Misplaced Pages

#530469

40-543: Former Santa Barbara Presidio soldiers Jose Polanco and Ygnacio Rodriquez were granted Rancho El Conejo in 1803. Polanco, eventually lost his land due to neglect. In 1822, influential Santa Barbara army officer José de la Guerra y Noriega was granted Polanco's claim by Spanish Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá . With the cession of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War ,

80-507: A canonical Roman Catholic oratory, Roman Catholic weddings are occasionally performed in the chapel with the permission of the local Roman Catholic Santa Barbara Pastoral Regional bishop. The site of the Presidio was chosen by Felipe de Neve , the fourth governor of Las Californias . Perceiving that the coast at Santa Barbara was vulnerable to attack, he located a spot near a harbor which was sheltered from severe storms. In addition, there

120-467: A major he administered the colleges of Zacatecas , New Spain . Neve was appointed as acting Governor of Las Californias on October 18, 1774 by Viceroy Antonio Maria de Buareli y Ursua . For the first two years of his appointment, Neve was based in Loreto, Baja California and later moved to Monterey . It was during Neve's administration that Lieutenant José Joaquín Moraga is credited with building

160-530: A man replete with humanity and a Christian philosopher who died about four years ago, remonstrated against the practice [of corporal punishment]. He thought that the progress of the faith would be more rapid and the prayers of the Indians more agreeable to the Supreme Being if they were not constrained. He desired a constitution less monastic, affording more civil liberty to the Indians and less despotism in

200-570: A presidio at Santa Barbara and other pueblos with the goal of obtaining land and water for cultivation purposes. He also led a campaign against the Yumi Indians in Arizona and Southern California. Jean-François de la Pérouse , on his expedition around the world in 1786, describes the ill treatment of natives by the ecclesiastical authorities, comparing the mission to a " plantation at Santo Domingo or any other West Indian island," noting

240-602: A richly Catholic history. At the time of the Mexican–American War in Alta California , very little of the fortress remained in usable condition, and on December 27, 1846, John C. Frémont ascended San Marcos Pass during rainy weather and came up on the Presidio and the town from behind. The Presidio surrendered without a fight, as the garrison was far south in the Pueblo de Los Angeles . Frémont had heard that

280-636: A strong military force during its sixty years of operation, the Presidio was subject to the assaults of nature. Several devastating earthquakes in the early 19th century destroyed much of the structure. In 1855 the Presidio Chapel grew into the Apostolic College of Our Lady of Sorrows, which soon became Our Lady of Sorrows Church at the corner of Figueroa and State Streets, and then at the corner of Anacapa and Sola streets in 1929. However, both still stand separately as vibrant churches of

320-623: Is a participating site of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail , a National Park Service area in the United States National Trails System . Felipe de Neve Felipe de Neve y Padilla (1724 – 3 November 1784) was a Spanish soldier who served as the 4th Governor of the Californias , from 1775 to 1782. Neve is one of the founders of Los Angeles and was instrumental in

360-505: Is mounted on a 4-foot boulder (1.2 m) and includes a bronze dedication plaque with the following inscription: Felipe de Neve, 1728–84, Spanish governor of the Californias, 1775–82. In 1781 on the orders of King Carlos III of Spain, Felipe de Neve selected a site near the river Porciuncula and laid out the town of El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles, one of 2 Spanish pueblos he founded in Alta California The pueblo

400-570: Is now Thousand Oaks from the heir of John Edwards, who had purchased the land from the de la Guerra heirs. 34°12′0″N 118°54′0″W  /  34.20000°N 118.90000°W  / 34.20000; -118.90000 Presidio of Santa Barbara El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara , also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara , is a former military installation in Santa Barbara, California , United States. The presidio

440-520: The Los Angeles River ( Río de Porciúncula ), where Father Juan Crespí had met local Tongva Indians . With the viceroy's approval, de Neve was granted authority from The Crown , Charles III of Spain , to found and establish the second pueblo in upper Las Californias , El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula (The Pueblo of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of

SECTION 10

#1732801790531

480-521: The Presidio of San Francisco , after the site was selected by Juan Bautista de Anza in 1776. Moraga is also known as the founder of El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe , the present day city of San Jose, California . On November 29, 1777, Moraga founded San José on orders from Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa , the Spanish Viceroy of New Spain . It was the first Spanish colonial pueblo in

520-577: The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho El Conejo was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was patented to José de la Guerra y Noriega and María del Carmen de Rodríguez in 1873. The property stayed in the de la Guerra families and Rodriguez until the 1860s, when after drought and disease decimated local cattle,

