S1 Episode 2 Part 2, Mission Secularization & Rancho Days San Francisco 1830s - 1840s

We have the victors who usually write history, and the oppressed, who don’t have a lot of say in how their history gets captured. What’s interesting, is that sometimes the victor becomes the oppressed, and a new victor gets named.

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Episode 2, Part 2

Transcripts, and cited sources, for this episode can be found at Twitter.com/monkeyblocksf or Facebook.com/MonkeyBlockSF. Look for the episode, and follow the buzzsprout link, and click on the Transcript button.

This is Part 2 of Episode 2. 

In Part 1 of Episode 2, I described life for the Ohlone, at the Mission San Francisco de Asis, 1776 – 1830s, and the details which were missing from my 4th, 5th, and 6th grade California history lessons. 

We have the victors who usually write history, and the oppressed who don’t have a lot of say in how their history gets captured. What’s interesting, is that sometimes the victor becomes the oppressed, and a new victor gets named.

In the past, I noticed a sudden absence of Indian mentions in captured San Francisco history, right after the Mission secularization. It’s easy to find references before and during the Mission period. But, just after the Mission period, what happened in San Francisco that we stop hearing any Indigenous mentions.

Today, we start in the 1830s, just after the Mission system was disassembled/secularized, and I’ll topically cover the Rancho Days of the San Francisco District, bringing us right up to the 1840s, just before the United States claims California.

So far, the victors, who’s history I’ve been relaying, has been the Spanish, which became the Californios history, with the oppressed, being the Native Californians. But, California’s official language isn’t Spanish. Somewhere over time, the victor changes. 

Before I begin today’s story, I’ll provide background, about the California Missions from the Spanish perspective.

<swoosh>

The Spanish Crown’s original plan was to fund the California Missions for ten years, which was deemed enough time for the indigenous to learn skills to live the lifestyle expected in a Spanish pueblo, or town resident. 

Spain’s interest in California was to quickly secure the land for the economic potential of the land, and the people. Since English and Russians had also shown interest in California, Spain had to act quickly.

And, the padres wanted to set up Missions in new territory.

The Missions, with Presidios, along California’s coastline, would provide that occupation/protection, so Spain funded the Padres request to create Missions in California.

This is interesting. Spain’s plan, was that all the mission land, after the anticipated ten years, would be converted into small farms, the land divided, and owned, by the freed Indian families who worked at each of the Missions. 

Personalizing this, let’s say you and your family were at the San Francisco Mission de Asis for ten years, your family would formally receive a parcel of that immediate Mission land, which you had been tending, and would have the farming know how, to maintain.

Spain’s idea was that the Mission communities, were to each become their own regular pueblos, with independent Indian families capable of maintaining their farms, paying taxes, as farmers, ranchers, craftsmen, and, as practicing Catholics. They would become gente de razon (people of reason) in those ten years.

But, the Mission system continued for over 60 years. Every time Spain moved to defund the Missions, the padres had a ‘convincing’ reason, to continue the status quo. 

This episode is primarily based on two sources, with links to the sources, in my transcripts:

Journal Hackel, Steven W. “Land, Labor, and Production: The Colonial Economy of Spanish and Mexican California.” California History, vol. 76, no. 2/3, 1997, pp. 111–146. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/25161664?seq=1

Report for the GGNRA (Golden Gate National Recreation Area) Ohlone/Costanoan Indians of the San Francisco Peninsula and their Neighbors, Yesterday and Today, Chapter 8, Secularization and the Rancho Era, 1834-1846 https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=387310 (Chapter 8)

https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/publications.htm (Entire report)

Here we go.

<Spanish speaking crowd>

By the end of the 18th century, the Spanish Crown was reducing their funding for overseas ventures, like Alta California. 

When Mexico won independence from Spain, in 1831, Mexican Governor of Alta California, José María Echeandía officially declared the Mission secularization process, for the same reasons as Spain’s Crown. He felt the Mission system had gone on too long, and was no longer worth funding. 

Spain, and then Mexico’s, gradual defunding of California, started the decline of the Missions and Presidios, with the ultimate burden of that defunding being on the Native Californians.

Echeandía began the process, of having Administrators appointed, to determine how the now Mexican owned Mission land, and the property, would be distributed to the Indians…which was met with a lot of resistance from …the same people previously resisting Spain’s desire to stop funding the Missions for more than 50 years, which included the clergy at the Missions. Well, I’m sure not everyone resisted the secularization, and move, to give the Indians the Mission land. 

