History of San Luis Obispo 4History of San Luis Obispo 4
Joseph A. Carotenuti
City Historian/Archivist
Let’s summarize some early history of this community.
When the Spanish explorers first traveled through this area in the summer
and fall of 1769, they had already experienced a grueling, deadly journey by
land and sea to explore and settle the vast territory of Alta California.
Within three years of its beginning in San Diego, five missions were established (the last here in
1772) with presidios in San Diego and Monterey. Possibly the most exciting event in these
earliest years was the visits by Juan Bautista de Anza in 1774 and 1776. Intent on settling the
newly identified Bay of San Francisco, he led a remarkable caravan of pioneers resulting in the
establishment of the sixth mission (1776) and today’s metropolis. Many families are also
familiar names in local history.
Mission history continued in relative isolation from the rest of the settled world. Occasionally, a
ship would drop anchor in Avila with goods and news of the outside world. However, the
change of government from Spain to Mexico (1820) brought a great transformation as the
missions came to now provide for many non-natives and increased demands for the mission
lands. Most of California’s land grants – the ranchos – are from this era.
There is much romantic lore about the “rancho” period with the hacienda, lavish parties and
the great “dons” of California history. Locally, the names Wilson, Dana, Price, and Branch are a
few names that recall this era.
The rancho history lasted a mere 25 years. In 1846, when Commodore Sloat raised the Union
flag above the customhouse in Monterey, the distant settlement of San Luis Obispo had no idea
of the impact the ceremony would bring to the eventual state, the central coast…and the
Nation.
Shortly thereafter, a discovery in early 1848 along the banks of the American River produced
changes of catastrophic proportions. The lure of gold unleashed a massive flood of mostly men
to inundate and often drown the indigenous population. Centered in San Francisco, the small
community of about 1000 residents swelled to over 25,000 in just two years. For the central
coast, the “cow counties” helped supply the burgeoning population with food.
What was considered a military district – California was never a territory as were other sections
of the expanding American empire – originally found mostly non-native residents and vast
rancho properties owned by a few families in the county. The gold rush not only added wealth
and disappointment, it produced an overlay of human activity mostly unregulated by any
authority.
Among the State’s original 27 counties, the mission settlement became the county seat of
justice. It was not a difficult choice as there were few settlements from which to choose. The
1850 Federal Census counted a mere 336 souls in the County. There undoubtedly were more
but no census taker was going to risk his life riding through the sparsely populated countryside
looking for residents.
In California, the decade of the 1850s is one of the most brutal sagas in the Nation’s history.
With little – if any – assistance from the military, local residents formed a Vigilance Committee
to stem the tide the violence and lawlessness. Somehow, there needed to be a semblance of
order.
Next time: San Luis Obispo contends with governance.
Questions? Contact: jacarotenuti@gmail.com