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Possibly it was the limited ability to pay for services which Trustees for enat1]nent...were passed within a month of the 1858 Court order. , promoted-at best-limited civic enthusiasm for the legislative incorporation. #: On Monday,February 1st as well as on the 9th, 16th and 23rd and on March 20th, Ilf , �;''••• ttarious Ordinances were passed indicating Trustee meetings.Also,the Supervisori• ''1. received a,request from "the Board of Trustees of the Town of San Luis Obispo" The Act of 1856 directed the County Court to call for the first Board of Trustees on March 1st asking for space in the County jail for"Town purposes." Crime and ., election. Six months later, on July 7, 1856 County Judge Romualdo Pacheco 4 iolehce were paramount to the residents as a few months later they formed a ' ordered an election of three trustees for the Town.While the Boards of Supervisors ,• 'Vigilance Committee. were responsible for recognizing townships, the courts were responsible for the initial election. Pacheco ordered the Court Clerk to post the notice of the r`.'. Thus, locally there must have been a sense of progress as the Legislature had ! i pending election in three places in the community and William J. Graves was decreed San Luis Obispo a Town, an election was held and laws passed to begin Inspector for the election to be held at the Court House. The court I {nunicipal governance.Any relief was short lived. directive was for an election; not to incorporate. There is no indication in the Supervisor or County Court minutes of a Town. Indeed in the 1850 law in order on April 26, 1858, the 1856 Act was repealed.The repealing legislation provided ., to qualify for incorporation, there must have been at least 200 inhabitants with a mi substitute direction except to annul the earliet`-a . Thus, much of the land in majority petitioning for Town status.While women and children were included in r - (11S..(:-1--- the 'no longer incorporated Town of San Lois`Obispo remained in the public 1 the census, it is likely only adult males signed any petition. It seems improbable `{: domain. One local resident incorrectly decided this "left the citizens to their own there were suffident residents to sign any petition (if one was required)in 1856. initiative." Nonetheless, years later, the Legislature acknowledged February 1, For the entire County of San Luis Obispo, the total vote in the same year for the 1858 as the official Town organizational date for the purpose of`settling title President of the United States was only 205. �cfaims to property.This w tht date of the first O1-di, nom:passed by the Ti•usteeari. , " " � '` R•., t r. There is no record of an election being held to comply with Judge Pachec :To sr r�" arize a rat convoluted course: by the kprtl.18;18, there was ncl ;I -; t: A year and one-half later on January fifth, the new County Judge Munch& ' . "'t't'longer an official "Town" of San Luis Obispo as the incorporation decreed by the i •tit-tiered an election for three Town Trustees on January 23rd. If there had been a• . i r' Legislature was repealed. There had been an election and Ordinances passed,but ;1 previous election, the Court was not empowered to order any election except for k; now there was no legal entity upon which•to enforce the Ordinances, Did the 1 the first. Other than the first one elections according to the 1556 Act were the County now assume governance for the County seat? It seems unlikely,that this was responsibility of the Town and held yearly on the first Monday in May Additionally, a popular idea with either the County officials or the residents of the former Town. all existing Town minutes record the Trustees calling for an election an as a � Board o vassers—certifying the results - .;4.�": i A . .;••If the Legislature_(revised April 19, 1856) refused to acknowledge a Town, the,/ . was another way...coinply with the 180 Act and sign a petition. Additionally. by-- 0`-« Additionally, the County Con .; sible 'or certifying tltlection of following the procedures outlined in the earlier legislation allowed for municipal - County officials and issuing a certificate to each successful candida`' e. There is taxation to a maximiuwone.perFetKperonc,hundred 1iplla"rsassessment I ";' no mention in the records of the Court doing so for any Town election. With or - . I . . - - - -- k.' With no for!ueI Town organization, the Board of Supervisors became quasi-town 1858 Incorporation again .11',I officials as had the Court of Sessions. The first Supervisors' meeting was on On.June 15, .1858, the newly appointed County District Attorney, W.J. Craves, Decetriher IS with members John Wilson, Francisco 7. Branch,Joaquin Estrada, was directed by the Board of Supervisors "to draw and circulate for signing" a . William G. Dana and S.A.Pollard-elected Chairman by his peers.The Board's first petition to incorporate San Luis Obispo as a Town. Graves had already served in L" item of business was to appoint William L. Beebe to replace Dana. As County the State Assembly and was undoubtedly familiar with both the 1850 and 1856 Treasurer, Dana was ineligible to become his own.employer.The colorful Parker H. Acts of incorporation. He most likely suggested the petition which was"indefinitely French was appointed District Attorney. During these early years, many names , postponed" at the next Supervisors' meeting on August fifth. Five days later, appear in both County and local records as some held a variety of offices. As with however, the residents petitioned for incorporation which was granted immediately most of California,early officials were born elsewhere in America—even the world. with an election ordered on the twenty-fifth of the tame month. The total County vote in 1852 was 123. Eight years later it grew to 423. • Thus on August 10, 1858 the Town of San Luis Obispo was officially born (again) NM An Act to Incorporate the Town of San Luis Obispo to the satisfaction of the Legislature!The community's new status was probably of After the Federal refusal to recognize the settlement as a pueblo, the State legis- little interest to many of those who long considered it home. The compelling Llatorst attempted to help when "An Act to Incorporate the Town of San Luis question remained as to who owned what property within the new Town's borders Obispo"was passed on February 19. It would not be the first law to incorporate. as incorporation did not automatically confer municipal ownership. A definitive The Act provided that the "district" within the County"shall be a corporation" answer was ten years away. t?"..._A-- with ers to sue, "grant, purchase, bold and receive property" and enjoy the ki other benefits conferred in the 1850 Act. The earlier law was specifically incor- porated in 1856 as long as there was no conflict with the new law. it is unclear if the Court...now supplanted by the Board of Supervisors...was to approve any petition for a township. If it was still required, it may have been ignored as thereN44 Certainly,the available evidence points tee a"'°l itkluster response to the Town's ofliciaJ `- 1 is no record of any such action at this time. There arc few'documents as to what • standing. After all, what security was there to govern that which was not owned? pa4 do impact (if any) the new legislation had upon the residents. While in the earlier September 24,six Ordinances were passed and one on October 7.This second series law five Trustees were to be elected, the number was reduced to three for San , of laws mostly duplicated the first series begun the previous February. Thus, there ' Luis Obispo six years later. The Minutes of the Board of Supervisors from this were at least two Trustee meetings to address the"new"series. It is not clear from the "period alternatively refer to the "district;" "village" and `town" of San Luis existing records if there were any other Board of Trustee meetings as any minutes Obispo, but the designations are inconsistent and seem not to be based upon prior to May of 1870 have yet to be found. some legal status. The scanty records, however, do provide a few clues discussed below. ' J s K _ Angel writes of these years: Ordinances wcrc passed to provide'for maintaining 'r Hsi. , .. - ''.+4'4>.4..,:r-A,..-,r,.r ":�, K I. „� ,, -ql- order, naming streets, keeping them clean and in repair, licensing businesses, Thus, at least to the lawmakers in Sacramento, the own tad the powers o 'a and other purposes. There appears to have been but little attention to the corporation "in perpetual succession,” but the Trustees did "not have the power > incorporation, and it nearly died out..." Furthermore, he states that the Town to contract any debts or liabilities.:.," bcyot}d$500.unless-two irrds of the voters , was.organized in May of 1859 with C. H.Johnson as President. It is recalled that I �. r _ . •,i._ iiii,_Fib '. l Jo->'i . is a major source of information for Angel's County history and probably X-' c• (Ntin ee f 0.4z.it ll;') �}im )C• t Thiune editor the date. What Angel printed refers to the third set of Town t .,.one of which repealed the first two sets. The rejection by the Land Commission must have been very discouraging to those .,''T.`i , who envisioned a much larger settlement than a Town in addition to some legal ;t 7 ,An invaluable source of information from this era is a pamphlet entitled "History, mechanism to substantiate title to property as well as guidelines to develop local Itws and Ordinances of the of San Luis ()hispo" dated May 28, 1870, The governance.Who would want to settle,let alone purchase property,in a place with rarely seen document declared the municipality was "now running smoothly." By no official recognition? However,any unresolved legal tide to land did not prevent ^ then, issues were addressed in a series of ordinances some of which were repealed continuing purchases...and resale...of vast tracts in the area by a relatively few and passed again with new ordinance numbers. The array of laws detailed in the people as rancho titles were recognized by the Land Commission. publication point to a concerted effort to provide for the Town's welfare.It lists the ilia ordinance as "passed May 5th, 1859" noting Johnson as President and Thomas While of minor importance in terms of population,San Luis Obispo was represented 11. Benton.as Clerk. The title of President seems to be in error as Chairman,is most in Sacramento as local men were elected to the Legislature.Residents were aware of often used is preserved Town minutes. Equaling interesting is Ordinance 21 passed the laws.Assembly members included William J.Graves (1855, 1857),Walter Murray , can the last day of May which repealed all previous ordinances from February 1858 to (1859),Charles 1i.Johnson (1861),and Charles W. Dana (1862). In the Senate, the May 5, 1859. The repealed Ordinances–included in later laws–addressed pressing most famous Town resident was Rotnualdo Pacheco—serving for five terms...who municipal issues: dogs, cleaning streets, disorder!; . « a poll tax, firearms, , went on to become the State's only Hispanic Governor in 1875.His brother;Mariano, �-_. 'R .. served in the Assembly in 1.852 and 1855. k Marshal fees, haystacks,and a Town seal. y In �a�ny case, the Board consisted of three members. Other than Johnson, another 1850:An Act to Provide for the Incorporation of Towns member was attorney Peter A. Forrester who held a variety of civic positions. On The lawmakers in Sacramento complied with the State's Constitution when it enacted -ei..unc 10, 1859 he signed a deed as,-"President pro tempore" of the Board of Trustees=• legislation to incorporate settlements on March '7. _.six months before Statehood' g 1 is 'fit g p '`' is Johnson was probably away fit the Town. The common practice of the same �.,,, y Locally, little attention was paid to this Act as the application to the Land Commissio 4., '1erson appearing in various civic rules is evident: Forrester,a Town"Trustee was ass* 1 �`=mac declared a pueblo (town) was the focus of the local resid '." serving as Clerk to the Board of Supervisors. While Houton was noted as'the To.1'316,. F g' p sip s .�..