USA > California > El Dorado County > Historical souvenir of El Dorado County, California : with illustrations and biographical setches of its prominent men & pioneers > Part 4
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From the time of establishing the first presidio, in
1776, for fifty-five following years, the historic events worthy of mention performed by the military branch of the spiritual conquest, were so scarce that we may refer to them in a chronological recapitulation ; all the events connected with the military power during that time are absolutely a part of the missions, and so in- separable of the history of those institutions, that up to the founding of the pueblos, it seems no other his- tory was in existence.
The first land grant ever issued in California is re- corded under date of November 27, 1775, being prob- ably the smallest grant made in this State, containing only 381 feet square. This grant, located at the mis- sion of San Carlos, was given to "Manuel Butron, a soldier, in consideration that he had married Marga- rita, a daughter of that mission, and Father Junipero recommended Mr. Butron and his Indian wife to the Government and all the other ministers of the King, because, as he says, " they are the first in ail these es- tablishments which have chosen to become permanent settlers of the same."
As stated already, a reglamento was issued with the King's signature, in 1781, creating a system of pueblos for the settlement of ex-soldiers and settlers. To this reglamento, as we thir.k, has to be counted the in- crease of population-from 1,749, in 1781 the popula- tion rose in six years to 5,143, and in 1790 had reached the number of 7,748.
" Whenever there may arrive at the port of San Francisco a ship, named Columbia, said to belong to General Washington, of the American States, com- manded by John Rendrick, which sailed from Boston in September, 1787, bound on a voyage of discovery to the Russian establishments on the northern coast of this peninsula, you will receive the same vessel with caution and delicacy, using for this purpose a small boat, which you have in your possession, and taking the same measures with every other suspicious for- eign vessel, giving me prompt notice of the same.
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
May God preserve your life many long years. PEDRO FAGES." SANTA BARBARA, May 13th, 1789.
To JOSEF ARGUELLO :-
The suspicious craft, "said to belong to General Washington," sailed north, without entering the port of San Francisco, and discovered the Columbia River.
There is another letter preserved for the record of history, and, however brief, it shows that the time had come where the military power in the presidios com- menced to get independent from the missions, that this power was a good ways ahead in the concourse between Church and State, and, in the end, made the latter triumph. The priests taught the Indians to say the mass, to know the names of all saints, and to work under instructions. The schools at the presi- dios, encouraged by the governor, taught the chil- dren reading and writing. Here was sown the seed for the future harvest. The letter is written by the captain of the Santa Barbara presidio to the gover- nor of California, and reads :
" I transmit to you a statement in relation to the schools of the presidios, together with six copy-books of the children who are learning to write, for your su- perior information.
May our Lord preserve your life many years. FELIPE GOYCOCHEA."
SANTA BARBARA, Feb. 11, 1797.
These copy-books are now in the possession of the State Library, having fallen into the hands of the government when California became a part of the United States.
The nineteenth century was ushered in amid great irregularities of nature, characteristic of this coast. We take some information out of a letter of Herme- negildo Sal, captain of the presidio at Monterey, written to the governor under date of October 31, 1800, informing the latter that the mission at San Juan Bautista has been visited by severe earthquakes since the eleventh of that month, that Pedro Andriano Mar- tinez, one of the Fathers of said mission, had given the report of six severe shocks in one day, and that there was not a single habitation, though all built with double walls, but were injured, but that most all were threatened with ruin, so that the fathers were com- pelled to sleep in wagons and other outdoor places to avoid the danger awaiting them in the uninhabitable houses. Furthermore, he states of some cracks and openings observed near the rancheria and in the neighborhood of the river Pajaro, all caused by the earthquakes. In addition, he gives the report of severe earthquakes as witnessed by other persons.
Other heavy earthquakes were felt at the presidio of
San Francisco, from June 21st to July 17th. Captain Luis Arguello told that all the walls of his residence at said place became cracked, and an antechamber was destroyed, and he was in fear for the safety of the barracks in the Fort (castillo.)