560-487: The Angels of the Porciúncula River), the present day city of Los Angeles, California was founded on September 4, 1781. Of the sixteen families Neve planned on moving to the newly established pueblo, only eleven families made it. Throughout the journey some stayed back or became too ill to travel. During Neve's tenure as governor, he quarreled constantly with the missionaries' leader, padre Junípero Serra , over

600-564: The Californias), the first rules regarding governance of secular pueblos like Los Angeles. The location of the site was already inhabited by Native Americans who Father Crespi described as "very docile and friendly." The town was called Yabit and the attitude of the Natives towards the foreigners did not change over time. Neve arrived to the site in 1779 where he selected three dozen boys and girls for conversion to Christianity and acted as

640-630: The Camino Real from San Diego to Monterey with sufficient pro- portion of waters for developing cultivation are the river Santa Ana at 28 leagues from San Diego, has abundant water and it is not difficult to draw it out as it proves, at seven leagues is the river San Gabriel with much water and lands for large planting, and to raise water not proven very difficult. One league distant from the Mission of this name, which does not use its waters because they obtain abundant and suf- ficient water for lands from

680-560: The Mexican army was lying in ambush for him at Gaviota Pass , the only other sensible route over the mountains at that time, and had crossed the difficult muddy track on San Marcos Pass to outflank them, but this move turned out not to have been necessary. Mexican General Andrés Pico later surrendered his force to Frémont, recognizing that the war was lost. In 1963, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP)

720-408: The Porciúncula River), the present day city of Los Angeles, California. Neve is credited with being one of the first urban planners because he personally drew the plans for the pueblo. Neve traveled north to inspect the Presidio and mission of San Francisco and the mission of Santa Clara and issued several reports on recent happenings in the Californias and recommendations for establishments, including

760-401: The Presidio, which offered protection for the residents. The chapel in the Presidio was the primary place of worship for the residents of early Santa Barbara, until its destruction by the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake . The mission, located a mile and a half inland, was mainly intended for use by the native Chumash ( Barbareño ) neophytes after their conversion to Catholicism . The Presidio

800-528: The Soldado de Cuera to whom it was deeded in lieu of back pay when the Presidio fell to inactivity, and the remnants of a two-room soldiers quarters, called El Cuartel. The Cañedo Adobe is currently serving as the visitor's center for the state park, and El Cuartel is largely unmodified. The site administrator, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP), reconstructed the rest of

840-596: The chapel at Mission San Juan Capistrano , known as "Father Junípero Serra 's Church", is older. The Presidio of Santa Barbara has the distinction of being the last military outpost built by Spain in the New World. The Presidio became a California Historical Landmark in 1958 and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The current El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park site sits between Anacapa and Garden Street on East Canon Perdido Street in downtown Santa Barbara. The main portion of

SECTION 20

#1732801790531

880-437: The executive power of the presidios, the government of which might fall into the hands of cruel and avaricious men. He thought likewise that it might perhaps be necessary to moderate their authority by the appointment of a magistrate who might be the tribune, as it were, of the Indians, and possess sufficient authority to defend them from harassments. This upright man had borne arms in service of his country from his infancy, but he

920-467: The fortifications and irrigation works. He obtained livestock for the presidio from Mission San Buenaventura , established orchards, and began large-scale farming. In 1784, Felipe de Goicoechea took over as comandante, supervising construction of the fortifications and living quarters for the soldiers and their families. Two years later, construction of the nearby Mission Santa Barbara began in 1786. The pueblo or town of Santa Barbara developed around

960-590: The foundation of San Jose and Santa Barbara . Born in Bailén , Spain , Neve was the son of Mary D. Padilla y Costilla and Felipe de Neve Noguera Castro y Figueroa and was born into one of the well-respected families of Andalucia . Neve entered the military in 1744 at about 16 years of age. Neve served as a soldier in Cantabria, Flanders, Milan , and Portugal before arriving in New Spain. During his time as

1000-449: The godfather to twelve of the children. Neve also selected a young married couple, renamed them as Felipe de Neve and Phelipa Theresa de Neve and remarried them. Governor de Neve had applied to Viceroy Bucareli for permission to establish a settlement (pueblo) near the Los Angeles River (Río de Porciúncula), where Father Juan Crespí had met local Tongva Indians . The area chosen is described below: "The habitable spots which border

1040-592: The governor, who appears to me to be a worth military character. Felipe de Neve recited the Cross of the Order of San Carlos and was made a Brigadier General. Governor de Neve's success as provincial governor won him a promotion in 1783 to succeed Teodoro de Croix as Commandante General of the Provinicas Internas, a position that had authority over al the northern provinces, including Las Californias. He held

1080-503: The northern region of Las Californias Province , which became its own Alta California Province in 1804. The city served as a farming community to support the Presidio of San Francisco and the Presidio of Monterey . In 1781, later in Neve's tenure, he founded the Pueblo de Los Ángeles . Governor Neve had applied to Viceroy Bucareli for permission to establish a settlement ( pueblo ) near

