An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day, Part 61

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1038

USA > California > Los Angeles County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 61
USA > California > San Diego County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 61
USA > California > Orange County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 61
USA > California > San Bernardino County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 61

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Father Eusebio Kino (also written Kühn). one of the priests who had accompanied Otondo on the expedition that colonized La Paz in 1683, had vowed his life to the work of sending mis- sionaries to the Californias. Obtaining his transfer to the Sonora missions, he met there the Visitador, the devoted Father Juan Maria Salvatierra, who became as great an enthusiast as Kino, and thenceforth these two labored un- ceasingly in behalf of California. In 1697 they were joined by Father Juan Ugarte, of the

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HISTORY OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.

Jesuit College in Mexico, a man of strong powers, natural and circumstantial, who soon developed as much zeal as his coadjutors. After a long period of seemingly hopeless efforts, the cause began to gain ground. Contributions of money ranging from $2,000 to $20,000 began to come in from church guilds, and from indi- viduals, thus beginning the famous " Pions Fund of the Californias." Pressure was produced to annul the royal cedula forbidding expeditions to California, and on February 5, 1697, the vice-regal license was given. It anthorized Sal- vatierra and Kino to undertake the conversion of the Californians, to enlist and pay soldiers for the enterprise, to appoint or remove officials, in short, to direct and dispose entirely in the matter, on two conditions,-that all should be done at their own expense, and that pos- session should be taken of the countries to be subjugated, in the name of the King of Spain.

It must be admitted by an impartial reader, without regard to race or religions prejudice, that these Jesuit fathers were impelled by the purest of motives, with great generosity and sin- gleness of purpose, in this undertaking. They went at their own risk and at their own cost. The experiences of previous movers in the same direction had declared the country to be unat- tractive, indeed, repellant, and without elements of riches; and that its conquest was dangerous, and doubtful of achievement. It must be re- membered, also, that during their sway, the inissionaries sternly forbade the fomenting of the resources of the pearl-fisheries, by whose rich potency they might have mitigated the asperity of their conflict, while the opposition they offered to working the pearl-beds gave rise to many of the most serious obstacles they en- countered. It has been the fashion of many writers to asperse the motives of these devoted men, and that is obviously an injustice.

After many wearisome preliminaries and vexatious delays, Salvatierra landed on the pen- insula, on October 16, 1697, with a strangely assorted escort of six soldiers, comprising a 25

Spaniard, a Portuguese, a Mexican creole, a Maltese, a Sicilian and a Pernvian mulatto.

On October 25, in a tent that had been pre- pared as a church, with a cross set up, and the venerated image of Our Lady of Loreto, inass was said, and formal possession taken of the country in the name of the King of Spain. This, the first mission founded in California, was called Loreto Conchó, for the patroness whose image they honored on their altar, and from the native name of the site.

The history of the missions from this time on reads like a romance. The natives at first were friendly, and rendered willing services in return for slight rations of grain and porridge. Later they became refractory, began to steal from the strangers, and then went on to per- sonal attacks, often repeated, of murderous in- tent. Unexpected rains, in a country they had supposed rainless, damaged the stores. Their own weapons of defense recoiled upon them; for when they fired their pedrero (a swivel-gun) to repel a ferocious attack of the Indians, it burst and wounded several of the garrison. A great obstacle, too, lay in the missionaries' ignorance of the language of the natives, and the misleading teachings of it by the Califor- nienses, through a mischievous enjoyment of the strangers' blunders. The crews of the sup- ply ships took the pearl-fishing fever, which pursuit the Fathers deemed the most dangerous of all the evils menacing their work. Still they persisted, bravely combating every obstacle, and strong in their faith, stimulated by various nota- ble coincidences that they regarded as miracu- lous intervention in answer to their prayers.

In March, 1699, encouraged by more favor- able conditions, they set about extending their enterprise, and on November 1 of that year they founded San Xavier, second of the Califor- nia missions.

