Appendix A Historic Property Survey Report

Home Browse Search

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT FAIRVIEW STREET IMPROVEMENTS FROM 9TH STREET TO 16TH STREET AND JUNE 2019 BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA History Spanish Mission Period (1769-1821) The Historic Period in southern California is generally accepted as commencing with the establishment of Mission San Diego DeAlcala, and the period from 1769-1821 is often referred to as the Spanish Mission Period (Robinson 1979:51-52). The period begins in 1769 with the Portola expedition of 1769-1770 and ends in 1821, when Mexico gained independence from Spain (McGroarty 1911:117, 148; Avina 1932:29; Robinson 1979:13). Little Spanish exploration of the California coast occurred between the early 1600s and 1769 due to the limited naval resources available to Spain after the defeat of the Spanish Armada by the English fleet in 1588. In response tc Russian incursions down the coast from Alaska in the mid-1700s, Spain realized the necessity of occupying alto (upper) California. Beginning with the Portola expedition of 1769-1770, Franciscan missions were established along coastal California between San Diego and Sonoma, and the Spanish colonization of alto California began. Founded July 16, 1769, Mission San Diego De Alcala was the first and southernmost of 21 alto California Missions (Lowman 1993:2, 5). The mission was founded during the first European land expedition through California, led by Captain GAspar de Portola in 1769-1770 (Cleland 1962:xi). Entering what is now the Orange County area on July 22, 1769, the expedition travelled north along the coast, and at times inland, in search of Monterey Bay, which had been described by Sebastian Vizcaino as an excellent port when he anchored there on December 16, 1602 (Cleland 1962:xi; Lowman 1993:3; Gudde 1998:246). Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, the nearest of the missions to the current project area, was the fourth California mission, founded September 8, 1771 (Hoover et al. 1962:12; Lowman 1993:2; McCawley 1996:189). In the Orange County area, the first recorded contact between the Gabrielino and Europeans occurred on July 22, 1769, when the Portola Expedition camped for the night near a native village in Christianitos Canyon north of San Onofre. Two little native girls, who were ill, were baptized and the expedition named the location "Los Christianitos," meaning the little Christians (Hoover et al. 1962:29). Traveling west of the Santa Ana Mountains, on July 25, 1769, the Portola Expedition camped near a stream now known as Santiago Creek (Hoover et al. 1962:29), just northeast of what is now the City of Orange, near what is now the City of Villa Park. On July 28, 1769, the expedition reached the Santa Ana River and pitched camp "... opposite an Indian village" (Hoover et al. 1962:29), near where Olive is now located and where State Route 91 meets State Route 55. These two locations on Santiago Creek and the Santa Ana River are 7-8 miles from the current APE. The closest the Portola Expedition came to the current project is probably a short distance north on Red Hill, about 6 miles from the APE. Mexican Rancho Period (1821-1848) In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain, and in 1848, the United States formally obtained California. The period from 1821 to 1848 is here referred to as the Mexican Rancho Period (see Robinson 1979:52). During this period, there was a change from the subsistence agriculture of the Spanish Mission Period to livestock husbandry of the large ranches, or ranchos, acquired by Mexican Q:\WKE1702\Cultural\ASR\ASR 2019 OS-21.docx (06/03/19) 13