S1 Episode 7 The Last of Yerba Buena 1844 - early 1846

The largest misconception I had, coming into this, was that nothing of importance happened in Yerba Buena, until the United States arrived. That’s literally what I was taught in my college California History class, and a common theme you’ll find online. How did we collectively get to that idea, believing that Yerba Buena had nothing to offer?

Yerba Buena being a ‘nothing little town’ is an example of how perception can become the agreed upon reality. However, perception is one person’s opinion of reality, which may, or may not be … reality. But, when what you’re reading was written by the victor, one person’s perception has a way of shaping history, and therefore our sense of reality.

Please see the transcript for more details and links to my cited sources.

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Transcript

Episode 7 1844 - early 1846

Prologue
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193695455@N05/51557752482/in/dateposted-public/

The original intent was to begin my podcast in 1849, with the exception of the first episode, meant to provide a foundation for local history, and, explain the socio-economic political atmosphere in Alta California, the District of San Francisco, and the pueblo de Yerba Buena, before the discovery of gold. But, that led to Episode 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, and 6. With my episodes covering 1776 – the early1840s.

I found myself questioning what I thought I knew about really early San Francisco history, and, I couldn’t’ walk away from the interesting storylines I was finding, so I continued to release episodes based on history prior to 1849. 

The largest misconception I had, coming into this, was that nothing of importance happened in Yerba Buena, until the United States arrived. That’s literally what I was taught in my college California History class, and a common theme you’ll find online. How did we collectively get to that idea, believing that Yerba Buena had nothing to offer?

Yerba Buena being a ‘nothing little town’ is an example of how perception can become the agreed upon reality. However, perception is one person’s opinion of reality, which may, or may not be … reality. But, when what you’re reading was written by the victor, one person’s perception has a way of shaping history, and therefore our sense of reality.

Someone else reads this perception, accepts it as reality, and relays history based on the victor’s perspective. And so on, and so on. And, as a society, we accept this information as reality. If enough sources say the same thing … we naturally assume it must be true. (The statistic for most people is 3. If you read/hear the same thing 3 times, you’ll likely believe it.)

All of that is a long way of saying I have Season 1, Yerba Buena, coming to an end, and Season 2, San Francisco, coming up.

Editor’s Correction to Episode 5, regarding Alpheus Basil Thompson’s arrest in 1833. From “Seventy-Five Years in California” William Heath Davis first hand account, wrote that Thompson was arrested, and imprisoned in Monterey, at the Monterey Presidio. I had stated Thompson was imprisoned on his ship, in Yerba Buena. I believe Davis’ account, based on the likeliness of being arrested in Monterey, and, imprisoned at the Monterey Mission, which is where taxes were meant to be paid before going to Yerba Buena. Both accounts believe their story to be true. I choose to believe the most realistic, and least fantastic version, as my perception of reality.

With my usual prologue out of the way, here we go…

Today’s Episode

Today I focus on 1844- early 1846.

From the Californio’s perspective, the good times in Yerba Buena continue, just as they have for the last ten + years.

<waves crashing>
 <seagulls>

Whaling and merchant trading ships, continue to arrive in Yerba Buena Cove, and the hide and tallow export is growing. Spoiler alert, the good times don’t last forever, because … we don’t speak Spanish in California as our official language. 

Now that I think about it, this episode describes… the ‘beginning of the end’ of Alta California, the days of the Rancheros, and their society, with few rules and lots of good times. They’ve had a good run at living mostly ignored by the Mexican government, and creating a remote, and enjoyable, world for themselves. 

The Ohlone wouldn’t’ say things were so great, but, perception, can be divorced of reality, and history when its based on the perception of the person capturing history. 

Both England and the United States have hopes of acquiring California. And, for as arrogant as it sounds, if it weren’t true, it was specifically Yerba Buena Cove that makes California a lucrative acquisition for these countries. It’s the existing commerce at the Cove, its advantageous location, and its potential to be a fantastic money maker if developed properly. We don’t have gold yet, so that’s not the reason.

The most exciting news for 1844, Yerba Buenans is Acalde Hinckley’s footbridge, which Hinckley is believed to have paid for with his own money. 

<footsteps>

This next point is interesting. I had a hunch about something, so I looked up the details, and my hunch was correct. Hinckley’s house was located at today’s Montgomery and Merchant Street, which was two blocks from the Laguna Salada, where the footbridge was built, at current day Montgomery and Jackson Street. So, Hinckley had a personal interest in getting the footbridge built, to make his voyage to Thompson’s Cove easier. It wasn’t just an altruistic donation to the pueblo he loved so much.  