The last year of the century, the third of this work, was full of trouble for the Jesuit fathers. The loss of a ship, the deaths of friends and supporters, laymen and priests, lack of re- sources, indifference in Mexico and Spain to

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the needs of the colony, and the opposition of the local military power, all led to great dis- tress, material and spiritual, which was some- what mitigated by the arrival, early in 1771, of Father Ugarte, a man of power in every sense. Strong, intellectnal, magnetic, practical, a churchman militant, his presence ever inspired the devoted little band with fresh courage in periods of depression, even when, more than once, the padres and their companions were re- duced to subsisting, like the savages, upon wild berries, roots, and pitahayas-the frint of a species of cactus-and when attacks from the natives and insubordination among the soldiery were like to drive them desperate.

In 1705-'06 the missions San Juan Bautista and Santa Rosalia were founded, and in 1708 that of San José. The year 1709 was full of disaster, what with the loss of another ship, and the ravages of small-pox and other diseases. All this time Father Salvatierra, in his various offices, had never ceased to labor valiantly for these missions; but on July 17, 1717, that good, true, disinterested priest died in Guada- laxara.

In 1718 was founded the mission of La Puris- ina Concepcion, which later became one of the best on the peninsula. In 1719 was launched the first ship built on the shores of California. El Triunfo de la Cruz (The Triumph of the Cross) was constructed through the determina- tion of Father Ugarte, bent on executing Sal- vatierra's fond plan of gulf exploration. Sail- ing in this vessel, in November, 1720, Ugarte and Bravo, being joined by a land party, founded the mission Nuestra Señora del Pilar de la Paz, on the spot still known as La Paz. In 1721 Father Helen founded the mission Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

In May, 1721, Ugarte sailed in the Triunfo on a four months' exploring tour up the gulf; the journey was hard and perilons, but it sup- plied much geographical data, and proved con- clusively that California was not an island, but a peninsula. From this on explorations were made as often as possible.

In 1721 was established mission Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, and in 1723 that of San- tiago. In 1730 was founded near Cape San Lucas the mission San José del Cabo, and that same year witnessed the death of Father Ugarte, after thirty years' work in California. In 1733 was founded the mission Santa Rosa. This year, and again in 1734, there were ontbreaks of the Indians, who minrdered several of the friars. Troops were brought from the mainland to reduce the rebels of this province, now be- came a valuable possession, and thus the revolt led to the increase of the local presidial force.

. Intermittent troubles with the natives, and promises, mnade only to be broken, of Govern- ment support to the missions, occupy the record up to 1746, after which there is a blank of twenty years.

By the year 1750 the missions of La Baja were producing grain, fruit, live-stock and other staples, almost sufficient for their own consump- tion, and were no longer in straits of necessity. The policy followed was also modified. Trade was measurably encouraged, and pearl-fishing was not discountenanced. All was not, how- ever, plain sailing for the Fathers. Much dis- content was expressed against them. They were accused of concealing, through self-interest, re- sources of great richness alleged to exist in the country, and that they engaged in smuggling was more than hinted. From 1751 to 1766 Fathers Consag and Link made some not very important explorations. It would seem, how- ever, that their successors were wanting in the spirit of enterprise and disinterestedness that had marked the original founders of the mis -. sions.

The situation became most unpleasant; it was, no doubt, the strength of the opposition to them that led the Provincial of the Jesuits to offer formally to give up all the missions of the society, including those of California. There is also little doubt that the conditions on the peninsula had some influence in the expulsion, in 1767, of the Jesuits from all Spanish possessions.

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HISTORY OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.

In November of that year, Don Gaspar de Portolá landed near San José, charged with the governorship of California and the expulsion of the missionaries. The fathers seem to have borne themselves through these trying circum- stances with conpos ire and dignity; and the scene at their departure was most affecting. Their disciples, ungrateful and savage as they had shown themselves in the past, were contrite and full of sorrow at this juncture; and they followed their pastors up to the last moment, with bitter lamentations. It is said that even the governor shed tears as the parting exiles started on their via dolorosa.

THE FRANCISCAN AND THE DOMINICAN OCCUPA- TION OF LOWER CALIFORNIA, AND MEXICAN INDEPENDENT RULE.

After 1767 the Spanish Viceroy gave the ad- ininistration of the government in La Baja to the commandante of the presidio troops, who ac- quired the title of governor. The capital was at Loreto, commonly called Presidio de Californias.