The Mission and Presidio system, in theory, could have survived longer had the soldiers and padres, changed their existing business model, to how adobe bricks, clothing, food was provide/managed…than to continue relying on the dwindling Indigenous labor force, but, alas…

Chapter 4 Results of the Labors of the Missions, From San Francisco, “A History of the Pacific Coast Metropolis”, by John Young, Volume 1, 1912

Young wrote, “As far as the Spanish Government was concerned, the Missions were meant to be temporary, to create a civilized society when the time was right. How the padres behaved, and how they maintained their Missions, they didn’t act in a manner that would indicate any plans to make the converted into independent citizens, capable of supporting themselves.” (Hold onto that.)

George Vancouver, an English captain, wrote of his first hand experience visiting California Missions, “The aptitude of the Spanish, for colonization, was never of the highest order, and those of them who engaged in it, were rarely the best of their race. The most of them, were disposed to look at the world to furnish them a living, without exertion, and the tendency was called into constant play, when they came in contact with a race, regarded by them, as inferior. And, their ignorance, fully matched their inertness.” Well, then.

<swoosh>

A few years later, in 1834, now Governor of Alta Califorinia , Jose Figueroa issued the Provisional Regulations for the Secularization of the Missions, requiring the distribution of Mission property (land, cattle, and equipment). Figueroa also appointed administrators to take inventory of the Missions, and, then, once appraised, these items would be sold, and a portion would be given to the freed Indians. (Did you catch that? We went from all Mission land, to a portion of Mission land, going to the freed Indians.)

<swoosh>

But, in 1836, under a lot of pressure, Governor Figueroa issued his "Decree of Confiscation." Retracted his statement to give a portion of the property to the freed Indians. Instead, the Decree of Confiscation began the assignment of the Mission lands to businesses, or awarding the land to soldiers and political friends. But, he died during his term.

<swoosh>

In 1837, now Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado, began the process of awarding California land grants.

But, it wasn’t until 1838 – 1840 that the majority of the San Francisco District and Peninsula lands were divided among private Californio families. 

I found the answer my long standing question regarding the lack of Native Californian mentions in San Francisco. Once freed, the majority of the surviving Ohlone left the immediate Mission San Francisco area for West Marin, the Lower Sierra Foothills, Central Valley, up by Mendocino and other Pomo territory. They left San Francisco for more secluded areas, where they could resume a traditional life, far from Mission San Francisco de Asis, which had the highest mortality rate of all the Missions. 

Despite the uphill battle, a few of the freed Indian families, became the exception, by petitioning, and receiving, Mission property and land, to create their own Ranchos. And, guess what? Those Indian families were mostly from the San Francisco District. 

Two locally ran Indian ranchos were San Bruno’s Rancho Buri Buri, and West Marin’s Rancho Nicasio. But, with most things, you know where the devil lies. 

“How the padres behaved, and how they maintained their Missions, they didn’t act in a manner that would indicate any plans to make the converted into independent citizens, capable of supporting themselves.” 

The two families lost their Ranchos, rather quickly.

<sound of Live Auction>

Speaking at a state level, if the vast majority of the land grants were given to Californio families, can you guess who the laborers were who worked the land? 

We have the freed Indians going from Mission laborers for the padres, to Ranch laborers for Californios. Do you think there was an improvement for the freed people? There is no longer that baptismal contract, tying them to a Religious Master.

Governor Alvarado, justified his distribution of mission ranch lands to non-Indians because “…the number of Indians at the missions had decreased, while the number of Spanish speaking inhabitants increased.” (Oh, that’s rich. That is an interesting statement.)

In 1835, Vallejo was the director of colonization, which meant he granted the land in the Northern part of California, meaning the San Francisco District, and beyond.

Easily, the largest San Francisco District and surrounding land owner was Mariano Vallejo, and, more locally, in the San Francisco Peninsula area, that was the Sanchez Family (Father and sons), then Guerrero, Noe, Bernal, and de Haro. These Californios all share being Alcaldes for the San Francisco District, and being buried at the Mission Dolores cemetery, which you can still see and visit. Mission lands were granted to political friends and soldiers.

Having said that, in 1837, only 36 indigenous people were recorded as living in the immediate Mission San Francisco de Asis area. Said another way, the local San Francisco Peninsula ranchos were not the large, more successful ranchos, of the Los Angeles area. In the San Francisco District, they had the land, but not the labor.