As history got rewritten, Hinckley’s personal financing of this footbridge becomes a defining indicator for how poorly funded, organized, and managed, the pueblo de Yerba Buena was prior to the United States official occupation. So, is that perception? Or, is that reality? In this case, a little of both are likely true. Hinckley had a personal reason for the footbridge, and Hinckley had to pay for it himself.

Speaking of occupation, from an American standpoint, the unofficial occupation of Yerba Buena and Alta California is quietly starting by late 1844, and is out in the open by 1845.

The United States, unlike England, has proximity going for it. Both countries are interested in the commercial prospects of Yerba Buena Cove. And, Mexico is aware of the cove’s potential, but, Mexico isn’t doing what they can to secure, or develop it. What’s the reason?

Between the preferential business and real estate deals with the English and the Americans, and the intermarrying of these influential foreign men, with the daughters of prominent Californios, culturally speaking, the Californios assumed a United States, or English, takeover would naturally put the Californios in a favorable standing, given their intermingled and intermarried trading and family history. And, up until this point, these same married-foreigners-turned-Mexican-citizens, might have very well made that happen. Except… 

<ding>

Manifest Destiny is currently underway, and, the United States is aggressively moving its border farther west of the Mississippi. Manifest Destiny, a phrase created in 1845, is the idea that the United States is destined—by God, to expand its dominance, spread democracy, and capitalism, across the entire North American continent. In this case, the perception (the United States expansion being destined by God), eventually becomes reality (through Manifest Destiny) bring with it, a group of people with a different perspective lens, than those who came before them. 

<swoosh>

<wagon>

In 1845, six separate wagon trains arrive in Alta California, from the United States. I’ll focus on the least known of the wagon trains, because we are focused on the forgotten stories of San Francisco’s golden past. J

The five Sublette brothers, of St. Louis — William, Milton, Andrew, Pinckney, and Solomon experience their initial success with fur trapping expeditions, which naturally transitions to overland travels, leading United States parties, farther west, as part of the American expansion. 

Solomon Perry Sublette, is the youngest brother, and has a direct tie to Yerba Buena.

In 1845 Solomon led a party to California, and returned to St. Louis, after seven months. So, not a long visit. 

This next story is based on:

Nunis, Doyce B. "The Enigma of the Sublette Overland Party, 1845."Pacific Historical Review” 28, no. 4 (1959): 331-49. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3636133

I have a link in my transcript. There’s a lot more to this family’s history.

In October, 1845, John Sutter writes in his diary about the fourth, of the eventual six, wagon trains from the United States, to arrive in Alta California, at Sutter’s Fort. It’s 1845, and Manifest Destiny is in full swing.

“Yesterday, Sublette arrived here with his party of fifteen men. Not one company has arrived, before, to this country, which looked as respectable as this.” That’s a very nice thing for Sutter to say.

Robert G. Cleland, notes "one of the Sublette’s" appeared at Sutter's Fort in 1845, and the party was exceptionally well equipped and financed” 

… as compared to the other wagon trains that arrived, I’m guessing? This is all very complimentary.

Sutter, a few days later, writes in his journal, that Solomon, and three other men, posted the required bond necessary for a trading permit, and set out for Yerba Buena.

So these fine, American men, well equipped, and financed, set out for our dear, pueblo. But, if this was a nothing little town with nothing to see or offer, why are they even coming here? And, why do they have to purchase a permit? … This is exactly my point.

<ding>

This seems like the right place to provide a quick background on Swiss born, now Mexican citizen, John Sutter. He’ll certainly come up in later episodes, so I’ll quickly say he was in favor of the United States takeover of Alta California. His perception was that the United States would be good for his business interests. So, he does what he can to help the Americans arrive … even though Mexico specifically granted Sutter land in today’s Sacramento, on Mexico’s behalf, specifically to occupy the land, to keep foreigners (Americans, English, Russians) from inhabiting this remote area of Alta California. Interesting.

I believe there is a technical term for that type of behavior, called … double crossing. He’ll come up in later episodes.

Solomon arrives in Yerba Buena, in late 1845. And, I’ll let you decide what kind of impression he left, during his short visit.

For what I’m about to read, the definition of a ‘blaggard’ is an undisciplined, untrustworthy scoundrel. Usually a male.

<pistol and drunk men>

Alexander Leidesdorf writes to Thomas Larkin, regarding Solomon Sublette, “There are several of the new emigration in town, among them one great blaggard, a Mr. Subliz. On Christmas eve, him and five or six others, came to my house about eleven o clock. I was fast asleep. 

