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“Nobody wanted to go at first. California was practically uninhabited except for the Indians. Those first residents had to be paid to go and there were few takers. The first years were hard and supplies scarce. Still, those early families managed to grow enough foodstuffs to plant a firm hold in the land. It was truly a cultural melding from the first — of Indian, Spanish and Mexican people and a few others. Then in 1848, California joined the United States. That move — and the lure of gold nearby — gave the city the boost it needed.” “Newcomers soon realized the land was good. Fruits and flowers were abundant and the climate mild. It was the kind of place men dreamed of — and many followed their dreams. They called it the Garden City. Like all cities, it had its problems. But its leaders were both dreamers and doers — they anticipated, prepared and planned. The growth from a struggling outpost to a complex cultural and economic society has been a major evolution — and a tribute to those who made their dreams — and the city of San Jose — come true.” San Jose: California’s First City California’s first city, San jose, represents a microcosm of the development of the Golden State’s urban centers. Over the last two centuries, the “Garden City” has occupied an important position as California’s first civilian settlement, first state capital, leading agricultural center and nucleus of the space-age electronics industry. As narrated by the distinguished historian Edwin A. Beilharz, San jose was founded as a planned civil settlement. In 1777, Governor Felipe de Neve established the pueblo in the lush Santa Clara Valley to provide a reliable food source for the growing yet isolated colony of Alta California. It soon emerged as a major producer of cereal grains, orchard fruit and cattle. During the Spanish and Mexican era, San Jose also served as a social center for the nearby ranchos and attracted such influential families as Peralta, Suriol, Castro and Vasquez. By the late 1830s and 1840s, foreign visitors eyed California with envy. Several saw the promise of the verdant valley. Political upheavals in Mexico made possible the easy assimilation of non-Mexican residents. With the conclusion of the Mexican War and the ‘Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, San _lose and California became a formal possession of the United States. Donald O. DeMers takes up the story with the establishment of American rule in California. The discovery of gold on the American River changed the entire complexion of California and quickly led to admission as a state in 1850. As the result of a strong lobbying effort, the newly formed state government selected San Jose as its first capital. Political infighting ensued, and the state Legislature moved the capital to Benecia after only one year. Despite this blow, the city on the Guadalupe River continued to expand, capitalizing on its mild climate, abundant water supply, proximity to San Francisco Bay and fertility of the Santa Clara Valley. Confusion over Mexican land grants also opened vast tracts of land for development. San Jose took prominence in wine production, fruit raising, silk culture, nurseries and agricultural experimentation. The advent of the railroad made possible the establishment of a packing and shipping economy. The pueblo was soon transformed from a collection of crude adobes to one of frame houses, brick business blocks, schools, churches, theaters and parks replete with horsecars traveling along tree-lined streets. After the 1906 earthquake, San Jose entered the twentieth century as a typical American city. It experienced the anxiety of World War 1, jubilation of the 1920s, subterfuge of prohibition and the Great Depression. During this time, too, sensational events rocked the city _ the tragic Hart kidnapping and the lynchings at St. _lames Park. World War ll shifted the socio-economic base from a land of gardens and orchards to that of a defense production center. The burgeoning population of defense workers, engineers and scientists created a new force for continued development. Excerpt From: Edwin A. Beilharz and Donald O. DeMers Jr. “San·Jose California’s First City.” iBooks.