}; Clerk, his name appeared shortly thereafter as Clerk to the Board of Supervisors. , However, the State Supreme Court declared the 1850 Legislative provisions fo tit- and the County Court. the incorporation of towns illegal because the residents of a settlement wishing to be recognized as a town were required to_petition the local Court of Sessions. The • ^1� '' ` ^ .. highest court ruled against the judiciary assuming the legislative function of town ask Yam lrr" "' stir t l f .*;(00 , '; + g B 1 rY' A R '• -��' xTd��• �' �,"• i Iiu ul uiatiutls. On May :3, 1852 tlit' solons in Saclaintntil ten oiukd iw passing t 4 ,---....9v' iii y P (' 8•� �s. ;;� ��� �,. Rte; p ;,# " 4 a law creating Boards of Supervisors...a legislative body...to determine township �_ ,. K F�`r'M+. v. Notwithstanding •s oi• t -ts at:ivc etrtrt en eats,t le *, of San Luis Obispo was .,t'.‘. status among other duties. Fortunately, the Supervisor records are preserved and still an obscure settlement between the north and the south. incorporation was ! provide official insights into the early County governance. Even the County Court not accompanied by any,substantial directions for local,citizens on how to address records are included in these early Minutes. Mexican Governor of California had decided the forcnerssion establishment was a f the myriad of issues facing any community.-State directions prirmu wa h necl.# Mi pueblo, there was no such decree by the greater authorities in Meatieo City. I whatever was done must he accomplished with few taxes.There were some mocials 1 from Other communities as well as the commonsense of the few leaders who were Contt'rently, California's second Bishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany also petitioned i required to promote their municipality with minimal resources.Regardless of the new the-Land Commission on behalf of each mission including San Luis Obispo for legal status or size, there was a continuing demand to establish a civil and judicial ,some land on February 19, 1853. While there had never been any Spanish or 1 system to address the residents' needs as well as a system of assessments, *Wean land grant to any mission or the Catholic Church, the Land Commission trade a distinction between Mission property and church property. Basically, the The prima,y concern remained the legal title to lands, but there were equally latter category having a "foundation of perpetuity" included church buildings, I important issues of health and safety, education, revenue, transportation, water cemetery, gardens,and land necessary for the upkeep of the religious community. • sources, fire protection, streets, personnel and the myriad of other responsibilities This property belonged to the church. On the eighteenth of December 1855, the that needed attention. The Court of Sessions had assumed the responsibilities for •Commission agreed to transfer slightly more than fifty-two acres of Mission land to County and Town governance. Both the County and Town built upon their legacy. the Bishop as representative of the Catholic Church as well as a separate claim ,'"awed" by John Wilson called the Laguna parcel. President Buchanan signed the Communications—especially with the State Capitol and San Francisco...were ii.. 'final decree in 1859 and the Federal patent just for the Laguna property was the I extremely important and rudimentary as there was no telegraph, newspaper, railway, first recorded in the County by mid-October This was the first time in all Mission ; stagecoach or.regular mail service.Angel recalls one early mail rider by the name of 4,- (' „..2...,...1_ history that the Catholic Church owned any Mission land. In the past, the padres Smith stopping at Pollard's store to leave and pick up any letters. One day, Smith acted as trustees for the native pop r %',, . ,.m.-." disappeared near Santa inc r and was assumed murdered in the atria.Such the fate d'` c of many Who traveled through the "cow counties." While the Town was at the cross- 1 ow, at east, some`an in the sett eiitent ha cal underpinnings. roads between the north and south, it was often the last to receive news from either. Ucspr a any issues 'MTh-land, +sac' (.)1311171—.) grew' ten artist/traveler i After American occupation, mail was`carried'by iorsertaacc in sernrmonthly relays.+,'„,' Miller stopped in the "little town" in the summer of 1856, he estimated ttrei'e`were by the military. By 1855 there was a post office with Alexander Murray, the brother;; about 150 houses. Most of these were the adobe huts left from the natives who of Walter, as the first Federal Postmaster succeeding Pollard who used his store as a lived near the Mission. He was told by "a very intelligent" man that the American pick-up and drop-off point and had no such formal appointment. A stagecoach government "was very badly sustained" locally with few residents to guard either a carried mail and passengers north while horseback carriers went south. There was life or property. Issues of personal safety undoubtedly overshadowed thoughts of no guarantee that mail arrived safely or that it even arrived. Undoubtedly receiving incorporation. stagecoach service in 186l between San Francisco and Los Angeles promoted 4,, growth and communication. The ride...let alone the dangc:r...o1•a stagecoach trip : : -•'°' ^t '" ;w1.,,;-1 fivy=.. Y r was anything but leisurely. Many years later in the summer of 1879, the Western -- u -► Union Telegraph Company requested permission from the Trustees for the "right .^ . :;: ... ,,;r , ,, ;,pm:,.., .. ,. of way through the town limits" to install poles. It was granted inunediately. Now ,..,fir; San Luis Obispo was finally connected to the world. ,,,, , i r -7 1 'e Information improved with Ilse first newspaper but travel continued to be difficult. While a survey was completed in 1850, no required inccorpot tlon petition was ,.,The,railroad connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles through San Luis Obispo presented to the Court if indeed there were 200 people to sign one. Thus, there 4 i►as t -st rter century away, Even some facility to dock ships in the bay at Avila was neither a town nor any legal mechanism to ascertain property ownership within two .was lfis Infancy when the 1,800-foot People's Wharf in Avila opened for business the surveyed boundaries. While the County boundaries were established, the taiga I d,r.0- in t e; m`fi0s. survey had no State or Federal approval. If the residents wanted a town other than by personal determination, they were required to follow the legislation.Some pioneers Simply finding any space tb conduct official business was a challenge. For this, the thought there was a better way. Mission came to the.rescue. It is best here to clarify that John Wilson "purchased" the Mission in 1845 for $510 from Mexican Governor Pio Pico. The Land ,e.....,9 — Commission did not ratify this purchase.However,the first County operations were in the Mission convento wing (the structure facing the modern Plaza) rented from The first official activity to determine boundaries and ownership by local resi- Wilson. dents...many already in possession of property..,was taken in 1853 when Charles H.Johnson prepared a petition that requested recognition of San Luis Obispo not The first County courthouse was not built until 1873. The Classic Greek Revival as a town but as a "pueblos Johnson was familiar with the area as he came as structure received praise from a San Francisco paper as being 'fully worthy of a i Inspector of Customs for the Port of San Luis in 1852 and permanently moved to growing community." Besides County offices, the Town also rented some rooms in the area four years later. He also knew towns were entitled to three square miles of the grand, but poorly ventilated building in 187 demolished in 1940 to land while pueblos received four square leagues (a square league equals about - '°Q make way forth argent building. 4,500 acres). This was the size assigned to a pueblo by the Spanish Laws of the , Indies and would have provided considerably more acreage than State laws.As the Crime in the decade after Statehood was rampant and , raperty and corporate owner, Sate Luis C)bispo would then legally own the land within its l'municipality legalities were put aside as the Mission-puehl ,, on addressed this 1,1 boundaries (and thus be able to 1ef,��tll ~ feu property to others who claim , . Feven more pressing issue. In 1858, Walter Murray dispatched several long I+ ownership). Recognition as a former pueblo was important for anyone ownen 'f r •accounts of the local "ten years of bloodshed" to the San Francisco Bulletin. In;. , + property within it as tlte:f:ind t:��mi A would not con '�ual clot ivi engthy articles Murray wrote graphic accounts of.murders and mayhem with Litt! c: witlrtn recognized settlement" a- ccountin to the law until the formation of the Vigilance Committee. Indeed .. ` �` = �4, '.." 13 S' 1,‘ �.urray .recalled successfully defending one notorious criminal. The future Jahn. re's claim was based upon his research ot'Alta California gove?t nment's tiers 'L)istrict CDort judge: reported that while fire evidence was "slights agatinst his in 1834 to create a pueblo with the former Mission simply as the town's church. In client, the jury included one man who was a fugitive from murder charge and p March• 1853, the petition to be declared a "pueblo" was filed with the;.Land 1 another reportedly an accomplice of the defendant' " e are helpless," he wan:, +, , Commission. Attorney's Hallech, Peachy, and Billings admitted the petition were .„ r , unable to submit any documentation for the claim. The petition was rejected on 4°',4 The unchecked .f , o • riot and resident:, were unwillin Y' ,'.' i August 1, 1854. The Commission reached its decision as "no proofs of any character"..-,,,41 wait for the State and County gov 'rnncents to provide help.Mirroring the activitie •r,, were presented to them. Additionally, no support for the petition carne from th sit.4 in San,Francisco,a Vij re lance Committee was formed on May 20, 1858,The 148 men L)isuict Court fourteen months later. Possibly unknown at the time, while the first hea ..,.wears my wheelbarrow." The first undertaker survived the gruesome who signed the charter provide a"Who's Who of the Town and County of the time. detail to.make the first.County branding iron.The temporary graveyard was not to i Some of those who signed also donated$1525 to defray expenses.The self deputized ;� d 'many yeah. men proceeded to dispense "justice" in attempting to promote better order in 0 'ii•,r, the community. Any discussion of Vigilante justice becomes more complicated •. .,Opening a store in a County beset by bandits of all sorts and in a settlement with 1 - when some communities responded to crime with indiscriminate lynching. , ..no hank, stage and only an occasional schooner docking in the Bay of San this Concepts of"due process"for the accused were ever changing.At best,the local meant most trips to San Francisco required the rider"to enjoy a lonely mule ride citizenry ignored the law in their attempts to achieve peace and justice. Locally, 'Oaf) nearly 300 miles." Pollard should also have added that such a ride became the incidences of violence by and toward criminals appear to diminish. increasingly dangerous. Crime, including many unsolved murders, plagued the , new County as elsewhere. Indeed, the ten years from 1850 to 1860 in California Unfortunately,while forcefully taking a prisoner from the County jail,the place was were some of the most dangerous in American history.Walter Murray wrote of the made "impracticable to secure"more prisoners. Sheriff Castro wrote to the Board "disappearance of several travelers, or finding of dead bodies or skeletons on the of Supervisors as to the damage to the jail by the Vigilance Committee as well as roads leading out north and south from here." advising them "that the handcuffs and shackles in my possession"were useless and YP recommended the purchase of new ones. Searching for a campsite a few days before his arrival in San Luis Obispo in mid-1856, artist Henry Miller recalled the"horrible spectacle...of an human skeleton bound to Initially, law and order depended upon the County sheriff with constables for �'' a tree; part of the bones had fallen to the ground, the flesh had all gone and only each township, a County judge. and justices of the peace. The Town's Marshal rs. k some dried skin-was remaining.The skull laid on the ground,cleft in two towards the performed a multitude of duties including law enforcement. The night watchman left temple." He wisely decided to continue on to Mission San Miguel for safety.Theme could arrest anyone breaking a Town ordinance and the Marshal was later in 1848 the horrendous murder of eleven members of the Reed household is still allowed a deputy. spine chilling. ., ih:, +-► �..