San Pedro Timeline Spanish Colonization

Spanish Discovery and Colonization 1542 - 1821

1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Arrives at the Bay of Smokes

October 8: Cabrillo anchors in the future Bay of San Pedro with his small fleet of 3 ships
He named it the Bahia de Los Fumas, Bay of Smokes, for the large plumes of smoke from several wild fires burning in the surrounding hills. The fires were set by the Native Americans to drive and capture small game.
Cabrillo, sailing for Spain, was the first European to navigate the coast of present-day California
The bay was a natural harbor, but was a shallow marshland which required ships to anchor a mile off shore and then row smaller boats to shore
Cabrillo also landed at the future Santa Catalina Island and named it San Salvador after his flagship
Cabrillo continued north up the California coast missing San Francisco Bay and sailed to the Russian River when major storms forced him to turn back
He returned to ″San Salvador″ (Catalina) on November 23, 1542 to settle in for the winter and make repairs
On Christmas Eve, Cabrillo shattered his shin when he stumbled onto a jagged rock
The injury developed gangrene and he died on January 3, 1543
Cabrillo burial location is unknown, but could be on Catalina Island
The Spanish Empire claimed the California coastline by right of discovery, but the exact boundaries were not clearly defined
The Spanish Empire also discovered there was nothing for them to easily exploit. As a result return ships were infrequent during the ensuing years.

1602: Sebastian Vizcaino Renames the Bay to Bay of Saint Andrew

Vizcaino was appointed as general-in-charge of a second expedition to map the coast and locate safe harbors in Alta California
The safe harbors were needed for Spanish galleons to use on their return voyages from Manila, the primary Spanish base in the Philippines
The galleons carried gold and silver from the Americas in exchange for goods and spices from China and other Asian areas
On their return to the Americas, the galleons would be pushed to Northern California by the ocean currents
They would then follow the coastline down to Acapulco, the Spanish base in California
November 26: Vizcaino arrives in the Bay of Smokes with his 3 ships and renames it after Saint Andrew who was born on November 26
Colonization of the area was planned for 1606-07 but was canceled
Vizcaino also renamed San Salvador Island to Santa Catalina Island after St. Catherine of Alexandria

1734: Cabrera Bueno Renames the Bay to San Pedro Bay

The famed navigator and cosmologist discovered an error made by Vizcaino a century earlier
Bueno discovered that Vizcaino had actually entered the bay on the feast day of Saint Peter, Bishop of Alexandria
Bueno renamed the bay after Saint Peter to San Pedro Bay

1769 – 1821: Spanish Colonization

The Spanish continue to explore the coastal area of Alta California by sea through 1769
Spain prohibited other countries from participating in trade, however it lacked the ships to enforce this prohibition. This encouraged more smuggling than regular trade.
Pirates found safe harbor in the area as smuggling took place with hunting of otters and seals, and illegal trade with the indigenous people
1769 — 1770: Alta California governor Gaspar de Portola sent land expeditions to the California interior to lay claim to Alta California
The de Portola expeditions were initiated to dispossess the Jesuits, who had established early foothold in several locations, and replace them with Franciscans intending them to establish a network of missions
The missionary effort coincided with the construction of presidios (royal forts) and pueblos
1769: San Diego, first mission and presidio established by Father Junipero Serra and Gaspar de Portola
San Pedro Bay was used as a trading post by Spanish missionaries from Mission San Gabriel (founded 1771). The San Gabriel missionaries would trade with ships bearing provisions from Spain. The ships would inially arrive twice per year.
Mission San Gabriel was a major trading hub as it provided food and supplies to settlements and the other missions
1781: Los Angeles pueblo established, El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de Porciuncula (City of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula)
1769 – 1833: 21 Missions established in California on or near the coast of Alta California, from San Diego to Sonoma, approximately 30 miles apart from each other — about one day′s journey on horseback, or three days on foot
The pueblos of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Jose were all established to support the missions, and were the only towns in California
The missions owned about 1/6 of the available land or roughly 1,000,000 acres of land per mission. The rest of the land was the property of the Spanish monarchy
The missions were secularized in 1834, after Mexican independence from Spain. The majority of missions fell into disrepair and ruin.
The abandonment of the missions left behind a Spanish speaking ″Californio″ population of Hispanic descent