In June, 1767, when the Jesuits were expelled from Mexico, the charge of the California mis- sions was offered to the Franciscan College of San Fernando, in the Mexican capital; and, the proffer being accepted, seven friars from the es- tablishment set forth for the peninsula, to be joined by five fro.n the Sierra Gordo missions. Their progress was delayed, first, by contrary seas and then by counter orders; at last they reached Loreto on April 1st, and, after receiv- ing their instructions-which were not a little disappointing, as they were intrusted with only spiritual interests, and no temporal powers- they separated on the 8th, to distribute them- selves among their respective missions. This loss of power so weakened the influence and abilities of the padres, that the system of mis- sions bade fair to become extinct. Don José de Galvez, on his round as visitador, came in- vested with full discretionary powers in matters secular and ecclesiastical; and, seeing the evils of prevailing conditions, he demanded a render- ing of accounts from the secular officials, re-

stored much power to the fathers, reformed the faulty division of inission lands, organized col- onization regulations, and instituted progressive inovements in mining, agricultural and judicial matters. Here was a gentleman full of gener- ons, philanthropic projects for the good of the settlers, yet loyal and careful of his sovereign's interests. Enthusiastic, too, was he for the northward extension of Spanish dominion; and he organized four expeditions, two by land, and two by water, to prosecute explorations in that direction. These started in the spring of 1769, and more will be said of them hereafter. With this expedition went Father Junipero Serra, his place as president in the peninsula being taken by Father Francisco Palon. Galvez now intro- duced many reforms in Cailifornia, and project- ed many others, including the restoration of the population and prosperity of Loreto, agricult- tural and industrial training for the country's youth, and many other laudable features. Leav- ing instructions to these effects, he sailed for the mainland. May, 1769, marks the first visit, probably, of a scientific commission to Califor- nia: a party. French and Spanish, under M. Chappe d'Anteroche, arrived at San José del Cabo, to observe the transit of Venns. Scarcely were their observations completed, when they were attacked by a malignant fever, from which perished several members, including the leader. This pestilence was succeeded by three others, which caused great ravages at all the missions, and badly demoralized the people.

For svine years the peninsula was now a scene of constant contest between the friars and the secular rulers. Matias de Armona, who was in office hardly five months, seeins to have found favor with the fathers, and to have merited their confidence. But the administrations of the others, particularly of Felipe Barri, would seem to have been a perpetual chain of petty intrigues, encroachments, jealousies, and harassing abuses of office. These conditions led to a petition from the Franciscans that their responsibility in the missions might be transferred to some other order. For some years there was much

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HISTORY OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.

discussion of the question of ceding a part of the missions to the Dominicans, who, since 1768, had been endeavoring to extend their field to California. Prior to the fitting ont by Galvez of expeditions to San Diego and Monterey, the Dominican father Jnan Iriarte had songht license to establish missions between latitudes 25° and 28° on the west coast, but the application had been disallowed. Persisting, Iriarte the next year endeavored to obtain control of the north- ern districts of the peninsula, as well as some in the north of Sonora. Thus was the way paved for a cession of a part of the missions, and, in a conference between the Franciscan guardian, Rafael Verger, and the Dominican vicar-general, Iriarte, it was settled that the Dominicans should have the entire peninsula, and its old missions, upto a pointjust below San Diego, with the right to extend their field eastward and northeastward beyond the gulf's liead; while to the Franciscans should appertain the missions above San Diego and unlimited territory for the extension of their establishments north and northwestward.

The Franciscans received with delight the news of this decision, in Angust, 1772; a num- ber of thein departed in that same year for the northward. The rest were not to escape so easily from the persecutions of Barri the pug- nacious. In an evil hour came the reply to Palou's letters of complaint to the viceroy ; and the partial justification of the father mightily incensed the governor. He stirred up anger among the Indians against the Franciscans; he accused the priests of having plundered the missions -- a charge refuted positively by the careful taking of accounts on which they in- sisted. Still, they were delayed by the same policy of accusation, and by injunctions against removing certain properties, church ornaments, etc., which they had been authorized to carry to the northern missions; and, although the vice-regal power was invoked, and its interven- tiou secured, not until late in 1775 were the last of the Franciscans enabled to leave San Fernando Velicata, and the Dominicans re- mained in full possession of the peninsula.

