Branciforte
Branciforte | |
Location | 1351 North Branciforte Avenue, Santa Cruz, California |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°59′00″N 122°01′00″W / 36.98333°N 122.01667°W |
Built | 1797 |
NRHP reference No. | 79000552[1] |
CHISL No. | 469[2] |
Added to NRHP | August 30, 1950 |
Branciforte, originally named Villa de Branciforte, was the last of only three secular pueblos founded by the Spanish colonial government of Alta California. The pueblo was established in 1797 on the eastern bluff of the San Lorenzo River, facing Mission Santa Cruz on the west side of the river, in modern-day Santa Cruz, California. The pueblo never prospered, and the area was annexed into the city of Santa Cruz, California in 1905.
The present day Branciforte Small Schools Campus (BSSC) building is located at what was the center of the Villa de Branciforte. A California State historical marker, number 469, is located outside of the building, too, at the corner of Water Street and Branciforte Avenue.[3]
History
Villa de Branciforte was founded under the direction of
In 1781, Governor Felipe de Neve had issued rules regarding governance of secular pueblos (only two at that time; San José and Los Ángeles), the "Regulations for the Government of the Province of the Californias" (Reglamento para el gobierno de la provincia de Californias).[4] Those rules included locally elected officials (subject to approval by the governor): the alcalde (combined mayor and judge), the ayuntamiento (town council), the juez de paz (justice of the peace), and others.
From its very inception in 1797[5] the Villa met with great obstacles. The funds were not adequate, and the enterprise failed to attract any retired soldiers. In their stead, a motley group of convicts who were banished from New Spain formed the initial group of colonists, and although the missionaries at Mission Santa Cruz protested bitterly against this pueblo being situated so close to their domain, the town received official backing.
The first eight settlers came from
In 1803, about five years after the villa was established the settlers attempted to establish a government by electing an alcalde or municipal magistrate. This election was one of the first elections ever held in Alta California. After this, the citizens of the Villa de Branciforte began to spread over the country.[6][7]
Ever since the first days, many of its residents, whom the narratives and chronicles denounce as "lazy" and prone to vices and crime, decided to move to other, more prosperous settlements like the
In 1818, when the pirate
By 1831 however, Branciforte had a population of about two hundred people which was mostly made up of merchants, explorers, and retired soldiers.[6][7]
The Branciforte Adobe is the only remaining building of Branciforte itself. There are three other period adobes in Santa Cruz County.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#79000552)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Villa de Branciforte". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ California Centennials Commission in cooperation with Santa Cruz County Historical Society. "Site Of Center Of Villa De Branciforte Historical Marker". Retrieved March 11, 2011.
- ^ Spanish reprint plus English translation in Land of Sunshine magazine, volume 6, January 1897. Available online at Internet Archive (retrieved July 2018)
- JSTOR 25613566. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ a b Santa Cruz County History Journal: Issue number three Art and History Museum of Santa Cruz County 1997
- ^ a b The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture 3rd Edition, John Leighton Chase