1120-669: The position of Comandante General of the Frontier Provinces until his death on November 3, 1784, in hacienda Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Pena Blanca, Chihuahua , New Spain. A 7.5-foot cast (2.3 m) bronze statue of Felipe de Neve by Henry Lion was installed in 1932 at the Los Angeles Plaza Park in the El Pueblo District of Los Angeles, California, by the City of Los Angeles. The statue

1160-516: The recommendation for the site of the city of Los Angeles. "The site had been scheduled for a mission since 1769 when Franciscan Father Juan Crespi first saw it and named it Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de la Porciuncula for the river on which it was located." In 1781, Neve issued the "Reglamento para el gobierno de la provincia de Californias (Regulations for the Government of the Province of

1200-540: The secularization of the Missions and the redistribution of land to the Mission Indian neophytes and soldiers. During his tenure four missions were founded: Mission San Francisco de Asís also called Mission Dolores (June 29, 1776), Mission San Juan Capistrano (November 1, 1776), Mission Santa Clara de Asís (January 12, 1777) and Mission San Buenaventura (March 31, 1782). Neve was given orders to establish

1240-691: The site is across the street from the Santa Barbara city Post Office, and is about two blocks from city hall, De la Guerra Plaza and two other museums, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and the Casa de la Guerra and includes a reconstructed quadrangle with soldiers' quarters and a chapel. Only two portions of the original presidio quadrangle survive to this day: a remnant of the Cañedo Adobe, named for José María Cañedo,

Rancho El Conejo - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-470: The site, with the most recent construction—two rooms in the northwest corner of the site—finished in May 2006. The reconstruction is ongoing, with the more recent construction of two more rooms in the northwest corner. The Presidio Chapel and courtyard were also completed during the construction of the quadrangle. The chapel is occasionally used for civic events such as musical concerts and lectures. Although not

1320-804: The two families began selling off their land. In 1872, H. W. Mills purchased one-half of the Conejo grant from the heirs of Captain Jose de la Guerra, which he called the Triunfo Ranch. Mills went bankrupt and Andrew D. Russell purchased his Triunfo Ranch in 1881. In 1882, 2,200 acres (9 km) of the Newbury tract were sold. In 1910, Harold and Edwin Janss of the Janss Investment Company purchased about 10,000 acres (40 km) of land of what

1360-410: The use of "irons and stocks," lashes of the whip, and the recourse to military authority to repossess any native converts who had chosen to return to their "relations in the independent villages." La Pérouse visited Monterrey under the governorship of Pedro Fages , but has the following to say about de Neve: The predecessor of Mr. Fages, Mr. Felipe de Neve, commander of the interior provinces of Mexico,

1400-558: The various springs which flow at the foot of the mountains. At 3 leagues from the Mission is the river of Porsincula [sic] with much water easy of access for both banks and beautiful lands in which we can make use of all." With the Viceroy's approval, de Neve was granted authority from The Crown , Charles III of Spain , to found and establish the second pueblo in upper Las Californias, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula (The Pueblo of Our Lady Queen of

1440-480: Was an ample supply of both building materials and water nearby. Construction began on April 21, 1782, and Padre Junípero Serra blessed the site. By the next year, a temporary facility had been completed, and a wheat field planted by the local Chumash Indians of Chief Yanonalit. The early Presidio consisted of mud and brush walls around a quadrangle 330 feet on a side. The post had 61 officers and men in 1783. The first comandante , José Francisco Ortega , planned

1480-558: Was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California. In modern times, the Presidio serves as a significant tourist attraction , museum and an active archaeological site as part of El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park . The park contains an original adobe structure called El Cuartel, which is the second oldest surviving building in California; only

1520-410: Was built to standard plans for a Spanish colonial military headquarters, using locally available materials, so the buildings forming the outer square were constructed with thick, solid adobe outer walls. The main gate opened into an open parade ground/plaza in the center of the square. The chapel stood at the center of the back of the square, facing the gate across the plaza. While it was never attacked by

1560-414: Was exempt from the prejudices of his profession, and well knew that military government is subject to great improprieties when not moderated by an intermediate power. He might, however, have experienced the difficulty of maintaining the conflict of three authorities in a county so remote from the governor-general of Mexico, since the missionaries, though pious and respectable, are already at open variance with

1600-620: Was founded, with the primary mission of restoring the Presidio. In 1966, the land on which the Presidio is located became a State Historic Park. On December 27, 2006, the SBTHP renewed their ongoing agreement with the California State Parks Department to manage the Presidio. Work on the restoration is currently taking place. On November 26, 1973, the Presidio of Santa Barbara was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . The Presidio of Santa Barbara

#530469