the site for several years. Rivera and Palon on their return from their exploring expedition to San Francisco, in 1774, had examined and approved the loca- tion. Palon, in speaking of this and several
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other sites, which they had examined during their trip, makes this record in his diary: " God grant that in my day I may see them occupied by missions, and in them assembled all the gentiles who inhabit their vicinities, and that none of the latter die without holy baptismn, to the end that the number of the children of God and His holy church be in- creased, and also of the vassals of our Catho- lic Monarch."
After sundry delays, caused by correspond- ence with the viceroy, whose authority it was necessary to obtain, President Lasuen pro- ceeded to the work of founding the mission of Santa Cruz. He thus describes the steps taken under date of September 28, 1791, a little more than 100 years ago: " In view of the superior order of His Excellency, I at once named the missionaries. I asked and obtained from the comandante of this pre- sidio, the necessary aid for exploring anew the region of Soledad, and there was chosen a site having some advantages over the two previously considered. I applied to the mis- sions for vestments and sacred vessels; and as soon as the commander of the Aranzazu furnished the servants allowed for the new establishment, I proceeded to Santa Clara, in order to examine anew, in person, the site of Santa Cruz. I crossed the Sierra by a long and rough way, and found in the site the same excellent fitness that had been reported to me. I found, besides, a stream of water very near, copions and important. On the day of St. Augustine, August 28, 1791, I said Mass, and a cross was raised on the spot
where the establishment is to be. Many gentiles came, large and sınall, of both sexes, and showed that they would gladly enlist nn- der the sacred standard, thank God! I re- turned to Santa Clara by another way, rougher, bnt shorter and more direct. I had the Indians improve the road and was per- fectly successful; because for this, as for everything else, the comandante of San Fran- cisco, Don Hermenegildo Sal, has furnished with the greatest activity and promptness all the aid I have asked for. I ordered some little huts made, and I suppose that by this time the missionaries are there. I found here in Monterey, the two corvettes of the Spanish expedition; and the commander's power of pleasing obliged me to wait their departure. I endeavored to induce them to transport the Santa Cruz supplies by water, but it could not be accomplished. Day before yesterday, however, some were sent there by land, and with thein a man from the schooner, which came from Nootka, under Don Juan Carrasco. The plan is to see if there is any shelter for a vessel on the coast near Santa Cruz, and there to transport what is left. To- morrow a report is expected. This means is souglit because we lack animals. To-day eleven Indians have departed from here with tools to construct a shelter at Soledad for the padres and the supplies. I and the other padres are making preparations, and my de- parture thither will be by the favor of God, the day after, from San Francisco, October 8, at least."
The foregoing is quoted at length as it af-
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fords the reader of to-day a glimpse of the difficulties the good fathers labored under in carrying forward their important undertak- ing of establishing a mission here, and it also represents a picture of things as they were a century ago,-multitudes of wild Indians, but few whites, and they compelled to travel be- yond the immediate precincts of the mis- sions with a military escort; the country rough and withont roads; everything to be done, with scant means to do with. Thus may we gain some slight conception of the difficulties under which European civilization was introduced into this land, where we now have our homes, surrounded as they now are, by all the appliances of modern civilization.
On the 23d of September, Ensign Sal, with two friars of San José, arrived from San Fran- cisco presido, and some neophytes con- structed a cabin to shelter the priests, and when all was ready, on Sunday, the 25th day of September, 1791, with religious ceremo- nies, conducted by the padres, and the firing of salutes, the Mission of the Holy Cross, or Santa Cruz was duly founded.
The contributions of the neighboring mis- sions to the new establishment, according to one account were: Santa Clara, 151 head of cattle, nineteen horses, eighteen fanegas of grain; San Francisco, six yoke of oxen, 100 swine, twelve mules and eight other animals.
The Fathers seemed to have been success- ful iu gathering the Indians into the church, for within five years after they commenced their labors in this field their converts numbered over 500, which indicates that In-
dians were very plentiful hereabonts in those days. How many remained outside the fold, within this jurisdiction, we are not informed, but probably a considerable number, although the sight of even 500 nearly naked, wild In- dians roaming about this valley and among the adjacent hills, at the present time, would be likely to produce something of a sensation.