The freed Indians worked as servants and laborers, doing cooking, cleaning, farming, horse and cow tending for the meat, hides and tallow …  the same duties they had at the Missions.

The working conditions at the ranchos were both similar, and different, from the Missions. The most common Rancho to Indian working relationship, was the peon debt labor system, which was being used widely in Mexico. The peon system, is also called debt slavery, or debt servitude. 

Peonage is a system where an employer compels a worker to pay off upfront, incurred debt, with work, meaning without pay, until the debt is paid off. 

Personalizing this, if you are the freed Indian worker, you would borrow money from the Ranch owner, for the upfront cost of the food and shelter being provided by the Ranchero, and that includes buying the farming tools needed to do the work. Yup, even the tools. You work for free until the debt is paid. And, with peonage/debt slavery, you can’t leave your employer until the debt is paid off. (Both similar and different from the Missions.)

And, remember you and your family were supposed to be granted the Mission land and property, as part of ten years, turned into 65 years, of servitude, with the Missions. 

With this work arrangement, the indigenous perpetually stayed in debt, working for free, for as long as the Rancheros needed the labor. Worth mentioning, California did not use currency, or have a use for it. The Mission system was based on trading and bartering, and the Ranchos continued that. 

< son jarocho music >

The California Rancho Days were marked with fancy outfits and horse riding gear, fandangos that went on for days, rodeos, European home furnishings, all to display a sense of wealth, which was all borrowed credit. The Indians borrowed from the Rancheros. The Rancheros borrowed from the Merchants. The Merchants were becoming a mix of Californios and Americans. Some of those Americans became Mexican citizens, but most came, and worked, illegally.

 <tick, tick, tick> There’s a credit bubble forming.

<son jarocho music, English speaking crowd>

The San Francisco District was changing around this time. More specifically, the area near Yerba Buena Cove. The Yerba Buena Settlement town was established in 1836, to cater to the booming sea trading commerce with incoming ships from Boston and England. The Americans tended to live in the Yerba Buena town, and the Californios tended to live near the defunct Mission and Presidio, and the Peninsula area, and the greater San Francisco District.

The Missions, turned Ranchos, had a successful trading business of cow hides and tallow trading. Remember, the Californios didn’t need, or use, hard currency. They traded cow hides, aka California dollars, and tallow to support their lifestyle. 

The Americans were establishing permanent trading businesses in Yerba Buena, doing business with both the Californios and the incoming ships, in plain sight. But somehow the Californios missed the signs of changing times. Well, not everyone. 

Mariano Vallejo saw the opportunities presented by doing business with the yanquis/Americans, and became a prominent supporter of the American annexation of California. Vallejo felt the Americans would bring prosperity and stability to Alta California. (Hold on to that for a future episode.) 

<English speaking crowd, seagulls>

With more Americans in Yerba Buena, establishing their successful businesses, based on currency, not trading, there’s a socioeconomic shift in the San Francisco District. While the Californios saw the Indians as inferior, the Americans saw the Californios, Mexicans, and Spanish, as inferior. There was no change for the Indians.

Vallejo had the authority to deport the illegally immigrated Americans, who were working here illegally. But, he chose not to, because he was able to do business with them.

While the Americans are arriving in Yerba Buena, setting up businesses and homes, near the cove, the San Francisco District Ranchos aren’t doing very well, due to the lack of labor and inhospitable farming weather. 

<tick, tick, tick> There’s a credit bubble forming, and the face of San Francisco is changing.

Would you call this the beginning of San Francisco’s first wave of gentrification…or, the second wave? 

It’s interesting how history repeats itself. Let’s just think about the gentrification of the Mission District, with long-time inhabitants being pushed out by the new inhabitants, who come with different ideas and ways of doing things, looking down on how the previous people live, and feeling how their way is better. It’s amazing how quickly the new group can come in and change the environment so drastically, in  little time, with such long lasting results.

I’m talking about 1776, and the Yelamu, of the Ramaytush Ohlone village, which was located exactly where the Mission District now stands. Was that who you were thinking of?

Over time, all good things come to an end, and things change. History evolves. Even the one time victor can become the oppressed, with a new victor named. That’s precisely what was taking place in California, and here in San Francisco.

In the next episode, we discover Yerba Buena Town, and the Yanquis’ takeover.

Thank you for listening, this is Monkey Block, San Francisco’s Golden History. You can find Monkey Block on most Podcast publishing sites. Please bookmark, or favorite, this podcast to be notified of new episodes.