— - ,tr If anyone be jailed, there was anon er -Vision room rente or t' I e needed to The des era a times t no c eter dose'whb.wan e o owl'tanc...either 1oi- ,, ' purpose. County functions including the court offices moved in 1851 to William homes, ranches,businesses,speculation or for a town,but ownership required title ' ' G. Dana's Casa Grande, the settlement's first hotel built to the Mission's east. to the property. For San Luis Obispo, being a "town" proved elusive even though The jail did not move until a new one was built. When completed in 1860, the the Legislature passed `An Act to provide for the incorporation of Towns" (1850). San Francisco Alta considered it as a "folly." Costing ten thousand dollars, the Once a majority of residents - which must number at least 200 - petitioned and fortress like structure is depicted in Leon Toussant's painting (circa 1865) of San provided a survey of the area to he incorporated and "a police established for their �� Luis Obispo displayed in. the Mission's Museum. The Town paid Sheriff de Ia local government," the County Court of Sessions would declare the settlement Guerra for any prisoners "lodged in jail." The Town records do not indicate how iincorporated. A town could claim up to three square miles of property.An elected i many or how long any prisoners were "lodged" but a permanent $6 monthly fee ii Board of Town Trustees governed any incorporated town and could levy taxes up to was authorized.Jail was not always a place to wait for release as records indicate one-half percent of assessed valuation. In 1855 towns were granted an increase to prisoners under the supervision of the Marshal were expected to clean the San one percent pj18 p O imutc.bani and tax dpi. . • • this Creek which was the Town's major sewer conduit. - �_ _ , _ , rm + . .AO, ., from selling 1• __ o' than in San Francisco. Obviously, there more than the .v.§ 'r " ,' I mere potential for profit for him to build and stock his store. Wisely, Pollard and his partner, future judge William L. Beebe,built the settlement's first store on the 'Thetnty's population in 1860 was 1,782...over five times the number in just corner of Monterey and Chorro. The lot cost$50 and the building was made of i1 .ten years but still,miniscule compared to the State's growth to nearly 380,000. adobe. His store's grand opening was attended by"all of the old patriarchs of the it. ,,,!Native born were outnumbered by two-to-one. While incorporation assured the county,"Including John Wilson,William G.Dana and Francisco Branch.The three legal Mattis t�s tkf the Town, it did not help with civic improvements as witnessed by � were the most prominent rancho owners of the area. Pollard considered their i William Brewer.'Raveling in the area as part of a government survey team,he-was j I wives the "belles of the County." impressed by the valley's natural beauty but found the Town "a small, miserable place." Pollard and his partner prospered and owned enough property to be taxed slightly over$45 in 1850. Of the 63 residents taxed, this was not the highest amount but far Nonetheless, the Town continued to grow requiring a new survey by County above the 23 County residents who paid under$10. He seemed not to be concerned Surveyor William C. Parker who completed the task in February 1862. A civil that along with paying taxes, he had no assurances he legally owned any property. engineer, Parker extended the Town boundaries of the Hutton survey northwest There was little attention paid to"title."Pollard was a typical early representative of the of the San Luis Creek. Streets were included but most were indications of future County and eventual Town and City. He worked to establish a business but also served developments as there were no easements created through individual parcels. in a variety of capacities in local government.Pollard went on to hold several civic pasts T -- With no planning,more than one "obstacle" was present where a street was to be including County Clerk.The task for any official was difficult as not even the State laws lit* Iocated. Trustee records are replete with requests to have a street"opened"and were readily available. In mid-1851, he wrote to the Governor requesting a copy of the Marshal directed to remove "obstructions." Most were old adobes. them in English. As the first Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, it is unlikely he .F ;ti considered himself a"politician."Most elected officials were merchants,ranch owners, 1863:An Act to Incorporate tilt •of San Luis Obispo ..�, doctors,tradesmen,and entrepreneurs. Not many submitted to do , -:-.. *, •._ 'tut '0.,.,t t;-�.. `'.Barely fiv +ears pas d° from the incorporation grante the Board ,,,: Ike" , ,, : r ., is`' '"`tioNok " ` Theo opening the Pollard and Beebe sto was certainly c ;.Supervisors when the Legislature on April 14th again addressed the issue.This was A.,,, Pe g itiv --' the first legislation specifically addressing the Township since the.repeal of the il 4 early 1850s...nor was the disposal of the dead at this time. Pollard remembered: "We" 1856 Act. While basically the same as the previous legislation, the Board of found upon arriving in San Luis Obispo from San Francisco with stock to furnish our Trustees was expanded to five members with the requirement that,a •Clerk, I store that the cholera was raging." The stench from the dead "in the old adobe Marshal, Treasurer, and Assessor he appointed although the•citizentrpreferred to I house back of the old Mission building"r,(still standing) required burials. However, elect all but the Clerk. Additionally, new powers were extended to the Trustees , Pollard "could get no one to handle the dead, but as disasters make heroes, we including the authority to `a'' fish streets, grant licenses and collect property tax.` -•ound one man in old'man William Breck, an old mountaineer..." Pollard struck a among other responsibilitic . Tax rates varied hut Trustees continued to view eat with Breck: for every body removed and buried Breck received a bottle of municipal government as overseein g the best interests of the Town...not necessaril y cognac. Using a new wheelbarrow provided by his employer, Breck carried eight paying for them. As the County and Town grew, the County seat needed to assume bodies on the first day to their new home on Morro Street near Buchon. Thus, more responsibili,Cies... d resourcea to_.yy...Lo prptnote-,grvtrth,and stability. The concludes Pollard"...old man Breck was San Luis Obispo's first undertaker and the _ . 1 rr — . 1'4 4 . difficulty concealing* In a pocket. He later wrote that he felt iliac a "castaway." Trustee minutes simply by length show a more complex and demanding ccxtltnty. Afccl a night's stay in the Avila's ranch house, he proceeded to the settlement 1 Being a leader was not financially profitable as Trustee pay was designated at one w '"dimensions were very small"with few newer structures.Another article to f dollar a year...a 100 percent raise from previous legislation! the San Francisco Altai related that he found San Luis Obispo to be "very dull," ,aid "beset with evil characters, and robberies are momentarily expected..." I Town officers,fared a bit better in 1869 but it was not unusual for an officer to be ' IttfUtray was admitted to the practice of law by the County judge the next year and paid from collected fees. The Marshal received $15 monthly plus fees comparable benefited from defending some of these "evil characters." s to what the Sheriff charged,the Assessor live dollars a day"actually employed,'and the Treasurer three percent of"all taxes"collected. The principal Of not only) dusty paths were Monterey and Chorro. Street names were utilitarian.Monterey (changed from Mission in 1859) continued north to the ! Finally, the Federal government conducted its own Statewide survey in 1867. old capital of Monterey and Chorro (stream) crossed the one named San Luis. , Angel contends this survey provided the impetus for the Town authorities to act. Isolated by the lack of roads and ships as well as periodically by swollen creeks, San i "and since then greater attention has been paid to the organization." To this uis Obispo was a desolate place. J. Ross Browne who was the reporter f9r the time various legislation included survey information about the Town, but the f Constitutional Convention in 1849 recalled his visit in 1855 when the "only lively municipality still did not have legal title to its corporate lands. portion of the population were the dogs and fleas."His next visit twenty years later received a better review. ! An Act of Congress approved on March 2, 1 :7 gave towns preemptive rights to , r'"' municipal land (established at 640 acres or one square mile) subject to the Federal '118.4-:,_: The fever oi gold possessed California but for a s ors.time.Wealth might be instant. survey.This was considerably less than if San Luis Obispo had been recognized as — or relatively so with just one discovery. For most, the strike never came. In the a pueblo. However, the Act gave town sites priority over individual claims, After background behind the mesmerizing glare of gold, it became the merchant class registering the surveyed municipality with the Federal land office in San Francisco, that would benefit most from the miners' labors...and the benefits of trade never. a certificate was issued and with a tree of at least $1.25 per acre, the Board of Town diminished as wealth was measured by a balance sheet and not an assayer's scale* , , 1 Trustees became the new "owners" arid could issue deeds. While the lands of the Far from the fields of gold and dreams, San Luis Obispo celebrated Statehood by : .. Town,, ens i the records of the Federal Land Office in early 1868, an Iasi promoting trade. �r'- ownership certificate nes not issued for three years. .t.....," . :' P g P J C� 'fir An enterprising town pioneer was Merchant Samuel A. Pollard w ose name Events ecome a it easier determine as the Town's first newsp f cli ' aper, The San Luis repeatedly appears in both the business and civic communities. Reminiscing in an i Obispo Pioneer, began publication as a weekly "independent" on January 4, 1868. article in The Tribune on August 12, 1887,he recalled that when he arrived in 1850 While it continued until the end of the following year (after flying its colors as a "everyone had plenty of money even to the Indian vaquero." However, not all gold Democratic paper), its challenger was The San Luis Obispo Tribune(openly a supporter was to be mined as those seeking their fortunes also needed the primary County for Republican interests) first issued on August 7, 1869. News of the Town in either products...catde,„shettowantbenses.Pollard believed he would realize.more putt was often scanty. There was more ink spent on a variety of stories from around the AMIIM■ AI world (via the San Francisco newspapers),t), perms,ant#scion ,advice, travelers arriving I e //; aebro.90 Van, aid g{ f /,' . „,and departing, national and State politics, advertisements as well as editorial barbs 1: at each other: Possibly the Editors assumed anybody who wanted to know about the That San Luis Obispo was a former Mission declared as a pueblo had ha historical community could ask their civic leaders. The Town's population of about 700 roots in a decree signed on August'9, 1834. The Missions were the property of the promoted a ready access to its officials. government declared Alta Governor Jose Figueroa.The officials in Mexico did not support the decree but were powerless to halt its implementation. Whatever its nie 1�aoneer reported a Trustee meeting having been held in May of 1867. At the legality,Figueroa assigned administrators to each mission and thus began a period next meeting on December 28, Trustees were Patrick Dunn (proprietor of the of rapid and usually painful decline in the lives of the padres and natives as well as Eagle Hotel), Silas B. Call (saddle maker), Walter Murray, Abraham Blockman crop and livestock productivity. Many missions fell into disrepair and some to ruin. (merchant and ranch owner) and C. H.Johnson. There was a recent election as k Johnson w•as chosen Chairman and appointed Charles W Dana as Clerk,a position Not so with Mission San Luis Obispo. While never a leading producer of livestock, he held through 1872. Earlier lists of Trustees record only three names (possibly 14. agricultural products,or newly baptized (neophytes),the spiritual center was located incomplete) while legislation in 1863 mandated five members. i I along cal Cairo teal connecting the northern and southern parts of the Mexican � l i province. Founded by Fray Junipero Serra on September 1, 1772, ion San Luis I Thus in the latter part of the 1860s, an official Town 'of San Luis Obispo was ; i Obispo de Tolosa (Mission St. Louis,Bishop of Toulouse) was a convenient place to functioning with elected officials that included a Maui,Assessor, and Recorder. i stop and rest. The generous Mexican land grants...esperially in and after the ( !....,..1_ Hor ,ver, it would be about ten years before t.. e. -e, ' a,critical legal resolution as 1830s...promoted limited growth as single families owned tens of thousands of acres. ' • to the corporate ownership of Town land: ' .