Up to and including the year 1800, accord- ing to the records kept by the friars, about 950 Indians had been baptized at this mission; 270 couples had been married, and abont 475 persons had been buried. The increase of ganado mayor (large animals or cattle) from the small nninber brought to the mission, amounted to over 2,000, and that of ganado menor (small animals) had been at about the same ratio.
The production of grain the first season after the founding of the mission was about 650 bushels; while for the year 1800 it amounted to over 4,000 bushels. A mill for grinding grain was built in 1796.
The corner-stone of the church was laid on the 27th of February, 1793, and the building was sufficiently completed to be occupied the next year. It was built of adobes, with stone foundation; its dimensions being 112 x 30, and twenty-five feet high. Although timber was plenty near by, the fathers were without means to utilize it, and consequently most of the permanent buildings of that and a long subsequent period, thronghont the Territory, were constructed of adobe or of stone.
A paragraph in a letter written in 1798, clearly shows the contrast between then and
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now. Fernandez writes: "one hundred and thirty-eight neophytes have deserted, leaving only thirty or forty to work, while the land is overflowed and the planting not half done. * The cattle are dying, and a dead whale on the beach has attracted a multitude of wolves and bears."
Engineer Córdoba reports, August 1, 1798, that Santa Cruz has 3,435,600 square varas of irrigable lands, of which 1,120,000 are sin abrir, and pastures one-and-a-half by eight or nine leagues, with seven permanent streams.
CHAPTER III.
FOUNDING OF PUEBLOS.
N the year 1795 recommendations came from Spain to the viceroy, to select a place for the founding of a pueblo, the object being to inaugurate and encourage the forma- tion of secular establishments as contradis- tinguished from those which were wholly under clerical control. This highly jndicions policy did not in the least detract from the credit which the church was entitled to, in its work of subduing, and practically civilizing the Indians, since there was room then, as there is to-day, for the State and the church, and for all churches, to work on totally dif- ferent, but perfectly harmonious lines, for the healthy development of the country and the upbuilding of the commonwealth. If the missions or clerical authorities had looked with favor, instead of jealousy, on the policy of establishing pueblos, and the granting of lands to Spanish and Mexican citizens in Cali-
foruia, both parties might have been helpful to each other, as in later years and under a different regime, the parties representing each, were thus helpful. If the friars could have brought themselves to see that there was land enough for all, and had not opposed the acquisition of land by actual settlers, who would have become their allies in the work of converting the people of this vast territory into a Christianized and civilized province, the hard destructive policy of secularization might not have become necessary. It was certainly short-sighted policy, even from the stand- point of the church, though that church were a State institution, in so goodly, fruitful and fair a land as this, to force the government to adopt the harsh measure that it finally did adopt of taking away from the missions all the lands of the province, because they were not willing that some of those lands should be occupied and cultivated by actual settlers. Besides the government desired to encourage the raising of grain and other supplies for the military establishments in California, to save the expense of shipping them from great dstances.
The pueblo of San José was founded in 1776; that of Los Angeles in 1781, and that of Branciforte, near the Mission of Santa Cruz in 1797. The settlers of these pueblos at first were mostly soldiers, whose terms had expired. Afterward, trappers, sailors and thers who had come to the country naturally gravitated to the pueblos. There was greater freedom of action or independence enjoyed by the citizens of these free towns, than the
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same class would possess at the missions. Under the laws of Spain, citizens of pueblos were entitled to various rights of ownership of land, or building-lots and water, with tim- ber and pastorage. Under the laws of the Indies, pueblos were entitled to the absolute control of the waters of running streams on which they were situated.
That the pueblos did not show any thing like the progress in material prosperity ex- hibited by the missions may seemn strange at first sight, but as Bancroft well says, it was because the problem was a more compli- cated one; and he suggested two fatal obsta- cles to their success, (1) in the worthless char- acter of the half-bred settlers, and (2) the lack of provincial commerce to stimulate in- dustry.
In the year of 1800 the populaiion of the missions (eighteen in number) was estimated at over 13,000; and the total number of ganado mayor, horses, cattle, etc., had in- creasd to over 65,000; and sheep, etc., gan- ado menor, to 85,000.
The yield of grain including beans, lentils, peas, etc., for the year was estimated at about 75,000 bushels.
The population of the three pueblos in the same year was only about 550, and they owned nearly 17,000 head of stock, mostly horned cattle. This of course includes rancheros who engaged in stock-raising, out- side of pueblo limits.