Fortunately with these earthquakes, there was no great damage done either to property or to life. But the people of California were not always equally fortunate. While services were in progress on a Sab- bath in September, 1812, at San Juan Capistrano, an earthquake shook down the church, the roof falling in, killing thirty persons. The church at Santa Inez was also totally destroyed.
Later, the church at the mission of Santa Clara was destroyed by an earthquake in 1818.
The Spanish watchfulness of the former century had given away, or had become lax, when, in 1807, the Russians first appeared on the coast of California, show- ing unmistakably their intention to becomean interested party. The Czar's embassador to Japan, Count Von Rosanoff, in the month of May, came down from Sitka ostensibly for supplies, and attempted to estab- lish communication between Russian America and the Spanish settlements. The better to effect this pur- pose, he became engaged in marriage with the daughter of Luis Arguello, the commandant at the presidio of San Francisco ; but on account of their religious faiths -he belonging to the Greek, she to the Roman Cath- olic Church-and on his way home, to obtain the sanction of his emperor, being fully twelve days apart, he was thrown from his horse and killed. The lady assumed the habit of a nun, and mourned for her lover till death. The death of the Count put an end to further negotiations, and in a very different sense Russia took possession of the port at Bodega in 1812, with a force of one hundred soldiers and as many Kodiac Indians. Soon they went on to build a fort and maintained themselves by force of arms until 1841, when the establishment was sold to Captain John A. Sutter, of Sutter's Fort, and they quietly moved away. In 1838, this settlement at Fort Ross contained eight or nine hundred inhabitants, stockaded forts, mills, shops and stables. The farmers produced a great abundance of grain, vegetables, butter and cheese, which products were shipped to Sitka to sup- ply the northern fur stations of Alaska.
CHAPTER IV.
CALIFORNIA UNDER MEXICAN REGIME.
Mexican Revolution in 1822-California Officials Transfer Their Allegiance from Spain to Mexico-The Indians not Look- ing at it in an equally peaceful way, show an imitation of
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CALIFORNIA UNDER MEXICAN REGIME.
Truer Colors-Representation of California Under Territo- rial System-California versus Moctezuma-Colonization Law -- Secularization of the Missions-Value of the Wild Animals Found Out-The Trappers-J. S. Smith's Letter -Soliz Surprising Monterey-Governor Victoria to Con- front Another Rebellion-His Resignation-Figueroa Gov- ernor-The Colony Under Hijar Arrives-Santa Ana- Pronunciamento at Los Angeles-Fourth Rebellion, Alva- rado, Castro -Alvarado Finally Accredited - Bestowing His Followers with Gratifications -The Discontented Ar- rested and Sent to San Blas, but Released on Appeal of their Countrymen-Quarreling between Alvarado and Val- lejo -Gen. Micheltorena Arrives to Remove Both-His Army-Commodore T. A. C. Jones at Monterey.
But we must go back to one of the most important events in the history of California under the Spanish regime.
In 1822, Mexico declared her independence of Spain, and California followed suit.
On the 9th day of April, 1822, ten of the principal officials of California, including the Governor and his proxy, the father President, signed at Monterey a declaration of independence from Spain, transferring their allegiance to Mexico. Thus the province was changed over to a new master without a struggle or bloodshed, making hardly one more ripple on the political sea.
When the Indians at San Diego received the news of the doings in Mexico they held a great feast, and closed the ceremonies and the day by starting a bonfire and burning their chief alive. When the mis- sionaries remonstrated, the savages logically answered : "Have not you done the same in Mexico? You say your king was not good, and you killed him ; well, our captain was not good, and we burned him. If the new one is bad we will burn him too !"
In 1824, Mexico again changed from the monarch- ical system to the republican, similar in form to that of the United States, and California simply had to accept the situation, she not having population enough for a State, had no vote in Congress. Thus she became a Territory, and as such she was entitled to one dele- gate in Congress, who had the right to speak but could not vote; to have a Governor whose title was to be "Political Chief of the Territory," and to have a legislature called the "Territorial Deputation." This deputation came very near making its name renowned on July 13, 1827, by entertaining the proposition of changing the name of California to "Moctezuma," but it failed.