•' ' 1.. Dana,Price,Wilson,Stenner,Quintana,Herrera,Avila,Estrada,and Pico are some of r' ' the earliest families noted before Statehood. X1868:Act to settle the title to lands in the town of San Luis Ob 44 1 " aBefore the issuance of the Federal certificate,one reader sent a let "�'""* Rancho life locally did not promote the pueblo's development. San Luis Obispo al°`-'' , .,n of The Pioneerwantin to know just what the Board of Trustees was ds , k A -i'.., , f3 just .-,,4; `s ,k ,_,k g Myron Angel, anything imposing. County Statehood, according to M cm.•An el, was an thin but im ostrr In his Count ' the town title The irate writer continued: ..,z �; lee c.<setticn settlement of lti5Q. . w,,, ` v I "The state of uncertainty in which it places us checks improvements i .. • i hi road p " i` I ` ' `-• „ • ' il'„.<. • _ � ad assed�hro , ouch ortheast; .�..�: of all kinds. People cannot erect new houses, or permanently improve ./ .rossin San Luis Creek about a half mile below the mission, and •:3 those which they already occupy, so long as thi, tcertainty in regard to I' ' following up the right bank with branch trails to the Chorro and other the town title hangs ove �;, „N } ry -- -.— . places...A few of the adobes sir tile roofs still stand as relics , i ..40,,').-4#4...,' q .• w^f ' h. of the ol en period.:.:,".t ;:_� .0,,,.•41.40.4.,°- ' Jam. ?.�. Y.1 1 1! - ,11 y�� .4. 1. t . ,1 , ' f , • "+l.Y'wilf�+ ' The anxious resident who also suggested electing different Trustees did not wait ; , # •••.•.. ,,►�,w r,, -z .:..w.:, ' long for an answer: Assurances ,, to property owners when the 1.c• islatnre on '' �I. �' ,a�! ,er, District Attorne u t-, anc i ' I I fi .. , � wY y J g' - - - 1 t � d_.-_;bi• T' e° ri ura�•, i+C�a tic Murray March 23, 1868 passed the landi legislation assuring a person's title to Town '1l ' „. j . I recalled his initial impression when he arrived in October of 1853. landing it lands.Even that h mt utcipjtl gwncisb• was not formally concluded for a few years f 1' .. the Bay of San Luis (Avila) in a rowboat, he was given the mail which he had"no II 1 ' ^. fit. ' I . , , T- -_ - __ f, I�t;H" ,� y They ,. - 'seam had few buildings other than the Missioi ...Even if eveay one of the.336 by the purchase of the Town from the Federal government, ormetro..Were counted hi the County in 1850 lived in the settlement of San Luis Obispo,itwas small, assured...finally...of their legal rights. The bill was reported to have died in Iltin Many of the most prominent people lived away from the settlement on their ranchos. Judiciary Committee until Charles Johnson went to Sacramento to revive legittladve interest. With admission to the Union on September ninth, California land ownership remained vague. The United States received approximately one-third of Mexico's Basically after petitioning for a piece of property and paving the requisite fees, the holdings In return for $15 million and, by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, a property belonged to the claimant who had to be in"peaceable and actual possession." promise to honor existing land grants. It would take years to settle all land claims, Once it was determined that the claimant was the ownem it was the duty of the Board but Washington reacted swiftly as to the major"landholders." of Trustees to provide a tide to the applicant.Furthermore,"all deeds or conveyances heretofore made,executed and delivered by the several Board of Tlrustees—from its In Land in California (1948), W. W. Robinson notes that almost immediately after organization on February 1, 1858, to the present time...within its territorial admission, the Act of September 30, 1850 authorized three Federal commissioners to i1 limits—are hereby legalized, ratified, and confirmed...* Any patent issued by the negotiate treaties with the California natives. Under the treaty terms, the natives United States was also to be honored and recorded without any deed from the relinquished any claims to the land in exchange for rights to certain spedfied � s " , Trustees. The Act also adopted the Hutton survey but gave the Trustees power to ilk':''areas...reservauons. The. largest land owners in California gave their interests to change the dated survey.The County Recorder was kept busy with the many Trustee . Washington. Unfortunately, the United States Senate did not ratify the eighteen treaties r . , negotiated in good faith.The treatment of natives and native lands (here and elsewhere) granted deeds. r.;` remains a sad chapter in American history. However, to the Federal officials, California -- . If a dispute arose over a claim,it was the duty of the Trustees to hear any testimony developing reaucrtry, was now all public land with designate. counties and p' u and render a decis.<.rn. Of course, the losing party could proceed on to District Congress on March 3, 1851 established the Land Commission rrmin es of a court action overttxrnin the Gourt. A notable instance in Town Minut� any Ic?gal overturning ownership of state land including those of any pueblo. Beginning with meetings in:San Trustee's decision was in late 18'71. While the Trustees favored a petition for land by John Wilson's widow. Dona Ramona, the court did not rule in her favor against.,4 Francisco in January 1852, an required provide . J ry . . ,.i..p _. within two years to prove ownership.In other words,if there wasn't sufficient docume '" Trustee mrnute re weed to rovi a sufficient evideni� wt tndenm he ere. few such disputes recorded in the Tru on to prove ownership,the land remained Federal to Indeed,any document ,"' ,... •~'"y " . - " arsha"� y r ere by the :oar oar. o,��.'t� " ( ey) was invalid.At the conclusion of n a o to er o ' � , . property. nY "' tustecs to I dated after Judy 7, 1846(Sloes landing in Monier their determinations in March of 1856 any„property (unless in litigation) that was not take a Town census to "distinguish between those persons residents within the transferred into private or corporate hands became public lands ..still an eno mous ° Town location by pre-emption, and within the Town limits under the act of . amount of California real estate. Some rancho owners were unable to comply with the incorporation of 1863, and also in point of time between residents at the time Land Commission requirements as they had little evidence of ownership. Many others of taking the census and at the time of filing the pre-emption claim of the lost their holdings with the ex eases of l ti auon._,often lasting for decades. Town." I t was now necessary to determine who claimed what and when did they"- claim it. The Trustees maintained a frugal attitude as the census was "not to ,r.• t",1- .i It was certainly the beginning of the e n i)fwhat has been characterized as a pastoral j exceed the sum of thirty dollars." By July, another Town map was required with ' paradise. .the,Ca)ifo 9' A ad#a." .. . _ special attention to disputed properties. I . ..– ,, .,- aw to settle" titles seems not to have improved the Town's appearance. On included the Washington Bridge over Harlem River and the Hudson River Tunnel iThel i ,July l�, 1868, correspondent for the San Francisco Alta wrote: "The town has the ilk in New York State. r sarrie rutty,dirty,and dilapidated appearance as San Juan Bautista and Monterey." �.Two years later,the local paper moaned:"Every town in Monterey is dead;San Luis Since there was neither a legal determination nor governance as to a town of San +n' ;°Obispo is moribund." Another comment from September of 18'70: "We dislike to Luis Obispo in 1850,the Court of Sessions collected taxes,adjudicated disputes and +; speak to harsh terms... But if dogs,cats,fleas,black-legs and drunkards haven't got crimes as well as issued regulations for the entire County. Thus,these officials may it (the you can take moon for a football.'Walter Murray, however,who also be remembered as the first governing members of San Luis Obispo and any other County settlement. Unfortunately, the deliberations of this first governing was not shy about expressing his opinions,disagreed when he wrote that the"rate 1, y �!'r g K of growth was never so rapid as during the past twelve months.'The County was 1, body...conducted and written In Spanish...are missing. nearing a population of 5,000 according to the Federal government while Murray was positive it was more than 6,400 with 1,500 registered voters—well overshadowed by a State population of more than 500,000. Nonetheless, stability and order ,:I Besides die Judges already mentioned,the pioneer County officials elected were:Clerk promised growth and prcperlt (Charles J. Freeman), Sheriff (Henry Daily), Recorder (Joaquin Estrada); and J ) ( ry J Ql Treasurer/Tax Collector (John Wilson). The Assessor (Francis Z. Branch), and ,Faith in the fu ture was rewarded in February of 1871 when the Trustees received , Surveyor (William R.Hutton) were appointed along with William Stenner as Harbor notice of the issuance of a Federal certificate of pig s nce signed by President a Master, Tomas Herrera as Superintendent of Water and U. M. Brown as District ``� VI f Ulysses S. t, th Town would own its "lands' '�: �' Attorney.In late 1851 Elliott Libby was elected Justice of the Peace and Acting Coroner - u �- ik, (the latter duty may have been assigned by the Court of Sessions).These early years The certifica dated January 28, 1871 declared the fee i n been paid for the 1,' , are ones of elections,resignations,and appointments as it was difficult to find enough Town lands of just P `1� ttle...if any...compensation. note is that. thesU United States n patent acres not 1toSthe�Tc Town but tin psi�e �a residents to assume what were responsibilities with li t ohnson"in p , �+" • "' trust for the several use and benefits of the inhabitants."It is notF ear _ Reso • ns were issued as to ass ssments being ma e an taxes eollecte ' `,tom~{�-k If Johnson was simply conveying the funds to the Lan_ d Office in San l?rancis , : ,, repairs..;and licensing ordinances($12 per month per gambling table; one dolly:, _ personally provided the fee and the Trustees were to reimburse him.There was n ro,;.4 ; per month 4',. ;business license). Regulations affecting taverns,water rights,street Trustee authorization to reimburse Johnson if he did advance the payment.The ! cleaning,b4 i r rig schedules,and forming"Indian towns" as well as deciding land Certificate received the President's signature on the fifth of October but was not s} tides tilled the County agendas.While an extraordinary array of official matters was recorded locally until November 13, 1875 at the request-of Trustte chairman, i, addressed. by the new County, governance complemented the more familiar Chauncey H. Phillips who was well acquainted Ywith the legalities of property • ' Mexican organization which made less of a distinction between the separation of 4 ownership. , political powers. rt ,'� .. • r� ..A'�� '� , -- y.,. . n. " '•f r� 1' r�rl- .. w.