According to Spanish laws, pueblos were entitled to a small guard of soldiers, in acalde, regidores and a comisionado. This
system continued down to, and even after the change of government in 1846. Labor was mostly done in the pueblos, as in the mis- sions, by Indians. In the vineyards, espe- cially in and about the pueblo of Los Angeles, work was mainly done by Indians, even as late as late as 1875, because their labor was cheaper, and because they understood vine- yard work, particularly irrigation, better than white or American laborers, who as a rule had had little or no experience in practical irrigation.
There is a deal of good sense contained in Engineer M. Costanso's report of 1794, in wich he says: " The first thing to be thought of,in my opinion, is to people the country. Pre- sidios to support missions are well enough for a time, but there seems to be no end of them. Some missions (in other provinces) have been for 100 years in charge of friars and presidial guards. The remedy is to in- troduce gente de razon, (people of reason) among the natives from the beginning. Cali- fornians understand this and clamor for in- dustrious citizens. Each ship should carry a number of families, with a proper outfit. The king supplies his soldiers with tools; why not the farmer and mechanic as well? They should be settled near the missions, and mingle with the natives. Thus the missions will become towns in twenty-five or thirty years. "
The views of Father Salazar and Señan, who were in Mexico in 1796, are of interest in this connection. According to Bancroft's version, the former reported, that "the inhabi-
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tants of the pueblos were idlers, paying more attention to gambling and playing the guitar than to tilling their lands and educating their children; as the pagans did most of the work. Young men grew up without re- straint and wandered among the rancherias setting the Indians a bad example, and in- dulging in excesses that were sure, sooner or later, to result in disaster. The great remedy was to build up commerce, and give the col- onists an incentive to industry. Now they could not sell their produce; they obtained a small price for what they did sell, and often they could not get the articles they wanted in payment, or had to pay excessive rates for them "
Father Señan's report, dated May 14, 1796, at the College of San Fernando, urged the importance of introducing a better class of settlers; and Governor Borica, in his corres- pondence with the viceroy, agreed with the views of these fathers and favored encourage- ment of commerce, as the surplus products cannot be sold.
Governor Sola later, in 1817, urged, as es- sential for the development of the agricult- ural and commercial resources of California, the introduction of 500 Spanish families; the opening of the overland or Colorado river route, and the sending of, at least, two vessels to transport from here to a market, the surplus products of the province.
According to the laws of the Indies eaclı pueblo was entitled to four square leagues of land. It was expected the missions would become pueblos when the neophytes conld
take possession in severalty of the lands hitherto occupied in common under the mission system. None of these anticipated results ever came about, as the Indians were not capable of becoming citizens in the European sense of the word. The provincial or temporary granting of land to settlers in California, commenced very soon after its permanent occupation by Europeans; that is, settlers of good character were permitted to go on nnoccupied lands for the purpose of cultivating them or raising cattle, temporarily, leaving the matter of conceding absolute title for future determination.
CHAPTER IV.
ANNALS OF THE PUEBLO AND MISSION FROM 1800 To 1822.
NDUSTRY and the tools of industry, at the beginning of the new century, at the pue- blos as well as at missions and presidios, were exceedingly rude, and there were but few mechanics in the province to use them. There were a number of tanneries and jabon- erias or soap-making establishments scattered throughout the country, and a two-story granary and a house for looms had been built in Santa Cruz in 1793. Artisans in March, 1796, from another district, with the help of the natives built a flour mill, utiliz- ing water power at Santa Cruz, and also a few looms at San Luis Obispo. Four mill stones were ordered made at Santa Cruz for San Carlos mission. Metates or hand-mills for grinding grain were in common use at that time in nearly every home. Buildings
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were mostly of adobe, the roofs being covered · either with tile or, where timber was scarce, with earth overlaid with a coating of brea or asphaltum.
The useful grains and domestic animals were brought to Alta California by the first settlers and as the result showed contributed in a wonderful degree to the prosperity of the country. What has been known for many years in California as the "mission grape," was brought from Spain to Mexico, and to lower California, and from the latter province here, probably very soon after the founding of the first missions. There is little reason to doubt that olives, pears, and possibly apricots and peaches, with an inferior variety of apples, had a very early introduc- tion, but precisely when is a matter of uncer- tainty; while oranges were brought to the southern missions very much later.