By this time, the continnal coniplaints against Barri had taken effect, and in 1774 he was suc- ceeded by Felipe de Neve, the terms of the decree implying strong disapproval of Barri's course. Certain provisions were made to pre- vent, if possible, farther conflict between the ecclesiastics and the military, the duties of the respective branches being clearly defined so as not to encroach npon each other.

The garrison at Loreto was allowed thirty- seven soldiers, which implied a cost of $12,450 per year. Neve soon found this force insnf. ficient. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the conditions of revenne, and the administra- tion of the friars. In short, he favored secular- ization. In 1775 this governor was ordered to remove his residence to Monterey, which then became the capital of the two Californias.

The Dominicans, at first very zealous, became discouraged and indifferent, owing to the re- fractory character of the natives, and the obsta- eles opposed by their surroundings. Not only were the visits of supply vessels from Mexican ports few and far between, but the inhabitants were forbidden to mitigate their discomforts by trade with foreign vessels. These foreign ships soon resorted to independent hunting of the sea otter in Lower Californian waters. From this measure there shortly resulted a considerable contraband trade with the people, which cer- tainly proved of great benefit to them.

The year 1804 witnessed the decree sepa- rating La Baja fron Alta California, and there- after the neglect of the peninsula grew much more marked. During the long strife for Mex- ican independence from 1810 to 1820, the very isolation which in some respects weighed so heavily upon the peninsula, served as a pro- tection against the horrors of warfare, although hostile ships made at least one incursion, sack- ing the mission at San José del Cabo. Great things were hoped from the early progressive measures taken by Echeandia, appointed to the civil and military command of the two Califor- nias, under the Mexican government, which administration went into power in 1821, its

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commissioners arriving in La Baja the next year; these expectations, however, proved de- lusive.

THE WAR OF 1846.

After the downfall of the federal system in Mexico, the peninsula was again placed in the samne department as Alta California, and its in- habitants were invited to support the American cause in the war between the United States and Mexico, on the understanding that the former country would keep possession of this province, and protect its citizens. But not until after completing the conquest of the northern division did the American warships appear in those waters with intent to extend American dominion thither. This was in the autumn of 1846. Some effort was made at defense by the Bajeños, but various ports surrendered. After the sub- mission of La Paz on April 13, 1847, the country seemed peaceful enough, and the Americans left but a small force in charge. To remedy this oversight, the authorities in Alta California de- spatched two companies of the New York vol- unteers under Colonel Burton, who found open aud declared resistance at San Antonio, Mulejé, Loreto, and elsewhere. Revolts at San José and Todos Santos, and the general tone of disaffec- tion, led to the fortification and the placing under martial law, of La Paz. On November 16, 1847, a force of 600 or 700 Californians, under Captain Manuel Pineda, attacked this port, which they might have captured, had they exercised correct military tactics. A bitter con- test was waged between the two forces until the 28th, and then, after a few days of inactivity, Pineda drew back toward San José, where also a small detachment of Americans was besieged by a vastly superior force of Californians. This siege was raised, only after considerable suffer- ing, by the arrival and determined advance for rescue of the Cyane under Dupont. The volun- teers continued to garrison the peninsula until it was restored to Mexico by the treaty of Guad- alupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848. In those days, the Mexicans seemed more indifferent than now about the possession of the peninsula thus

inconsistently given over by the United States, in violation of all promises made to its citizens.

WALKER IN LA BAJA.

Willliam Walker, a Scotchi-American, 29 years old, of strong personal characteristics and adventurous nature, after a varied career, con- ceived, about 1853, the idea of forming inde- pendent republics in certain districts of Mexico, the remoteness and sparse settlement of whose districts made the plan seem feasible. He was impelled, no doubt, largely by an emulative spirit of jealousy toward the dashing French Count, Raoul Raousset, whose operations in northwestern Mexico had a somewhat similar purpose.