+kN. �Ac w '. u ' ,.,c r-r', .fix' .4,.+�rr11 "i �s.d,�it$ KL +� I.a�t oth the Federal and State �'' 'li r' -. 8..- `. The Town was a recorded ie i entity...`�~ J f,r o an ;an-a".in " of hti tur i a� probably seer red ga entuty... anc�nn` a IL cept or tare uwner�ship y p ,levels. Angel relates the certificate proved to he "a great relief" as title Has now `1`: unimportant to the relatively few residents in the"pueblo"who were accustomed to a assured for these in passion as e11 uture.pur hasers of property. ,f simpler form of governance under Mexican rule. County rules applied to everyone. ' 1 ter . -- - -•k a�•• , . •s 3q t. 011t 4tte'i 04J4)6yv The Town cif San Luis Obispo finally owned ltscEfl Met p J .egisla itt�tlte first capital of 9�n Jose,the newly elected 1 t7ture established the •� + , Having purchased the town site, there were questions as to individual versus boundaries and named the original 27 counties even before Statehood. Signed into corporate ownership.There were those who had built their homes and businesses law on February 18, 1850 by Governor Peter Burnett,the County of San I..uis Obispo on property without the essential legal underpinnings to guarantee ownership. was horn with the settlement of the same name as the County"seat of justice"by men 1 The citizenry became increasingly anxious. There weren't many to worry. The who had as yet no state upon which to govern! The choice for a county scat was not Town's population may have been about 1,000. ditficult...there were no other settlements of note from which to choose. The next month the Legislature passed "An Act to provide for the Incorporation of Towns"which established the framework to begin local governmental units. With a While the newspapers print some Trustee information, official minutes are pre- . State population in 1850 of slightly over 92,500,San Luis Obispo County accounted served from Wednesday, May 4, 1870 and detail an evolving saga of officials, for only 330.souls scattered about an area of well over 3,000 square miles. It was six residents and issues as the population grew as well as commercial interests and ,.yes before the County seat was to be legislatively entitled to the title of"Town." i civic needs. Each Trustee served on at least one Committee that categorized the three priorities of governance: Finance, Streets, or Land. Appointments were Notwithstanding the absence of formal admission as a State,.elections were necessary. made for a Clerk, Marshal, Treasurer, and Recorder A Town Assessor and a (1 _:....:..11.- County elections were held on April,1, 1850 with 46 men casting their ballots.There were Ili Collector of Taxes were elected. GP remaining fragments of Mexican rile,but the County existed in name only There was no political organization, treasury,or officers.The State plan was to regulate through the Initially, Trustee meetings were inundated with dozens of petitions requesting County structures and otlicerugh the judicial system as the courts were to oversee ;} legal ownership of Town lots as well as succeeding petitions to open streets or .,developments. was the settlement's former rtlrnlde. - .,. extend existing ones to undoubtedly match the construct f businesses. Th,fgr a` streets center around the Mission and spread in all directions: Montere .art of: - ed. of Judge Jo -st� horro, Court, Marsh, broad, Buchon, Torro (or Toro), Men ro, Osos, Palm, '3J 'Bonilla and Justices of the Peace Joseph Warren and Jesus Luna.Meeting in July,th `Santa Rosa, Beach, Peach, Ida, Pismo, Mill, Nipoma (or Nipomo), and Higuera appointed William Rich Hutton to complete a survey of the "pueblo" with a main ', are all mentioned in the Minutes. Surveys were ordered and completed and street of twenty yards in width with other streets at fifteen yards. Hutton'.s original eventually grading, gravelling and sidewalks were considered by the Trustees. survey has yet to be found and the next one was not completed for years.Hutton also Opening aucets required time for a survey to be completed as well as bids to surveyed the Dana, Wilson, and Branch ranchos before leaving in 1851. .; . . „ I 4' grade and gravel. Legislation in 1870 required the Towtpay one-third for } ; „ street improvements with property owners paying the rest. Specially appointed Quite a traveler and sketch artist.most importantly fin local his or y, u on a so 1 jar Commissioners were used to solicit subscriptions for improvements. The going some of the earliest known renderings of the settlement and Mission of San Luis -i rate in June of 1871 was twenty-five to fifty cents per linear foot. It is interesting Obispo. After leaving the County, he eventually arrived in Washington, U. (. and fi to note that the street names were rarely used to perpetuate or laud any had a distinguished carper until his death in 1901. His major engineering projects r individual. . I �∎ rr.r rat-,-." �l'''.:-,1,,,,,,� r The Marsh ial was kept busy removing "obstructions" !band in the way of proposed ;f' Finally,California was officially admitted as the 31st State of the Union on September 1 sweet openings. He was also the person to pay for licenses as well as assuming the P 9, 1850. The major Congressional debate had centered on the admission of duties of the Town's Tax Collector.With few Town employees,he was responsible for California as a "free" state...one that did not permit slavery. The disagreement was implementing most of the Trustee decisions. His salary was augmented from part of S; solely a Federal issue. The solons of California had unanimously rejected slavery as any fee he might collect. Dog tags became an important source of supplemental permissible in California and the State Constitution specifically prohibited the practice. income for both the Town and the Marshal. Periodically, an accounting of Income The debate in the Nation's capital was a foreshadowing of the terrible civil conflict to was required from the unofficial Pound Keeper. � embroil the Union in the next decade.News of the admission reached California by the middle of October amid great rejoicing and relief Matters addressed by staff members today were the responsibility of the Trustees such I as the route the night watchman must take as well as the length of his stay at any one 1 ` --- place.The Town's nocturnal guardian did not have a mundane cask as he was to note J fires bysh+quting"Fire"and shooting his revolvetc In 1874 he was authorized to arrest When California entered the Union,the vast majority of the State (as today)was Ordinance violatoss. unpopulated. For those in San Francisco and the Gold Rush country, this may i, not have been important. San Francisco had grown from around 500 in 1847 to Space does not provide for more than a brief look at the Town's management. 80,000 in four years as the news of gold created a chaotic challenge for an Space P Y g 8 any Reading the Minutes provides some insight into crflicial response to most government, let alone in a State as geographically and culturally dissimilar as it...1 requeats...if you can pay for it, you can do it. There little "public" money for California. The vast ranchos had little in common with the gold fields. Indeed, ...Lip Town needs. One.early revenue source to tax eve male resident between 21 . _ news articles simply referred to the state between San Francisco and San Diego and 60 years old one dollar as a Poll 'Mr- other popular reveille source was a as"cow counties." yearly road tax of$3 per male,or two or th 'e days labor:on sortie ronrork. In this g - gold i . after requirement, the Town p {followin Sacramento's dictate which ed the As oI$ lost its slits or eluded discovery, as"rlrsrllUSiane�d;firfrtets returne "volunteer" laborers to four clays. The men were expected to bring any necessary home or wandered the state and settler l t ved the journey by land and sea, t s tools.Volunteer fireman could apply for an exemption from this tax iftheovidR population continueds did the problems. The County's numbers al 4 five years of service. increased as did its settlement The Act of Congress admitting California to th Union did pitte to establish a State except State Constitution p r t in name. The Sta . s utron o i'',;, There were six Boards of Trustees between May of.11370 and 1876 with a few c. 1849 wasn't'much help with little written about city, town,or village incorporation. members remembered today by street names. The various.Board chairmen and t One section simply stated that it was "the duty of the legislature to provide" for members are listed in the Appendix. It can be supposed that the business of the . t. i incorporations as well as to "restrict their power" in the borrowing of money, Town did not wait for official meetings as the Trustees had other interests and ,' p assessments or contracting debt. The reason for centralized control was "to probably saw each other on a regular basis. There were no laws forbidding elected' `, ' prevent abuses" by any new town. How to pay for government services locally officials from discussing Town business 4441.E. a cup of coffee or even stronger-,', , 4 remained a thorn in the side of municipal leadership. Counties were more libations! �. libations! ,,..,,,i, W; important in implementing State laws throughout the sparsely populated areas ;I. of California. ll. I winfilri" . _ The debates and votes and results were extraordinary given the variety of backgrounds, Having a Board of Trustees (and somewhat regularly scheduled meetings) add$d, interests,and even political aspirations of the delegates.Throughout the deliberations,a to the community's stability and vitality. In 1871 there had been changes noticed notable theme was whether'the United States Congress—bitterly divided over admitting by an Overland Monthly reporter who considered the Town a '"stirring, bustling states as either"slave"or'free"—would accept the Constitution.While the completed place,halll of life and a great deal too small for the amount of business transacted in document represented the aspirations and prejudices of the times,it was to last thirty it."Not everyone was happy about the progress being made in securing legal title and years, bin more importantly, it finally addressed establishing a civil government (and attracting more people. One letter moaned that "$15 to $40 per acre" was 'three land ownership)for an increasingly growing and demanding population. a times more than a fanner can afford to give..."The cost was"grossly unfair,"but the Town wasn't interested in acreage but more people establishing residences. In turn, The Constitution was submitted to the voters who gave their approval on November more residents equaled more consumers. 