S5 Ep1 January 1847 Yerba Buena

Over the past five years, I’ve shared fragments of the sometimes-comedic stories of 1847 Yerba Buena. But 1847 deserves more than scattered stories. It was a transformative year for the Pueblo de Yerba Buena, the District of San Francisco, Monterey and Alta California.

I plan to retell the 1847 story in a multipart series. And while I’m sad to say goodbye to Yerba Buena, I’m excited to tell this next chapter, the year before the gold.

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Transcript

I’d like to thank Deb, the tour guide in San Francisco, for supporting the Monkey Block Project. It makes me happy to know I’m putting information into the hands of people who want to share it. Thank you again, Deb.

Over the past five years, I’ve shared fragments of the sometimes-comedic stories of 1847 Yerba Buena. But 1847 deserves more than scattered stories. It was a transformative year for the Pueblo de Yerba Buena, the District of San Francisco, Monterey and Alta California.

The stories I tell going forward become United States–focused, with Mexico’s California quickly fading in the rearview mirror.

I plan to retell the 1847 story in a multipart series. And while I’m sad to say goodbye to Yerba Buena, I’m excited to tell this next chapter, the year before the gold.

My episode features commentary and analysis based on news articles and notifications from the California Star newspaper, used under the doctrine of fair use, 17 U.S.C., Section 107, for research and historical commentary. The cited sources are in my Buzzsprout transcript for further study. 

Are you ready? Here we go. 

Prior to1847 a Quick Recap

The United States took possession of California and specifically of Yerba Buena with the Battle of Yerba Buena on July 9th, 1846.

The following month, Yerba Buena was placed under martial law, requiring permission to both enter or leave the District of San Francisco and the Pueblo de Yerba Buena. (I’m intentionally calling out these two areas for a reason.)

<Star Spangled Banner.>

In September, Washington Allon Bartlett became the first alcalde under the United States flag.

Commander Sloat promised the Californios that their property, rights, and religion would be respected under the United States flag. But it became clear that members of the U.S. government, with more influence than Sloat, felt differently and moved forward in a way that suggested a pivot from what Sloat promised. (That’s the kindest way I can say that.)

By November 1846, tensions among Californios were high as a result of the … sanctioned United States government-land, cattle, and horse theft from Californios. You heard that correctly.

It’s also in November that we see ordinances related to liquor and general conduct established to maintain lawfulness in a rapidly changing land. This wasn’t to keep the Californios from misbehaving or rebelling against the United States occupation, but to curb the drinking and unsavory behavior of the new US soldiers and visiting sailors. Season 4, Episodes 3 and 4.

In mid-December 1846, the Sanchez brothers, now angry and tired of the horse and cattle theft, took Alcalde Bartlett prisoner, beginning the Battle of Santa Clara. You can relive that story in Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2.

With Alcalde Bartlett a prisoner, George Hyde temporarily assumed the alcalde role. 

That’s the lead-up. And now… welcome to Yerba Buena, 1847.

<harp>.

The California Star, Volume 1, Yerba Buena, January 9, 1847, Issue Number 1

On January 9th,1847 Sam Brannan started Yerba Buena’s first-and technically only - newspaper. Behold, the California Star. The original office was located below La Plaza on the north side of current-day Clay Street, on the upstairs floor in Nathan Spear’s mule-powered gristmill. But it quickly moved to what was originally William Richardson’s adobe building just above La Plaza, on today's Grant Avenue. He moved to Sausalito and his home became a customs house and newspaper headquarters. 

“The California Star. A weekly journal, devoted to the liberties and interests of the people of California. Published by Sam Branan. Edited by E.P. Jones. 

One copy per annum, $6 cash. Two copies per annum $10 cash. Advertisements, one square, (10 lines) 2 insertions, $3 and $1 for every additional insertion.”

In today’s money, that’s $240 for one copy every week, for a year, $395 for two copies a year, and $120 for an ad or notice. Printing supplies, like presses and paper, were scarce in California, which was reflected in the cost. 

Let’s skim over the January issues, together and the stories that reflect January 1847.

On Page 2, is an editorial entry, The Laws of California, I believe written by the paper

We hear the enquiry almost every hour during the day, “What laws are we to be governed by?” We have invariably told those who put the question to us, “If anybody asks you, tell them you don’t know” because we are unwilling to express an opinion in relation to the laws in force in this territory, knowing as we did, that the same persons would be told at the Alcade’s office, or elsewhere, that ‘no particular law is in force in Yerba Buena, though there may be in other places in the territory, and that all suits are now decided according to the Alcalde’s notions of justice, without regard to law, or the established rules governing courts of equity.” 

The District of San Francisco, was comprised of the Presidio, the Mission and the land surrounding it. That differed from the farther away ‘Pueblo de Yerba Buena’, except when it didn’t. This statement reflects how informal legal structures were affecting everyday life in early 1847 Yerba Buena. 

Residents had little clarity on which laws applied, (was it the United States or Mexico? Is the District governed differently than the Pueblo?), and it seemed justice depended on the discretion of the alcalde rather than any established legal codes. 

A multinational community was not new to Yerba Buena. Having said that, the District of San Francisco was historically Californios of Mexican or Spanish descent. But Yerba Buena was historically 2/3rds foreigners. An Englishman, in 1835, settled Yerba Buena specifically to aid foreign trade and the residents were mostly English and United States citizens. 