A colonization law was passed in Congress and issued in August, 1824, being in many respects so liberal that it served as a manifestation of the change in policy; that California was no longer estimated as a monastic province; that
in the contest between Church and State the latter came near triumphing. This was even more clearly demonstrated when, four years later, Congress adopted some rules for the enforcement of the colon- ization law, one of which was the secularization of the missions. One year before the secularization, in 1827, the Mexican government had taken out of the Pious Fund, the private property of the church, the sum of $78,000 ; and soon after the whole Fund, con- sisting of real estate investments, etc., was confiscated by the Mexican Congress. All this being the work of a new party having sprung up, and Governor Echean- dia elected by this party, commenced to enforce the secularization laws in 1830, but his term ran out too soon and his successor, Governor Victoria, put a stop to the attempt. The struggle between the two parties -one for maintenance, the other for the destruction of the missions-went on and was continued with varying success until 1834, when the attempts of the home government after actual colonization, which was formed with the purpose, on the part of the Mex- ican President, of placing the commerce of California into the hands of the colony, showing the final end of the contest in no far future. The purpose of this plan, however, was never reached on account of the change in politics. Santa Ana, usurping the pres- idency, he in haste sent counter orders overland to annul the whole plan ; and when Hijar, who had been sent thither to become Governor of California, landed at San Diego, September 1, 1834, under this newest condition, entered since his departure from Mexico, he found himself only the leader of a disappointed colony which came with him to the country. This whole colony was sent to the mission at San Francisco de Solano, north of San Francisco, to show their ability in starting a colony without the aid of the government .*
We have to go back to the early time of the Russian occupation in California when the Cal- ifornia officials had been shown and taught the great wealth that was stored up in the rivers and lakes of the interior of the Territory, which could be made an important source of revenue. The furs of the different wild animals being of high value they sold licenses to trappers. And to the trappers, without any doubt, is due the better knowledge of the country, its value and resources, here and abroad. Roaming all over the country, they soon became better informed than the Spaniard ever had been, and a good many of them stayed here and became settlers, making up not the slightest part of
* The brig this colony arrived in, and which was wrecked on the 14th of October, in the harbor of Monterey was the "Natalia," the same that on Feb- ruary 26, 1815, had borne Napoleon 1 on his flight from Elba.
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
that formidable foreign element that took a foothold all along the coast. We have mentioned already that the missions were not in favor of the colonization settlement, but this foreign element was observed with far more mistrust by the church, and even the civil government of one party was not in favor of it, as we will show in the events a few years later. For illus- trating how the church watched these foreigners with all possible suspicion, we give an instance which hap- pened in 1827 : A company of American trappers, commanded by the first American that ever had set foot on California soil, from over the mountains, were encamped near the mission of San Jose, then in charge of Father Duran; the latter having got notice of the encampment, sent over an Indian to ascertain what for they were there. J. S. Smith, the leader of the party, sent the following letter as an answer :
Reverend Father : I understand through the me- dium of one of your christian Indians that you are anxious to know who we are, as some of the Indians have been at the mission and informed you that there were certain white people in the country. We are Americans, on our journey to the river Columbia. We were in at the mission San Gabriel in January last. I went to San Diego and saw the General and got a passport from him to pass on to that place. I have made several efforts to cross the mountains, but the snow being so deep I could not succeed in getting over. I returned to this place (it being the only point to kill meat) to wait a few weeks until the snow melts, so that I can go on; the Indians here also being friendly, I consider it the most safe point for me to remain until such time as I can cross the mountains with my horses, having lost a great many in attempting to cross ten er fifteen days since. I am a great ways from home and am anxious to get there as soon as the nature of the case will admit. Our situation is quite unpleasant, being destitute of clothing and most of the necessa- ries of life, wild ment being our principal subsistence. I am, Reverend Father, your strange but real friend and christian brother, J. S. SMITH.
May 19, 1827.