13, 1849.Voters were scarce with the few locally casting their ballots at the Mission.The County continued to grow but voters were still few:in 1851, 64 men cast ballots while 1872:An Act to reincorporate the Town of San Lids Obispo about double voted the following year There was a slight increase to 146 for 1853. The last legislation addressing Town incorporation was passed by the Legislature However, the nascent democratic process approved the first State Constitution: on March 4 and increased leadership authority and responsibilities to contract debts,a"duty"to assess property and collect taxes.The .Standard...successor to the 11,875 in support with 811 opposed.Voter approval of the Constitution also included Pioneer newspaper...believed the law clarified "doubtful" provisions in the rather the election of a Governnoi legislators,and state officers. Peter H.Burnett was elected brief 1863 Act. The Trustees were allowed to appoint a Town Attorney and r'p,,r, Governor and John McDougal, Lieutenant Governor. The Santa Barbara/San Luis Surveyor. They also had the power to make civic improvetttents...especially the J9 It t Obispo Distr�,elected Pablo de la Guerra from Santa Barbara to the State opening and grading of streets, addressing sanitation, and caring for the roads Senate...the only native horn representative other than Mariano G.Vallejo.Born in Wisconsin, Hc,ni •T: ii se Ned as a e local Assemblyman. • within the Town limits. Town indebtedness was increased to $10,000. In order to �, = r� . �, assure equitable taxation the Trustees received extensive directions including ' bus, the fiatt't �• 'Or a'`';al State was created and the I.eg slatut reconstituting themselves as a Board of Equalization to examiale the Assessor's' met in San Jose on December fifteenth with 16 Senators and 36 members of the records and consider taxpayer petitions for any change. Even "eit inent domairy rit Assembly. With poor accommodations for most, the first lawmakers worked under .. '. -(clai ng prmatt landjOublic use) procedures were detailed for the local politico • adverse conditions to implement a government of the yet-to-be admitted state. The Town became more than a series of businesses but home to an increasingly' high gt William m Gwin and John C. Fremont growing population. '°` :.,, w{t -� . �. •w. Confidence was hi as the legislators elected Wil owrn rilataon. as Senators to Congress, .4 , . a ~�. �,; _ v Its artot e i egn� �,.- -... •--. _ � ton enacts. in'.t. 'e same rrtont , ar es . Dana and X- 4_.• , .d of 1 • - . •, " With or without orma admrssrot to t - , ron, Californians were determined { others were guaranteed by phe Legislature the "exclusive right" to provide good to end their status as neither a territory r a state but a large military outpost ry and pure water" forthe Town. The twenty-five year entitlement included providing on the shores of the Pacific. As with the Constitutional Convention, the first 52 free water to the Town for"fire purposes."The free water was an ap ro.riate match legislators (mostly young men) were responsible for deciding on the laws for a 1, for the volunteers who fought fires? : • „04.1f-,..74,4,4-,L,,.; ""' .',• i ,new state and using diverse backgrounds from different states as reference .,, ' " 'a points. Everyfgne wait 4 fo(news.from Washington. _ ' ... . acv ► y r - _ • I . f' AsI',.i. the Town of San Luis()hispo entered its last year before incorporation as a City, or not it was admitted to the Union. Thousands raced to the gold fields in a very 1,fti,?there katftbeen notable improvements as the area south of the Creek had been short time. Land claims—and legal titic...hecamc even more critical. `laid out iti,lots, sold and developed. Ordinances were passed (as well as being ,..ltre ,.ealed and passed again in a "new series of Town laws), assessments made and - - � P S' Tom.. ----- _- .. - .. i •417citaltritt,collected, streets opened and extended, and a steady growth of residences ', and businesses. There was even a paved "promenade in front of Mission San Luis Between the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and Statehood,there were Obispo,,.for the.first time"as on October 24, 1874 The Minute reported"asphaltum" . four chaotic years of military commanders with imposed dudes as Governors: The l' in front of the Mission. California's Bishop Amat paid for the use of the locallyfound continuing inability of Congress to decide if California was to be a territory or state material."With graded streets,good pavements,and a Rill water supply,"concluded became increasingly aggravating to both the military and civilians. Indeed, there the ar Ie, "San Luis Obispo need not fear comparison with her sister towns and i were those who did not believe that the various 'Governors" had any authority.A • cities." ! potentially explosive situation was diffused with the decision to form a state...not by Congress but by Californians. Within a quarter of century,San Luis Obispo went from pueblo to Town,from a crossroads of violence to civic stability and from dusty paths to a "paved"sidewalk. To establish a civil state government, the last military Governor, General Bennett The Town had matured into Cityhood by 1876. Riley, called for a Constitutional Convention in 1849. In this he had the approval ;,,'" ' if not encouragement of his Commander-in-Chief President Zachary ''Il ylor. (')III While the small community met at one of the.:'t social clubs or at a religious California was divided into ten Districts to supply 37 delegates. The Santa function or anywhere else to dream, to nand. ope, official concerns are best I Barbara/San Luis Obispo District was represented by two. Most of the delegates captured in the Town Minutes. r r were not Californians and some were rather recent residents in their Districts. .�y Local representatives were Jose M. Covarrubias, former secretary to Governor Plo h Nit.d: }. • w �.S�_•i.i,/ _ ..;,,-,1...,, •-•,•.' Pico and a Santa Barbara ranchero owner, and He =,o ., P CI ,- William G.Dana,owner of the Nipoma rancho. � , , -�,,, ,�44,- -, , , , At t ion on Ma, • 870 l)t: la . ,)i ' Y a, I. 1 Johnson alr't1t r it_ > ;. •- r 4,1. Board of Trustee's Chairman. In the next six years. the thirtee- n elected;officials _trot .'= - ' -'were few delegates in 'Monterey'ol Te pointe fey:' .' Septe nber first t often faced unique issues until incorporation as a City. Depending on the members, Mme., meet in the newly_constructed schoolhouse...Colton Hall...named after the capital's 'accomplishments varied with many meetings being adjourned for a. lack of a i„) alcalde.The(�onventi.on officially opened a few days later on the fourth with only six quorum. While regular attendance by some rnerrmb&s was not t£chieved, the Californtas a members.An eclectic blend,gf men and backgrounds,discussions were I Board often met daily. The Town records provide the first mentions of a variety often based upon experiences from their former home states. The Constitution of of civic concerns important to this day and some which have- lo_ ng passed from ; Iowa was made available to every member and was extensively duplicated in the final official notice. w,;� ”` product.Those who did not understand English sat at a separate table with William • ,',4F -t►= ' " ,,:_it,, ,,• r'r.'•`:`../.;� � E. P. Hartnell as their interpreter. Extensive reporting and deliberations continued _' ' • •!s,`{R -,�_ g.ti::, • - • • '''r, ; /FF ". .0, with the signalones ending their duties on October thirteenth. The complett�d .1. 'MAY '.- . hl _ l, , - I Constitution was printed in both English and Spanish. 1•i I PAL ry"F it 4,t r • , /!P Gw'e 6' ` 1,4,((. For 1870, the Trustees considered: • .. • a poll tax'(June 6) When the of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally ended the bloody Mexican- I` •jail is rues (June 20) American War on Febbruaty 2, 1848, California was (at least in its own mind) part of V I • building bridges across the Creek (July 6) the Union. "flue, there was neither formal acknowledgement of its statehood nor ' • curbing cattle being driven through town (November 8) erg designation as a Territory by the government in Washington. There was no , form of civil government or system of governance. Thus, since the former In In 1871, the elected were inundated with petitions for deeds but found time to "apartment"was no longer part of Mexico, it must be part of the United States. It develop Board of Trustee meeting procedures (February 8). I was this sort of political and governmental limbo that started when Commodore Sloat raised the Union colors above the Monterey Customhouse on July 7, 1846.Over the For 1872,some interesting items included: next four plus years there were several military governors attempting to establish and t • providing"pure"water (February 5) promote order in an undeclared territory that had minimal resemblance to the rest • haystacks (July 1) of the Union.In a strange, but practical, blend of cultures and politics, in what has • slaughterhouse nuisances(August 5) been characterized as the Interregnum or period between governments, the military • the night watchman (November 4) depended upon the Spanish institution of alcaldes for local rule. Defying an exact translation, an alcalde! acted as mayor, police chief, 'acid judge fir a community. The next year witnessed discussions on: �l✓-• Undoubtedly abhorrent to those familiar with the separation of political power, ,, • fire protection (March 23) --�� ' California-with an estimated population of 10,000-wpas in its civic'nfancy. " * assessment procedures (June 9) r 1. • traffic laws (July 11) With the Treaty, all land in C;alif'or'rm ='r gardless ofd ; ...t-,1"-_,:i1,..-, •nged to the • Western Union (July 18) United States. In other words, all land was public land. Unlike purchasing any • leash laws (October 31) o - property where one party legally transfers any interest to another, the United-S/6, j sewage using the Creek as a con wt for waste (Octer 26 ,• - ,•t, .a,,,o, States as the owner had to first determine.the rights of claimants to a particular .,,, -•,� sidewalk dimensions (December 22) """ ,, r `"- +r • ` piece of property. This also included any claim by any settlement to corporate i :, �w I f Lrn� „'•II - h F .J`4 ownership.Initially, y '�' t 1-40.p. ally,there were no procedures for anyone or place to claim ownership e:s was'add`reased em Decem 22;18 ,'' .,±.ire, r ,~ ,,,.,. of any land. The rule of law...either those addressing civil or criminal matters...and f, 1 i r . . .+exit► ;,- a justice system for enforcement...was rudimentary at best. To address`The�lacter�, it is ),'! was •Year to discuss: '' "' i4 ft• 'A no wonder that the Vigilance Committees were formed in a few years as unofficial ' f • a city hall (Januay l2) _ •" guardians of public safety , ,, •; - y >~' • for street lak p s (A tr 10) -' 7, ,_ i.'. Ai �' . : i . s .re • lire hydrants (April 12) ,, ' ..� e .,,_,..., 0. - , , ,� ,� To enormously complicate matters,just nine clays before t it Signing of the Treaty, . �,;,. .,. i+ . ;..Ax 4L: t". , .. ....6.4 John Marshall found more gold. Of course, no one knew then that this discovery Unacceptable public behavior was also addressed. A most interesting Ordinance (it was not the tint)wait,goin to dramatically and swiftly.e:Jrange California whether • ! #12 (December 8,.1874) was one of the more comprehensive in the Town's history. Ei I 1 rile Ordinan ce''r'irttmerous sections prohibited appearing in public "naked or in a An experienced writer; much of Angel's narration is the reporting of Johnsatt ind - r dress not belonging to his or her sex" as well as public drunkenness or using; other pioneers as well as poring through the local newspapers and the Board of "bawdy, lewd, obscene, or profane language."One section warned that no one was Supervisor minutes. The material regarding San Luis Obispo...County, town, and Its-,'" ep..,anaintain or become an inmate of, or visitor to".,. a"house of ill-fame.' City...is remarkable, k,eitil,tekactly a moat.(issue, the speed limit was fixed at eight miles per hour. The 'throwing of"rubbish or filth whatever" into any stream was against the law as was The histories of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa as well as the County of the same the discharging of firearms, firecrackers, "rockets" and other explosive devices as name are substantially documented,but of the Town there is less to be found.There ' "the•fire "fiend' was a constant threat. Fines could reach one hundred dollars was no local newspaper until early 1868 when The San Luis Obispo Pioneer premiered. and`or jail for up to days. Ordinances or not, some of these issues did not j Reviewing every issue preserved on microfilm (it was published for about two ears .