Before 1800 attention had been directed to the raising of hemp, which met with some success at the pueblo of San José; coarse hemp cloth being used to some extent by the neophytes at San Carlos.
The increase in live-stock from the small number first bronght from la Baja to Alta or northern California in 1769, had been regu- lar and rapid, except during the year of drought in 1794-'95, when many animals died for want of grass.
All the ranches had a large amount of stock at the end of the century, more particu- larly the ranch del Rey in the Salinas valley, with its branches at San Francisco and San Diego; the cattle and sheep being the main
dependence of the presidios, while the horses were used principally in the cavalry service.
The valleys and low hilly regions of Cali- fornia were the natural habitat of various nutritious grasses, and it is not strange that live-stock, especially neat cattle, in the early times when there were no fences and the whole country was an open common, should have multiplied very rapidly, despite all drawbacks, such as the increasing slaughter for food, by both man and wild beast, which latter for many years were extraordinarily plentiful. The principal grasses were wild oats, alfileria, "filaree" or pin-grass, and bur- clover. The wild-oat ranges were liable to be "eaten ont" or fed so closely as to prevent seeding, especially on ranges where the stock increased rapidly. The same was liable to happen, and in later years did happen, with alfileria ranges; but to "eat out" the bur- clover was next to impossible, for no matter how closely fed or how dry the season might be, this very valuable natural grass would yield seed even if barely above ground; and its spiral, rolling seed would, with the aid of the wind, "sow itself," thus each year mak- ing sure of a crop the succeeding year.
The increase of stock was so great in after years, or during the first half of the present century, that horses being considered less valuable than neat cattle, were either killed off or permitted to wander off, or, in a num- ber of cases during a drought they were driven to the interior where they became wild.
After the great influx of people, drawn hither by the gold mines in the early '50s,
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the "wild horses" of the "Tulares" were caught, as animals without owners, in large numbers and tamed and broken by the settlers of the coast counties.
Prior to the founding of Branciforte, which was a source of considerable expense to the government, the annual appropriation from the royal treasury in Mexico, for the main- tenance in California of the military and civil officers and employes of the crown, amounted to over $60,000 and subsequently to $80,000.
The military force maintained in Califor- nia during the decade 1791-1800, was 280 men of the presidial companies, besides gov- ernor and surgeon, and after 1796, ninety Catalan volunteers and artillerymen. Of these twelve were commissioned officers, thirty-five non-commissioned officers and about 240 privates. The salaries were: Gov- ernor, $4,000; Captain of Catalan volunteers, $840; Alférez (ensign), $400; and minor of- ficers smaller amounts. The officers of both civil and military governor in California dur- ing the Spanish regime seemed to have been filled by the same person.
The population of the Santa Cruz Mission, in 1796, was a little over 500. Father Fran- cisco Gonzales was in charge of this mission from 1797 until 1805.
The question was agitated in 1796-'97 of separating Upper and Lower California into two separate provinces in order to secure a more convenient and efficient government of each district, but as very little action was taken in that direction the final separation did not occur until 1804, when it was brought
about in a very quiet manner and with no noticeable change in the northern portion.
In 1801 $15,000 were furnished by the viceroy for the support of Branciforte and for the continuance of work at that pueblo, which at a later period, however, was sus- pended.
Goycoechea reported that Branciforte lacked all the advantages enjoyed by the other pueb- los, inasmuch as the mission was in posses- sion of all the available lands in the vicinity. Besides the character of the settlers was not such as to justify the expectation of success in building up a self-sustaining and self-gov- ering town. Comandante de la Guerra rather uncharitably wrote the governor that they were not so bad as other convicts sent to Cali- fornia, but that their absence for a couple of centuries, at a distance of a million leagues, would prove beneficial to the province and re- dound to the service of God and the king! But it should be said in extenuation of these settlers, that without lands, or with only a small quantity obtainable, not much ought to have been expected of them in the way of town building. The fact was the mission entirely overshadowed the pueblo. In 1806 the latter had only seven small mud and tim- ber houses, thatched with tule, and the num- ber of inhabitants, including several invalids and their families from Monterey and else- where, were only forty-six. The other pue- blos, San José and Los Angeles on the con- trary, were situated in the midst of fertile valleys at some distance from a mission with large amounts of land available, which served
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