Foreigner or not, they had previously lived under Mexican laws and societal norms, and that was no longer the case. As a result of the changing landscape, as the United States moved in, many of the remaining Californios left Yerba Buena for less populated areas in California. Like the indigenous were pushed out of the area? Now Californios are being pushed out. 

But, let’s move on with the life and times of Yerba Buena.

An Ordinance Regarding Hogs

Temporary Alcalde Hyde publishes a notice <gavel hitting desk> as of January 4th, 1847, hog owners must keep their hogs penned up, and any loose hog in the streets of Yerba Buena will be returned to their owner and charged $5 for each offense. 

$200 per loose hog, which was an issue…worth governing.

I had to look this up. In California, yes, hogs were sometimes branded, but they were usually ear-marked, and that mark was registered with local authorities. So, there was a way to actually hold an owner accountable for their free-range hogs causing damage to newly installed gardens that didn’t exist before and for installing fences that were always required, but not enforced, until now. Societal norms are quickly changing.

The next topic gets serious. 

The Donner Party

News of the Donner party reached Sutter’s Fort, and notification was immediately sent to Yerba Buena to organize money, gather supplies and mobilize a rescue party. 

The California Star, Volume 1, Yerba Buena, January 23rd, 1847, Issue Number 2

Emigrants in the Mountain

It is probably not generally known to the people that there is now in the California mountains, in a most distressing situation, a part of emigrants from the United States, who were prevented from crossing the mountains by an early heavy fall of snow. The party consists of about sixty persons. They were almost entirely out of provisions when they reached the foot of the mountain.”

And now, to civic development.

Our little town is planning its future maturity with early discussions regarding a public school, including selecting a board of trustees, hiring teachers, and building a schoolhouse. 

This next tidbit is noteworthy. John Fuller published a notice that caught my eye, “Is herby given to all persons, not to credit my wife, as I shall not be responsible for any debts she may hereafter contract as of January 14th.”

Fuller paid the equivalent of $120 to tell Yerba Buena not to do business with his wife! I That’s the 1847 version of cancelling a credit card. “If you sell to her on credit on or after the 14th, I’m not paying you back. I said so in the paper.” 

For context, under United States law, a husband was liable for any debts his wife incurred, and this sort of notice wasn’t rare...in the United States. (But, in Mexico’s California, I believe this kind of notice was quite rare.) I’m imagining a Californio reading that notice and thinking “Estas personas están locas”. (These people are crazy.)

Bartlett released from imprisonment.

On January 18th, temporary Alcalde Hyde officially released his position back to the newly returned Alcalde. 

Upon release, Alcalde Bartlett returned to an investigation regarding his alleged misappropriation of public funds. (Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Poor Bartlett. Some months are better than others.)

I have not researched the validity of those accusations, but long story short, Bartlett was found innocent of any wrongdoing. 

An Update on the Donner Party

In two weeks, Yerba Buena raised $1,300 to buy supplies—roughly $55,000 today, and its residents were able to use incoming ships and local resources to transport those provisions to Sutter’s Fort, to be sent to the Donner Party. 

In Season 3, Episode 5, Edwin Bryant points out that Yerba Buena, being the nearest port city, could provide the Donner Party with crucial supplies from incoming ships and assist in transporting them to Sutter's Fort.  Go team! 

Two new ordinances  <gavel>:

1.      Guns cannot be fired within one mile of the city center, (which was La Plaza). 

 And probably the most impactful of all the ordinances of January 1847 and in our city’s early history…

2.      Washing Allon Bartlett officially renames Yerba Buena to San Francisco unifying how the territory was referred to and unify laws. Only locals distinguished the District from the Pueblo. Like Moss Beach from Half Moon Bay, or Colma from Daly City.

I’ll let Jonas do the honors. Take it away, Jonas.

“Whereas the local name of Yerba Buena as applied to the settlement or town of San Francisco is unknown beyond the immediate district, and has been applied from the local name of the cove on which the town is built. Therefore, to prevent confusion and mistakes in public documents, and that the town may have the advantage of the name given on the published maps, it is herby ordered that the name of San Francisco shall hereby be used in all official communications, and public documents, or records pertaining to the town. 

Washington A Bartlett, Chief Magistrate.”

Epilogue

Summarizing January 1847

And that was the first month of 1847, dear listeners. I assure you, the rest of the year does not slow down. And, we don’t even have gold yet.

While Alcalde Bartlett was held prisoner, George Hyde briefly stepped in to fill the role before ultimately returning the office to Bartlett.

During this time, Yerba Buena was undergoing a remarkable change. From starting a newspaper, to organizing aid for the Donner Party to passing ordinances to keep stray hogs under control, the small settlement was beginning to show its growing need for order.

The most significant moment of January 1847 was the town being officially renamed San Francisco, aligning the pueblo of Yerba Buena with the larger District of San Francisco and giving it a permanent identity.

The sound of gunfire faded from the Plaza, and a more formal system of governance began to take shape as the changing population brought new expectations for how society should function.

We see a community trying to define itself.

January 1847 marks the beginning of a year that would shape the city’s future. And as we leave Yerba Buena behind, we step into San Francisco—a town on the edge of transformation, getting ready for what it thinks is its next chapter.  Oh, San Francisco, you have no idea what comes next year. No idea. 

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Thank you for listening. This is Monkey Block. Retelling forgotten stories from San Francisco’s golden past.