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Greetings!
Independence Day is coming soon, so it got me thinking : what was Monterey like on July 4th, 1776?
Next year will mark 250 years of the United States, but it will also mark 250 years of Spain's expedition to colonize Alta California (New Spain) led by Juan Bautista de Anza. The expedition was unique in that families (women and children) were also recruited as part of the journey from areas now known in Arizona and Mexico as Sinaloa, Tubac, Mexico City, and Sonora. Some 240 - 300 colonial Spaniards left In March of 1776 along with indigenous guides and vaqueros. When they arrived at the Presidio of Monterey in 1776 to rest, several families from the de Anza expedition stayed behind and settled here. Most of the families continued on their way towards the San Francisco Bay Area. At that time, the Presidio was not at the Lower Presidio Historic Park - instead it was the area surrounding Lake El Estero and the Royal Presidio Chapel, with remnants of the first Presidio walls still visible near Fremont Street. Only about 50 people arrived with the Serra and Portola expedition in 1770 and minimal between 1770-1776. As the Mission had moved from Monterey to San Carlos, I imagine that less than 100 non-indigenous people lived here in the Monterey Peninsula at the time that 13 colonies declared independence across the other side of the country. Monterey was sparsely populated by settlers in 1776, however many of these people had a lasting legacy on the spaces and history you see today.
In 1776, there were an estimated 300,000 indigenous peoples living across California. By 1846 when the United States claimed California, the population had decreased by at least 50% to under 150,000.
Some of the families that stayed during this expedition ended up being related to the "Californios" of early Monterey history. Note that the term "Californio" tends to mean anyone with Spanish or Mexican background who was here when the United States claimed California.
Another anniversary is also coming up - the raising of the flag at the Custom House, claiming Alta California for the United States. On July 7th, 1846 Commander Sloat landed and raised the American flag at the Custom House without a fight. Due to the treaty of Gudalupe Hidalgo, all Californios became American citizens by 1850.
If you want to learn more about the earliest residents of early California, you can find more at the Huntington Library database on baptisms, marriage, and burials at California Missions. Or to find out more about the de Anza expedition, you can read the camp diaries of de Anza, Font, and Garces here.
Warmly,
Brian
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