More serious troubles between the leading parties in California culminated in 1830, when, one night, a hundred armed men, under Soliz, surprised the terri- torial capital, Monterey, capturing it in a bloodless victory-no one was hurt. But only a few weeks later the right and lawful party of Governor Echeandia had gained strength enough to get their positions back, and nothing remained to give account of this insurrection except a clause in the Soliz' manifesto, declaring his intentions to "not interfere with the foreigners of the country." This evidently shows that the foreign element was not looked at in the
same favor by both political parties ; that it became sufficiently strong, however, on the coast to refer to it in political operations.
When Governor Victoria got in office, one of his first acts was to order a couple of convicted cattle thieves to be shot on the plaza. Cattle stealing was stopped for a while, but his enemies declaring this shooting not to be authorized by law, took it up as a pretense leading to another little rebellion. The hos- tile forces met near Los Angeles, Victoria followed by about thirty soldiers and friends, called upon the rebel leader to surrender, and here he learned for the first time that his friend Portala, whom he had trusted most, was against him in arms. Observing such base: treachery, Victoria was seized with fury, and drawing his saber attacked the enemy far ahead of his follow- ers, driving them almost single-handed from the field. The Governor kept up pursuing the enemy to the mission of San Gabriel, but his own numerous wounds forced him to halt, and in this state, not longer being ab'e to defend himself and his defenders, dead or wounded, his only alternative was to give his word to the opposing party, to resign as Governor and leave the territory. He kept his word as a brave man, returned to Mexico, entered a cloister and devoted the remain- ing years of his life to religious pursuits. In this conflict, and on the Governor's side, one of his bravest supporters, the grandfather of our late Governor Pacheco, found his death.
After Victoria had left, California was given to mis- rule and anarchy, and when in January, 1833, Jose Figueroa was inaugurated as Governor, the country had the happiest day since a long time. He had quite a difficult standpoint, placed right in between the two parties. He was expected to deal justly between these two contending elements, and to render justice to either was to gain the ill-will of the other. More trouble arrived from the outside with a colony of three hundred persons, arriving under the leader- ship of Hijar, sent by the Mexican government to take charge of affairs in California. But before they reached it, Santa Ana, after having overturned the home government, and usurped the presidency, sent orders overland which gave Figueroa control over the colony and its governor. He consequently sent them to the mission of San Francisco de Solano, but event- ually they became a great trouble to the governor and the country ; some of them, banded together in conspiracy, gathered a discontented element of more than fifty, and on March 7th, 1835 they started a pronunciamento at Los Angeles, but not having friends sufficient, and not getting the looked for encouragement, the affair ended with the day.
Figueroa died six months later. He had been an
GEO. G.BLANCHARD.
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CALIFORNIA UNDER MEXICAN REGIME.
able statesman and conscientious ruler and over all a true friend. He finally got heartsick and discouraged; while living, his people gave him little peace, but loved and honored him when dead. He was the ablest governor Mexico gave to California.
Another revolution, the fourth in all, broke out in 1836, one Juan B. Alvarado, a clerk of the terri- torial deputation, on account of some difficulty with Governor Guitierrez had to leave the capital to avoid arrest, and with the help of Isaac Graham, a Tennes- see trapper, after a few days had put in the field an insurgent army of thirty American riflemen and about twice as many mounted Californians under command of Jose Castro, Alvarado being the commander-in- chief. One night in November they advanced on and took the territorial capital, Monterey; the governor and his seventy men having shut themselves up in the fort, surrendered with the firing of the first gun. Guitierrez with his officials was made to leave the country, and Alvarado usurped the office in his stead. M. G. Vallejo was appointed military Commander- General, and Jose Castro, Prefect of Police; and on the 7th of November the country was declared a free and independent State, providing, that in the case the then existing Central Government of Mexico should be overthrown and a federal constitution adopted in its stead, California should enter the fede- ration with the other States. The commandants of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, however, refused to acknowledge the new administration, and Alvarado with his army marched upon Los Angeles, where, in- stead of a bloody battle, an agreement was entered into between Alvarado and Castello that the former should recognize the existing Central Government of Mexico and be proclaimed political-chief of California, pro tem., while the latter was going to Mexico as deputy to Congress, to be paid an annual salary of three thousand piasters.
ing myself with the rest of the division and the artil- lery to guard the point."