� � P fifty ys � nK m'1' P (it published years) disappear from the community's history as well as its successor The Standard and The San Luis Obispo 7 ibune(first issue dated August 7, 1869) to incorporation as a City in 1876 provides a varied insight into the The Marshal eventually received some help from a deputy and appointed"special people and politics of the County seat. However;the news is more about the County policemen"who were requested and employed by private parties. The concept of rather than Town activities. County records provide a few tantalizing entries while an.organized police department does not enter into Trustee minutes until 1877 at the preserved Minutes of the Board of Town'Trustees from May of 1870 to 1876 are which time an ordinance was passed naming the Marshal as ex-officio Chief. an historic adventure in determining what was important for governance. • _> `� Bridges occupied much of the Trustees' time ov he years as repair of old ones as . San Luis Obispo did not exist in either a political or economic vacuum.The end of -- El, well as the construction of new ones was on of (and time consuming) issue. the armed conflict with Mexico brought dramatic and often painful changes in the Both sides of the Creek became pop•■ ". •uilding sites and bridges were needed years ahead. However, as is often written...it is best to begin at the beginning. for crossing. Eventually buildings the `'elves spanned the waterway Assessments, taxes, and income were watc, d carefully and more than once the Trustees noted �' �' +.; ‘.6104- -• ilk that bills would be paid once there was money in the Treasury attention was paid,,_ n.' •• i R : . �+� •- • `' ,-' ;?k to each expense as repeatedly hills were submitted to the Trustees only to be "raid,, ''s Islet.... „.... .. , .`,_, _ . over" to another meeting or referred to a Trustee Committee.When paid,azrroun Y"' ' ,,t w'' - - '' _,;" u ","• ` i ,... '' { 4 "allowed"were not always for the amounts billed. Some were simply reejected. w i L �«,t-' _f- .�.,. r • ., 1∎ ":e;- :,,,, , In 1875 J. Ross Browne returned for a brief visit and was most:generodis in.his praise '� of churches. hotels, stores, "gorgeous billiard saloons," homes, and gardens since • �'.±: r r , ' t�t,•. IIi yr'y'!M1'." ih„ ;ty. _ '.� .. his previous stop. "Everyone is doing well," he observed. In words guaranteed to `'��,;�' ,,� "" ,~ ...-•• , ••. 1 •"' v• please any Chamber of Commerce, he noted: "Business is brisk." A cursory lance {, t.{1I' 'mr,., _ � t,__ ___: . i. "- ' ' w.,s. through the pages of The Tribune confirms the many businesses, especially in the f'� t, ..l:,#il�i !illdi�:s'=l.; !`s ..., , s;is ' ~ , .. sale of land.Obviously,Browne did not walk (or failed to describe walking) near the j fr. r'+'' ,' .I i. .A of"t"' ,.,,,,..�` t' ''` .- " 'i. R ,r-°r - , " .r . Creek where"wader dope's"were being condemned,as deadly,sources of disease. It ' �. i MM i y a��_ w�"" re ? s tit On the; ' .oast. of the Nation, the multitude of`borough" "town" ``village" and l: .was not until 1877 that the now City of San Lois Obispo adopted an orcfissande "city" si ivannounced from the highways and roads of each state are reminders of 1 t establishing a Board of Health with 1k Hays at the lidm. the land acquisition procedures of a fledgling nation as well as developing concepts i . 1 and laws clarify passage of legal title, In 1850 in California, there were only a few Another article from a traveler in late 1875 to the Santa Barbara Press commented basic provisions as to what procedures were to be used to determine ownership of ,� on the "great improvements" from a visit just eighteen months previous to the Iandt,,..priv ,corporate. or public. ,• .77 "beautiful village." One notable improvement was undoubtedly the use of gas to illuminate a few streets and businesses, especially hotels. Organized in May, the -For the State, the process was one born of war but based upon the rights of those subscribers by September had to wait for service from the San saris ( as who called California home before the Mexican-American War as well as those who Company. While providing increased illumination, fires also increased with the migrated from other parts of America and the world.The often legally vague claims new convenience. of ownership and sometime haphazard transfers of property were a vital and seminal issue. That there were abuses and overreaching by those who could i Revenue was always (and continues to be) an on-going issue. Licenses became a influence outcomes was widely practiced in a new land with its alluring and often major source of income especially on the many establishments serving "spirituous" corrupting promises of gold and potential riches from vast stretches of land. liquors. On the last day of November 1875,the last Town Ordinance on the matter Much of the debate and transfer of property during this period is not a shining ff was passed. Every bar serving liquor was required to pay six dollars per month to moment California history that has been oft told, i the Marshal for the privilege, Failure to do so meant an appearance before to t___,...i.... ' Justice of the Peace who collected any amounts in arrears.Possibly the new ordinance '_f`�' Nonethele. , roccss of legal land acquis rally rite and so serves was in response to a report by the Marshal that many bars refused to pay. Note as a basic introduction of property acquisition...as well as the evolution of towns and that there was no jail threatened in the ordinance as the objective was to collect cities...for much of the State and its residents. Above all else,it is the critical issue of the revenue; not shutter the establishment. As to real and personal property, *Abe State of California, i.he+- generally, the tax rate was set at oniollar per one hundred dollars valuation: -t' land ownetwhip that defines the pioneer dc:vclopunc ��ta J�� County of San Luis Obispo and the Town and (event City of the same name. .;, -- Of course, license fees, assessments, and tax rates were protested...usually by r thou seYwith the most assn Any Town assessment was in addition to State and •"The history of the mission of San .uts ispo an o e organisation o e County taxes county has been a history of the town of San Luis Obispo." So begins the section } ;-' jr• . " m. on local history in Myron Angel's;s book entitled A Hi of Obispo County g r ty p `p ty � + ' e y ' y g story u San Luis Catan � i, A growl co�rtmtrrti Y any mere._� .r rase , ne �cd a cells+ e'fir,ancial inst:`tiation. ' published in 1883. In that year; Angel became the owner and editor of the local In December of 1871,H. M.Ward and C. 1-l. Phillips opened the doors.to the Bank of • Tribune newspaper. He acknowledges his sources as being some of the earliest settlers San Luis Obispo...the first:in the County.A few years later the Bank was incorporated I of the valley One, Charles H.Johnson,was an eyewitness to most of the early history fiii Fr and boasted of assets amounting to $l{){), Y * , ' q as he arrived locally in 1852 and died in 1915.Johnson remained a key force in the ) —. -,i. .,°:;. "° ' as:•11A " . 'R•"rt,�- community as both a civic leader and landowner.Angel lauds Johnson as follows: "No The struggles to esta ` is , promote and maintain the Town were rewarded as the person has paid greater attention to the early history...and to no one could we go for .,', community grew and commerce flourished. The multitude of businesses and a more intelligent.sourre-or more willing:infortmant." i services advertised in the newspapers is testimony to the increased diversity of a• . '. San Luis Obl po. Much had been accomplished in the last twenty-five 1 t/ti`J ears ..much remained to be done. I a` .'1.� ,.' Imagine the challenges if you had to start your own state...county...town;:or city? s ' oarcl of Trustees for the Town of San Luis Obispo held an historic meeting What would you propose for laws, public safety, education, health,water soUrces, ',,a °A'piil 26, 1876 Chairman Beebe and members conducted the business of the sanitation, transportation, and the myriad of issues confronting any organized i- Town_and adjourned"sine die" (without setting the next meeting date).Previously, ' society?Undoubtedly, there would be mistakes, revisions,additions and deletions - �' ch eighth.the Trustees had called for an election on May first according to I from whatever was done as times-and people - change. Every decision has its *. steles. By April, they knew the City incorporation had passed the Legislature. own consequences...some intended and some regrettable,yet all are part of the knew t of the Town's Trustees.They also w they were the last a tees human drama. ti4 This was almost the situation in California in the middle of the nineteenth century. .- 1, While a relatively few people and even fewer settlements populated the Golden State, all were part of the nation of Spain until 1821 and then of Mexico. As the ' century progressed, there was an intriguing sequence of development as others, especially Americans,came first as traders,then settlers,and finally as an occupying I military government. There are extensive resources on the earliest history of the ". ►+� State and its first towns and cities;however,there is little available on the formative IIIPS) ‘ �; years of what was to become the City of San Luis Obispo. ".: ;s, ,� i* A After military conquest, a'flmdatrtttal and commanding issue was who owned the , .r At*. {�,'I�r, -i,.. v +fir �. ��• 111111H''-..- ., , ,�„�{ w�:< - ,t. , land,Today,unlike the earliest years of San Lue and City,there are few disputes as"•, ; ,� •, ... _ . I to who owns real and personal property. Appraisers, banks, lenders, escrows, title "'�xm a com es, and recorders offices all have a stake along with a buyer and n, ,, , •• r ,: f ' ,:F.f, " eIle that wh _Is being bought and sold is indeed t everyone says it is. Most' } `principals to vperty transfers tend to view the delay between the agreement to ` y inl purchase and ownership simply as "red tape.” In the earliest years of the State, ,; 1 `4,'. x '-•� . ( However, the determination of who owned what was not sulect to the current • '++� na# red tape but often years and years of anxiety, uncertainty and expense.This y�w "•` y ,.pp ed to municipalities as well as individuals. s - y ! .1..1 '1 ..: • . C -.1 I Y_ i _ '.''^ s •r iN ,., ""'i rt 140.'" }�1:,°KI ,•�r +;!!,' t�'' �i. } . :c:- ow in.mvidual ownership ,, 4- ,- q corporate'owner�ship`by a town or "t IMO .'r.i _ „•.i ,"`., r "."'''b j _':0/i;F�: I,, ' 1,- i ity is an interesting story beginning with the few Spanish and many Mexican land grants to settlers who"staked"claims(squatters) to complex real estate transactions. a i 1I' I _.,I r 1,."`.Z. '�IA! , , 1 A._.,- t- 17- .1{ „,g I g4; ei; / - 190‘2 Zhed oeloo. ,.„-:.:,..„ •.,•,:.,',..,,.-,,,• ,...:.:2"................___„....9_ , ••, . ,. . .. . ,- i As the Nation celebrated its Centennial, San Luis Obispo reached an Important Ii;';kr..ti , knot convey my appreciation to the following for their assistance, but they , ' milestone. With the help of attorney William J. Graves-elected to the Senate for !':i' ..a 0 all have to give to the generosity of others. ,, ; '; two year terms in 1873 and 1877,the Legislature passed An Act to Incorporate the .n City of San Luis Obispo" (March 4,1876).Governor William Irvin signed on March • To Audrey Hooper, ©erk for the City of San Luis Obispo, and her staff for J 20.That there were to be changes locally came as no surprise as on March 13 at the lugging around the heavy Town Minute books for my use. iI ' Board of Trustees meeting, petitions to extend some streets were tabled with the • To the patient ladies of the County Recorder's Office...especially Sandy ` comment that legislation would"materially change"procedures.Unlike the repeated Currents...for lugging equally heavy books around for my,,use. legislation creating the Town,San Luis Obispo was ready to become a City. • To Barry Lewis of the Law Library who didn't have to lug heavy books around The new Act moved the municipal election from May first to the first Monday in . but tried to explain to this writer the mysteries of finding and printing the April which fell on the third.The population for this first City election was abort Wiest State laws related to San Luis.Obispo. i 2,500. On March 28, an especially large gathering chaired by C. H. Johnson • TO jack Krege (absolutely the source of information on the City fire department). nominated incumbent Trustee Chairman Beebe to continue as Mayor and others for sharing his notes on the department and tidbits. for the Common Council. The next day Johnson chaired another meeting...attended 't'''''°----- ' " ' by many of those from the previous night...who nominated a different slate. _.. • Toeference staff of the City-County Library who gract shared files as did those of San Luis Obispo minty Histo al'Siiciety. Beebe did not prevail in the election. Possibly Johnson's "unwarranted" attack (according to The Rams) on the Trustees as recklessly squandering Town funds - While I never i1es Fitzgerald, the City Attorney fo ears and a influenced the vote. mainstay of the County Historical So ciety, I discovered rn tbf tom.. s-, '`'research was completed-his notes in the Archives. ed to write a oca " " • . y P The newspaper assured its redrs thac t ose de eared feel quite as well" as'tit• �. ; '' history over fifty years ago but died before he accomplished his task. I. " ` • rY tY , g p ,..4.0 le =as tfie "offices are tha>7kless positions." However, there is a note of caution 411 efforts complement his unfinished tribute to our City. as the article ended: "Being an optimist we are satisfied with the results." It would i L a greatdkal of optimism as events unfolded initially in the new City. . p. y c responsibility for any :" { ommon Council replaced the Boa Cif" s. a ;nr ed off' While all were partners in the research, I must take exclusive errorsW t><nevitabd mark history. i ".I p tcta�s „ , ,,� ..