This Walker, of unbounded and misdirected ambition, balked in his first tentative efforts to further his project by deception and cajolery of the Mexican government, renewed the enter- prise in San Francisco, where, cloaking his scheme under the guise of humanity and patri- otism, he readily enlisted a little army of hardy and reckless men, mostly of the adventurer type. Escaping by a ruse from the attempted interference of Hitchcock, then military com- mander, on October 15, 1853, Walker, on board the Caroline, with a large number of armed men, and a nepotic staff of secretaries, etc., for a cabinet, sailed from San Francisco, and on November 3 landed at La Paz, where he cap- tured the chief government representatives, seized upon the archives, and, after several skirmishes of little importance, hauled down the Mexican flag and substituted his own, de- claring La Baja a new republic, proclaiming himself president, and appointing his "staff officers " to their respective positions. On Jan- uary 18, 1854, this organization was remodeled, Lower California and Sonora being declared one government, and called the Republic of Sonora. Walker shortly rejoined his confederate, Wat- kins, who had clandestinely left San Francisco with some 100 more armed men, and he now issued his orders and decrees broadcast, written in true filibustering style, and dated now from

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Santo Tomas, now Tia. Juana, La Gorulla, La Ensenada, or San Vicente. He met, however, considerable opposition from the Lower Califor- nians; and the Commandant Melendez with his soldiers particularly hard-pressed the audacious invader on his return to Santo Tomas, after heading an expedition to the Colorado to cap- ture Sonora. This expedition resulted very disastrously to the command, and so to Walk- er's prospects. He therefore made haste to "evacuate Lower California," and to retire across the border, where Major Mckinstry and Captain Burton, United States military officers stationed at San Diego, received his surrender and parole, on May 6, 1854. The invasion was ended by the dispersion of the band at San Diego. Walker reported for trial to General Wool at San Francisco, but the arraignment of himself and his officers came to nanght, as nothing was proved against them. Walker devoted himself to journalism until the Nicaragua scheme, a year or two later.

AMERICAN IMMIGRATION. ANNALS FROM 1854 TO 1889, AND ATTEMPTED AMERICAN

COLONIZATION.

Many of the soldiers who shared in the invasion of 1847-'48, retained such agreeable impressions of the peninsula that they afterward returned thither to settle as farmers, miners, or traders. There was, moreover, a profound con- viction that La Baja must speedily belong to the United States, and here, as ever, speculation was eager to share in the prize. Upon those parties seeking to obtain land grants, the gov- ernment imposed the condition of founding colonies, realizing that upon foreign immigra- tion mainly must depend the development of the country's natural resources. On the other band, the inhabitants looked not kindly upon foreigners, nor did the authorities, having jeal- ous suspicions that the United States had de- signs as to the acquisition of the territory.

In 1855 the Dominicaus abandoned the secu- larized missions. In 1862 began the war of French intervention, and, while there was some slight loeal agitation, the remoteness of La

Baja once more shielded the country from the customary devastations of war time.

With the entry of troops from the mainland peace was secured, industries revived, agricult- ure flourished, mines were opened, steamers were induced to touch monthly at La Paz and San José del Cabo, and there were two very prosperous years. The winter of 1863-'64 brought a drouth so severe as to cause great de- struction of crops and live-stock. At the same time, the mining industry also declined, owing to the nsnal feature, lack of capital for sustained effort, most of the miners who had rushed to the fields having been actuated by the intent to speculate, rather than to develop their claims.

Since 1863 a regular monthly line of steamn- ers has plied between San Francisco and the Mexican Pacific ports as far as San Blas, touch- ing at La Paz and San José del Cabo, and thus bringing Lower California into communication with the outside world.

In 1864 an important grant was made to the Lower California Colonization and Mining Com- pany, the concession embracing the immense tract lying between 24° 20' and 31°, nearly 47,000 square miles. The conditions were that one-fourth of the land should be reserved for Mexicans; that at least 200 families should be introduced within five years, and that $100,- 000 should be paid to the Juarist government for the land to be occupied. It appeared difficult to fulfill the contract from California, and it was transferred, in 1866, to Eastern cap- italists. Their experts reported unfavorably as to soil and water, but the shareholders, securing an extension of time, set about recouping their investment. An advance party was sent to clear land, build roads and sink wells, and 300 people were sent out from New York under contract to colonize, and to gather the parasite orchilla. The artesian wells proved a failure; there was insufficient food, poor water, and little or no shelter; the heat was torrid, and the surround- ings desert-like and forbidding. All these ele- ments of misery struck terror to the hearts of the Magdalena Bay colonists, and most of them

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Author: Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1038

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1038