They fired off a gun, and made a great hurrahing in the corridor. I got up and asked who they were, and got no answer, so, I was afraid to open the door. At last, some one of them answered, “friends”. I answered them, if they could not give their names, I would not open the door, and if they had come to get liquor, that I had none in the house. They then walked away. 

After a while, this Mr. Subliz returned, alone, and abused me shamefully, telling me that he had struck terror through all the towns he had been at, and would strike terror through me before he left this town. He finished by throwing two large stones on the roof of my house, one of which I expected would come through the roof being so large. 

This is one of the last party, which is said to be such fine people, and a man that I have no acquaintance.”

Sutter and Leidesdorff don’t see Solomon Sublette, the same way, yet both of these men are openly in favor of the American takeover of Alta California.  

The importance of this story is to relay the perception of the new immigrant arriving into Yerba Buena, and Alta California, who are emigrating from the United States.

Before 1845, we have early foreign settlers who intentionally marry Californianas, become Mexican citizens, learn Spanish, and conduct business with the locals, with the long-term intent of coexisting. Many, but, obviously not all, of these established foreign settlers don’t welcome the new settlers, for exactly the opposite reasons I’ve just highlighted.  Sutter and Leidesdorff being in the ‘not all’ category.

<ding>

But… Manifest Destiny. 

This new settler, now arriving in California, has no intention of integrating into the Californio’s existing culture. It’s God’s will, so their perception is seen through that lens, which creates their perspective.

We begin to see another (?) strong armed change in Yerba Buena. To put the Solomon Sublette story into chronological context, it’s now Christmas 1845, and the ‘no shots fired’ Battle of Yerba Buena, takes place a few months later, in late July 1846, (…which also means, very soon, I can then stop rolling my ‘r’s’ when I say Spanish words and names).

The evolution of California has changed from the indigenous, to Spanish, to Mexican, and very soon, American hands. Each takeover looked down at the society who inhabited the area, prior to their take over. Right or wrong, this is human nature, and has played out many times, everywhere. 

In retrospect, Yerba Buenans, could look back on 1844-early 1846, and realize these years were the quiet before the … occupation. 

I’m halfway joking when I say the early settlers prior to 1845 may have been the first Old School Yerba Buenan/San Franciscans to have said, “The city isn’t what it used to be. The newcomers have changed it for the worse. This city used to be so much better when…” 

But, they considered a newcomer to whomever previously occupied the area. Aren’t we all? (To be perfectly transparent, I’ve become more cognizant of this, when I complain about the changes to San Francisco.)

Perception is a funny thing. A person’s perception of reality, is their own view of reality, which may, or may not, be based on reality. Was the American occupation of California a good thing or bad thing? That depends on the perspective lens you use to inform your perception.

But, the perception of the person/people in power (is usually the one writing history), has a way of becoming the agreed upon reality. Yerba Buena has a layered history, with successful commerce, prior the United States occupation. And, I understand that, now.

I read historic newspapers, books, and firsthand accounts, and consider the person, the time, and their personal involvement with the subject. I remind myself often, that what I’m reading is someone’s perception of reality, based on their experiences and biases, creating their perspective. (Which, you could say is what I’m doing here, too.)

But, to say Yerba Buena was a nothing little town, is not correct. Why would England and the United States be so interested in California, specifically for Yerba Buena? So, who is the source behind the idea that Yerba Buena had nothing to offer, until the Americans showed up?

I have to admit, I am a little sad to be discussing the last of Yerba Buena, as the well-known secret that it was, and in some ways, continues to be. Knowing more about the Mission Dolores, the hide and tallow trade, Juana Briones, Thompson’s Cove, and Hinckley’s footbridge, help me appreciate, and understand, Yerba Buena, for the unique time, and place, that it was in San Francisco’s history. Which is a different understanding from where I started this journey.

Regardless of the commonly held beliefs about Yerba Buena, the reality is Alta California, between 1844 – early 1846 is in a transitional phase, leaving Californios happy, unhappy, or blissfully unaware, of the United States emigrants, who are, immigrating to Mexico’s Alta California.

But, everything has a beginning, and an end. Or, every end starts a new beginning.

I’ll close Season 1 with that statement, illustrating how perception can be a funny thing. If you don’t continuously challenge your ideas, and beliefs, you’ll find yourself adopting someone else’s perception as your reality. 

Don’t believe everything you think. Continuously challenge it.

You can read today’s transcript, and locate the cited sources at monkeyblocksf.buzzsprout.com. 

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