�',r6tri 4 4'' took office on Mav firstYln ad of live membets. the new governing board was Lastly, I am most grateful,-to the many ear', pion-ers -, literally created our ' composed of a Mayor plus five Councilmen. The Mayor was only to vote in the community from before Statehood...and especially those who kept records. 1 event of a tie, but his signature was needed for an ordinance to become law City i_-;,3. t . . • '' ` �,,-'+ =s .*,[,,_ : -. leadership - including the Mayor- was barred from "any compensation." The• * ° ., k f�+ ,-, ;, •essor, Marslvial,Tax Collector and Police Judge were also to be elected" .{ Finances were specifically addressed as Section Six of the Act mandated a balanced t 're. jJ 674449, /850- /876 r ' budget and that "no indebtedness" be created. No warrant shall be drawn on the • Treasury u lees there it money to pay it on presentation." However the Governor The pioneers of San Luis Obispo in the 1850s were convinced they lived in a town.flaw had, signed an Act.on March 20 pennhting the sale of fifteen thousand dollars could the County seat be anything but a town?The Mission was one of the oldest staucd s ,y - in bonds to pay for any"floating debt"of the Town.Any money remaining was to be { in the State, the Mexican Governors from 1834 on called it a town as did the Board of 4;,_ usethtp build,a city hall and jail.Any fitnds remaining after the civic improvements Supervisors,the County Recorder;the Courts,and even the State leaders in Saa inento.It I. mueign'for an"engine house."A combination of all three facilities in one structure had been surveyed,streets designated,assessed,and divided into lots which were bought • encou d.The last option resulted in the first city Hall and rehouse in a few and sold.There were buildings,businesses,homes,a cemeter a post office and a growing yds.The•Act basically followed the Trustee's resolution of the previous December number of people calling it their hometown.What else was it if it wasn't a town? except the request then was for authorization to sell forty thousand dollars in bonds. It is appropriate that 2006 be celebrated as the Sesquicentennial of the incorporation The first mayor was S. P. McDougall with Levi Racklife, Eduard L. Reed, Dr. D. E. of the Town of San Luis Obispo-even if the bureaucratic hurdles kept changing-as $fit Theobald Bayer, and Robert R. Harris as members. The choice of Harris, the Legislature was convinced it was a town by 1856.A settlement already over eighty ' .* .County Surveyor,is puzzling as while on the Town's Board of Trustees for three years old was not unknown and some living in the area were descendants of those who :terms lie:rarely attended any:meetings.Even The Tribune commented on his lack of occupied the land even before the Mission.Most of the great ranchos were established ti�iptt n. attendance was only slightly be er'o Common Council.Few and trading goods long before American occupation.Legislation in 1856 was more for "'' cials ever felt an obligation to the legislators and laws of Sacramento than the residents of San Luis Obispo, a ' r . ' .,,r The people were impatient-and being distant flora the center of State government- On Monday, at four o' • « '',114.:154111: ' ' ' _ a e Mayor to his unimpressed with the political mandates. Local concerns were more important than demands. However,some effort was seat.The Ma . in turn mmade a sh t©d the - a&icials • "` '�= � �-�* -.� ,. paper mad�to comply. Elections were secondary, adjourn fo e other members rged the appoint.fi...+. '"t •Clerkr+� r �` - ;,� while municipal business was brisk rs before the Federal patent bestowed con rate '.Undaunted, io"a •ech, the or ,, .° ,'rmer Town 1hustees-+9 p coiporate '••., M - " ' Vim,.. . _Progress fi for Sacramento's blessing.:,;..„ present to induct di... --. City officials into ..5 ppointing Krebs asAl .orvnerslu o the Town to e T P ess -- x wait f - { r �' .1-,, _,A ;-Clerk and reading the entire legislation inco •i . San Luis Obispo as a City, , 4:,. hiltless vagrants did not populate San Luis In a progress from a dangerous Council adjourned until 7:30 p.m. . - - . , .. ,-"crossroads to a"of icial Town"in the State ' driven by industrious, knowledgeable• individuals.Ftted by energy to promote prosperity and sink civic roots,the pioneers After the recess, the City's first 0 • ! . I t ,'' : ed creating the offices of Clerk ; ., n, they�'� g were an array of characters worthy of more studype.�reedy unknown, are the Attorney, and 'Treasurer. Four men „� nated for City Treasurer but dire r municipality's s ancestors. Ultimatel , it was the lc...not the le ' labor. who •' were rejected and one nomination to ed. Ernest (;raves was nominated for City,(, defined and generated the spirit essential to the development of the community. ` �, ?. g _ P P y i y also tabled. • . �, _..4 y� Y W{� '6r'c _ y�1r it �� ,/� ,/ski Lfr',,! t;TrY„ R ' { Attorney but this nomination was ; d �, ''� �;." �' �`` "'�"' e same {.' . same'energy an. eat usiasm Curren. The details for the first � n Conn i the r•ne . this initial pha4e,�..;r ,d.,,needed for the community to thrive. Looking to the past is really an important aspect of the City. The governing hoard scheduled an additional seven meetings in May. of promoting a quality present. j %. 1 I.r • , ' �' T June's schedule called for seven gatherings,and July only five. Members were�► )1's-,1.r -, }I all present and several meeting were adjourned for lack of a quorum. M or , ... McDougall's last meeting was July 24th and the office was declared vacant on '.▪ �• August 28th.There is no reason given in the record for his absence except he had f ° `▪ ,v, been gone for thirty days "without leave."The Governor needed to appoint a new ' Thus began the initial months of the City of San Luis Obispo, The years since 1876 are replete with interesting people and events as there are always struggles Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts. and successes in the City. However, the story must wait for another time. Let us Edward It Murrow hope it will be before the Sesquicentennial in 2026 of the only City in the world named San Luis Obispo! . tnry never looks like history when yo • e living through it. 4 • James W Ga , , i; There can be no better conclusion to this short summary than the words of Myron Angel from The History of an Luis Obispo County. •t'':-• "The history may be imperfect and incomplete, but with its object We would like to live as we once lived, but - ,01y • •-,s;- •1 it it. d its contents we believe it invatuai�le;'and With confiders r h _ 'I 1 � " .•..7'4'John F-..Ken �dy� i-. ' _y •� , J� _ .j„,,�F+ ti;.F' �,�"''_ f.• ,,+ t 'l y�t4 y,.. .1111'_. , to our patrons. •A ' a - - .. -. l • t I + -Alt‘ .1l V i, • r �• -� `�n�•a-y4 �Rtt.s. },`�1iH�' •� A AM• v •t ' , i/ (!••ikt t ,..--* .rt 1 - :1 kK 4`4y,... :.7ir" 1 .0. � ,..y,1Rj,(... - .1 ,s . r , ,, . • .. ", ' '1>P1,1r t- . f,jj t� i a i. r .. a . :f f, ! '� W 1 Ar,,,_ •• t ,,• „ r H , w � y /! N ,, .14i' t 7 ;r q�. ,•i4. ",e-'; 4 may. + . a r " � "" :::At.'4.tp.41 w ,„' ii/ r ,:'0i { Uj il "i'' ' ' rj j r7MO�', -. �- f r • j • j i 1 ' ,yI am-_.;' ei. ,s. ` 941."7 •2 • �,vr''' I�irt N ,I 1jll t�!;. 1t 11 ' . , '' ' 19*1"1 4. L •o ,2 i.. � ,f -' ;�' ft1 • L i , i,, • ♦ tY,w, .0, •xn.r.i. fr .` �' r : +i '4l + .li:'i;I t i,. . ' ' a'4. : ."r:; iw4,rrdy , ,+ns:411 lid iw 174 - .:„,,,NN ' :r. •:}4` .i • 'P y a., F Pkig�ih r• i '4. i 3 `•r''•t 1lf,`' , r.� k . -•.. - 6.•f„ '� , • , � •`'l.w~�c .,. r`F� ' } s' • r , 1: ; Kai,A.� .l unlr_ ;t. Jay ,' ty ,,7 I .1..trAN .vt. ,1-0„. . . (-tgh,e egZA 9103fami aid 041,y)0 *r ' 'ti k•-I a rachreig yegtztftetti ,..0,614,i/ catieS 04/4/66, ci_. ,I, I16P f P i I , E■ °1r I mot. I /850- 1876 , = r 4, 1870 May 15, 1873 tit William W. Hays,Chairman Chauncey H. Phillips, Chairman Henry Francis Henry Francis ........................ I.a a Landecker Robert R. Harris -•• " Hora io'B.Palmer Edwin B. Morriss •• `' + +Afr,,john, :Simmler Horatio B. Palmer Q ` '• 40, -- Charles W, Dana,Clerk Julius Krebs,Clerk I . $" „,:. ,-------.,..w.... . , 4 ,„‹, • April 41 1871 May 5, 18"1 �► <.; The irman, Board,and Clerk The Chairman, ,and Clerk .�M ` `` �� `� ` :�:71\ . are the sa F the previous • ,9* are '4 :' ;.the previous year Jl :.*. 200 r-it. May 7, 1872.. " 1,1 . • - .. .'." May 4, 1875 :r;: �� `i ,: ' L. M. Kaiser, Chairmal'o'�' ' '-`'°--}. William 1.. Beebe,.!4 i 4 , �' �+ a Ernest Krebs -4 ' Robert R Harris '; •. S. I. McDougall ( Dr. William W. Hays r, {W r-^� :: � ,�.•• { ? t• •� w4 --- r'• r George E Sauer Lazare Landeckez `" ' ' it '�-'""'-- '' • Antonio Stanusich Chauncey H. Phillip. .'' E ' r V. C. Allen, Clerk Julius Krebs, k .._s) ° .. .3 Y _ , -- - 14:4 °s'l�-- ilrZ !!'qtr-'- • w-'+3:7 '; ' - --,,C, {a' 1 w'_ IA,,� -.y b' �.. - . qJ .' s4sfHN': Joseph A. Carotenuti• . - 1.'..,.. •. - -; ,- • . .r I San Luis Obispo, California 2006 r li I. ;tw �e & ®4,4' ( V/� • 1 /40te Mayor: Dave Romero Vice Mayor. Allen Settle I Council Members: John Ewan Christine Mulholland IPaul Brown , City Administrative Officer: Ken Hampian City Clerk: Audrey Hooper _t---,(Q4 f c gfr ', ,,-r,i l State: 36,132,149 ,. '; -. --_-‘..-it..... 1..ii . *) r County: 255,480 • ; •I' le rje:, r" q=. ,, , ,.. , ,"%.,..9 0 . 4 . I . • I I -.%/;:. If . -dir.hr . .may . . 1 Sesquicentennial logo by �, Pierre Rademaker j F � y :- i.l. Center sketch courtesy of the Bancroft Library Graphic Design Erin & Huc- Ambrose f e Copyright 02006 by Joseph A.Qst+otenuti.All rights reserved. I . ,• , of. ak, akcioo, . ., /880- /876 el al?, c&iffi Onifyi60,„ l ) Early Californians were fandliar with isolation.'Ihe pioneers were long distant from /880. 1876 the government centers of Spain and Mexico.They forged their futures with little assistance from anyone. The familiarity of independence resulting from isolation • was essential when California was admitted into the Union in 1850. San Luis Obispo shared in the anonymity simply by its location. From Mission LLII ' '04*\ to pueblo to town to city, the few residents in the area depended on their own ._ experiences and commonsense to chart the unique development of the communit ‹ptot;•When Statehood finally arrived, the settlement barely paid attention. �� ; 't Follow the small crossroads as it confronts both its isolation between San Diego and San Francisco, the increasing bureaucracy in Sacramento, and its emerging...and 1I���) „� �� C, 00)C� changing...and growing identity. 1 i �J V • 4'� 4'4J i San Luis Obispo: 1850 to 1876 is the first publication to trace the struggles of the .;_� ' community over a quarter of a century and multiple incorporations— until its a _( -rte J V r�;••' birth as a City. (�” - j IC ENI ,.. I Retired educator Joseph A. Carotenuti is the author of Mission San Leis Obispo: Joseph A. Carotenuti A Pictorial Gods as well as several magazine articles relating the earliest years of - the community of the same name. I