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A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) (713 pages)
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Page: of 713
22 HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
ma, this commandancy urges upon you that, according to
the topographical plan of the place, it be divided into
quarters or squares, seeing that the streets and plazas be
regulated so as to make a beginning. The inhabitants
are to be governed entirely by said plan. This government and commandancy approves entirely of the lines
designated by you for outlets—recognizing, as the property of the village and public lands and privileges, tue
boundaries of Petaluma, Agua Caliente, Ranchero de
Huertica, Jena de Sur, Salvador,Vallejo, and LaVernica,
on the north of the city of Sonoma, as the limits of prop.
erty, rights and privileges—requesting that it shall be
commenced immediately around the hill, where the fortification is to be erected, to protect the inhabitants from
incursions of the savages and all others. In order that
the building lots granted by you, as the person charged
with colonization, may be fairly portioned, you will
divide each square (manzana) into four parts, as well for
the location of each as to interest persons in the planting
of kitchen gardens, so that every one shall have a hundred yards, more or less, which the government deems
sufficient; and further, lots of land may be granted, of
from one hundred and fifty totwo hundred yards, in openings for outlets, for other descriptions of tillage, subject
to the laws and regulations on the subject, in such manner that at all times the municipality shall possess the
legal title.
This government and commandancy-general offers you
thanks for your efforts in erecting this new city, which
will secure the frontier of the republic, and is confident
that you will make new efforts for the national entirety.
God and liberty. Joan FrovRROA
Don M. G. VatiEso, Military Commandante and Director of Colonization of the Northern Frontier.
Under these instructions Vallejo proceeded to
Jay out and found the pueblo, giving to it the
Indian name of Sonoma. From this act virtually dates the real Mexican occupancy of Sonoma
County under military and civil rule. There is
but little of record during the balance of 1825,
and for 1826 the most important mention is
that Vallejo, in conjunction with Chief Solano,
went?on an expedition to punish the rebellious
Yolos. And right here it is in place to record
the fact that this Chief’ Solano seems tu have
been a ruler among the Indian tribes in every
direction. General Vallejo’s language to us
was, “Solano was a king among the Indians.
All the tribes of Solano, Napa and Sonoma were
under tribute to him.” Vallejo made a treaty
with Solano and seems to have found in hima
valuable lieutenant in all his future dealings
with neighboring Indians. Now that a pueblo
had been established at Sonoma with Vallejo as
commandante of this northern district, it had
become an important factor in the Territorial
government of California. Vallejo was then in
the fall vigor of young life, fired with the ambition of those who believed that to them belonged
a liberal share of the management and rule in
Territorial government, and his somewhat isolated position, which necessitated his exercise,
at times, of almost autocratic power, placed him
in a position to be courted by those even in
higher authority. That he should use hie
power for self-aggrandizement, within certain
limits, was but natural. His complicity in
the revolutions and counter-revolutions that
in rapid succession were making and deposing
California governors, forms no part of the scope
of this history, and we shall only follow his acts
in their bearings upon the future of Northern
California. With Vallejo there seems to have
been two dominant ideas, and both had foundation in good, practical sense. The first was
that the Indians had to be subjected to a strong
hand, and when so snbjected, they were to be
the subjects of protection and justice. The
second was that the greatest danger to continued
Mexican supremacy in California was from the
eastward. While there may have been a degree
of selfishness and jealousy to inspire it, he was
none the less correct in his judgment that the
Sutter establishment at New Helvetia was a
center around which clustered dangers not
properly appreciated by the California government at Monterey. While he failed to arouse
the authorities to the magnitude of the danger,
he at least discharged his duty as an officer of
that government. The truth was that Sutter,
after he transferred to Helvetia the armament
of Ross, was becoming a “power behind the
throne greater than the throne itself,” and
Vallejo could not be blind to the fact that it
was liable to prove a “ Trojan horse with belly
full of armed destruction” to the future rule
of Mexico in California. In the waning days
of the rule of Micheltorena, Sutter had been
clothed with power which almost rendered him
potentate of the Sacramento Valley, and as his
establishment was the first to be reached by
immigration from the East, that year by year
. was increasing in vuluine, he did not fail to