1769: Rancho San Pedro

Juan Jose Dominguez was granted a lease of 75,000 acres by Governor Pedro Fages for his military service with the de Portola expedition. This site was named Rancho San Pedro.
Rancho San Pedro was the first of 20 huge land leases in Alta California, granted mostly to friends and family of the governor
Spain grants leases only, not property ownership
Rancho San Pedro included present day San Pedro, Port of Los Angeles, Harbor City, Wilmington, Carson, Compton, Lomita, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance
Dominguez drives his cattle from the San Diego area to Rancho San Pedro to graze on the extensive grassland
Hacienda type lifestyle and economic system ensues, similar to a feudalistic system, with its landed gentry and ownership of the land in conjunction with the indigenous people who lived on and worked the land — corn, orchards, gardens, and based on cattle hides and tallow that was exchanged with ship captains for supplies such as furniture, tools, clothing, etc.
The Hacienda lifestyle would last until 1848 when California became US territory
1805: Leila Byrd - the first American trading ship to arrive at San Pedro Bay. At the time it was illegal to conduct business with any other country but Spain
1809: Lease ownership of Rancho San Pedro changes to nephew Cristobal Dominguez when Juan Jose dies.
Jose Sepulveda, ranch manager, also receives a sizable portion of land, Rancho de los Palos Verdes. This initiates a lengthy legal battle between the Dominguez and Sepulveda families (1817 — 1883).
1822: Cristobal Dominguez passes away and his eldest son, Manuel Dominguez inherits Rancho San Pedro as the owner (Alta California became territory of Mexico in 1821)
1824: Jose Sepulveda dies at the Chumash revolt
1828: Mexico validates the Rancho San Pedro land grant at 43,000 acres to Manuel Dominguez
1828: Manuel Dominguez becomes a council member of Los Angeles and 4 years later becomes mayor of Los Angeles at the age of 29 and gains authority over the future Los Angeles and Orange Counties . His homestead is the historic Dominguez Rancho Adobe near Carson, built in 1826.
1834: Governor Jose Figueroa grants Rancho de los Palos Verdes, 31,629 acres, to brothers Juan Sepulveda and Jose Sepulveda
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that land grants would be honored
1880: Grant for Rancho de los Palos Verdes patented to Jose and Juan Sepulveda (mayor of Los Angeles in 1842)
1882: Manuel Dominguez dies and Rancho San Pedro is partitioned into 17 different parcels, among them Manuel Dominguez′ 6 surviving children, all daughters, each received a parcel
1882: Financial problems due to major drought causes ownership of Rancho de los Palos Verdes to ultimately fall to a consortium of New York investors led by Frank Vanderlip for $1.5 million.
The Palos Verdes Project began where the group marketed land on the peninsula for residential communities and and small horse ranches
1888: San Pedro incorporates as a city
1923: Palos Verdes Estates was opened
1957: Rolling Hills Estates incorporated

1805: First Americans to Visit San Pedro

June 12: The first American trading ship, the Leila Byrd, arrives at San Pedro Bay
Captain and co-owner William Shaler and crew become the first Americans to visit San Pedro
At the time it was illegal to conduct business with any other country but Spain
Shaler and crew called themselves ″merchant navigators″ but were seen as smugglers to the Spanish
The merchants would trade household goods and trinkets for otter pelts with the mission padres. They would then sail to China and trade the pelts for highly profitable porcelain, silk, carved chests and quicksilver
The Leila Byrd was on her second venture to the Pacific and Shaler had learned from his previous encounter in San Diego to avoid all ports with Spanish garrisons. On that first visit his ship was captured in San Diego. However, Shaler and his crew managed to escape after a firefight, and had to sail away through cannon fire.
May 1: Shaler beaches the Leila Byrd on Catalina at the present-day Isthmus Cove at Two Harbors for much needed repairs for the aged and leaking vessel
June 12: Shaler sails to San Pedro to resupply before heading westward across the Pacific
The William Shaler written account of his journeys, one of the first extensive descriptions of the California coast, was widely circulated and piqued American interest in California

1818: First American Shipwrecked in San Pedro Arrested as Pirate, Becomes Resident of Los Angeles

Joseph Chapman, originally from Boston, was a crew member aboard the merchant ship Hippolyte Bouchard and was captured by the Spanish
Chapman manages to escape his captors and was shipwrecked in San Pedro where he was arrested as a Pirate by the local authorities
After his release, Chapman is somehow allowed to stay despite the suspicion the Spanish have for Americans
He settles in Los Angeles Pueblo, becomes a member of the community and finds work as a carpenter
1822: Chapman marries a Californio (Hispanic speaking person native of California) woman, Maria de Guadalupe Ortega
1824: He buys a house that includes a farm in Los Angeles Pueblo and also plants a vineyard
1827: Summoned to Mission San Gabriel as the only available English speaking person to greet famous American explorer Jedediah Smith, who had just completed the first continental journey to California. Last stage of travel was from Utah.
Jedediah Smith later met with the Governor of California in San Diego who asks him to leave. Smith sails back to San Pedro Bay to meet with his men as they make preparations for departure.
1827 — 1831: Chapman designed and built a 60 ton schooner in San Pedro, which he named the Guadalupe after his wife
1831: Saves the life of Manuel Victoria, Governor of California, by tending to severe wounds the governor had suffered during the Battle of Cahuenga Pass
1831: Chapman was naturalized as a citizen of Mexico
1832: Sails to Santa Barbara with his family and settles there with his wife and 11 children

Next Page: Mexican Era 1821-1846