Alvarado, thus left master of the situation, was soon after, in 1839, confirmed as Constitutional Governor of California by the Mexican government, notwith- standing he had been the leader of the rebellion. But now in office, he did not forget his followers, by whose assistance only, he had been enabled to reach the position his ambition had been striving after for a long time, but bestowed upon them as a gratification, large grants of land, money and live stock, all confiscated from the possessions of the missions. Thus Isaac Graham, Captain of the American sharpshooters, obtained a large tract of land and two hundred mules. Commandant-General Vallejo received the goods and chattels of the missions San Rafael and Solano; Cas- tro, the prefect of police, took possession of the prop- erty of San Juan Bautista, while the governor himself appropriated the rich spoils of the missions of San Carmel and Soledad. Many of the English and Ameri- cans, not known for modesty, and dissatisfied with their share of the paid reward, openly declared but for them Alvarado would not have succeeded, as well as he could not continue without them in office, and conspired together, their final object being the admis- sion of California into the American Union. The conspirators, forty-six in number, twenty-five English and twenty-one Americans, all under Graham's com- mand, were surprised in a log hut near Monterey, on the night of April 7th, 1840; Alvarado having learned of their intentions, sent Castro with a party of sol- diers after them. The soldiers were ordered to fire a full volley into the hut, which disabled and crippled many of them. All the rest were taken prisoners, as such, sent first to San Blas but afterwards to Tepic, and got treatment like convicts. However, their suf- fering did not last very long, because on an appeal of the Americans and English in California to the Mexi- can government and president, the latter got alarmed at the view of some war with both these nations and
This arrangement, however, not being satisfactory to the Mexican Government, did not get accredited, and Carlos Corilla, Alverado's uncle, was appointed hurried to order the exiled prisoners sent back to Cal- governor. He accepted the appointment and declared ifornia, and an indemnification of three piasters a day paid to them for their loss of time. After their return home they immediately took to the old design with so much more energy and zeal, as they desired to revenge themselves on Alvarado and Castro for the outrageous treatment. And sure enough, they, and all those who had been befriended or influenced by them opposed everything Alvarado, Castro or Vallejo undertook. Finally a misunderstanding arose between the gov- ernor and Vallejo, growing wider and wider, until each one became anxious to get rid of the other. Both wrote to the home government asking for the other's removal. And the government promptly complied with both war upon Alvarado, but was captured by the latter's sol- diers with the assistance of Graham's American sharp- shooters. Of this battle General Castro reported to Governor Alvarado under date of March 28, 1838, as follows: "I have the honor to announce to your ex- cellency, that after two days continued fighting with- out having lost but one man, the enemy took flight under cover of night, numbering one hundred and ten men; and I have determined to dispatch one company of mounted infantry, under command of Captain Villa, and another of cavalry lancers under command of Captain Cota, in their pursuit, remain-
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HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
San Diego in August, 1842, and was received in princely style, because he was sustained by an army of three or four hundred veteran convicts from the Mex- ican prisons. On his way from San Diego to Los Angeles he received the news that Commodore T. A. C. Jones, on October 20, 1842, had seized Monterey, hoisted the American flag, and declared that Upper California was the property of the United States. Micheltorena, after his arrival at the mission of San Fernando, issued the following brief proclamation to the people of California : "Drive all your horses and cattle from the seaboard to the mountains, and starve out the enemy."
Jones between the time having learned that he had made a serious mistake in supposing that the United States had declared war against Mexico, the next day lowered his flag, and apologized by firing a salute as the Mexican flag was run up again, and sailed towards Mazatlan on October 2Ist. In a bill made out by the California government concerning this affair an item of "$3,000" was figured, "for damages to the Mexi- can troops, because of their rapid march in the interior on receipt of the news of the seizure of Monterey."
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