HomeMy WebLinkAboutHistory of San Luis Obispo 6History of San Luis Obispo 6
Joseph A. Carotenuti
City Historian/Archivist
The focus of governance in 1850 was on the County – not the community. Legislation
from the State directed much of the activities of the counties with an emphasis on the
judiciary. A Court of Sessions led the County leadership as the Board of Supervisors was
not legislated into existence until 1852. Mariano Bonilla, the last alcalde for San Luis
Obispo, was the leader of the Court. When you have time, visit an interesting pictorial display of the
Supervisors outside their Chambers…including the ancestor of a current one.
The new State’s legislature (first meeting in San Jose in December 1849) had little time for the few
settlement as the first laws passed addressed County issues; not the various local outposts. Federal 1850
Census (taken after Statehood in 1851) counted 336 souls in the new county. There were undoubtedly more
but no census taker was going to brave the countryside – and various bandits – to find more.
For residents of the eventual city, the question must have been “Why do we need any more government (or
expenses) since we already have the County bureaucracy?” There was no rush to establish the framework for
local sovereignty. Thanks to Myron Angel’s History of San Luis Obispo County (1883) and his interviews of
pioneer settlers, a vague recounting of these formative years is possible.
An early map compiled from his survey by William Rich Hutton (who moved on to become a premier
engineer with the Washington Bridge (New York) as his most enduring legacy) is referenced in many early
land petitions. Unfortunately, the map has been lost. Most likely, Hutton’s survey encompassed today’s
downtown with a short radius from the intersection of Monterey and Chorro Streets. The earliest preserved
correspondence is an 1864 letter from the Federal Surveyor’s office in San Francisco acknowledging a
willingness to survey the town…but for a fee. There is no indication it was accepted locally.
As background, before Statehood, San Luis
Obispo was little more than a mission
settlement. Commerce in hides and tallow and
then crops had brought an emerging
population to the central coast. Initially known
as “Boston” traders (regardless their point of
origin), a few mariners stayed with grants of
land and others through a variety of attempts
to earn a living. Among this latter group, John
Jacob “Jake” Simmler is profiled in this month’s
Journal Plus magazine. In one’s life, service in
local governance was in addition to other
efforts…and not a major one.
Despite the remoteness in the vast state, the pioneers – by design or accident – remained to contribute to
the evolution of the community. Propelled by the need to support themselves and family (a shared goal
today), a few stepped beyond personal gain in service to others. All deserve celebration today.
Next time: How do the earliest records portray San Luis Obispo?
Questions? Contact: jacarotenuti@gmail.com