Episode 2: Transcript

Statehood, the Gold Rush, and the Map

Last time on The Story: Los Angeles

Spain claimed Alta California for itself, Mexico won independence from Spain, and the United States defeated Mexico in the Mexican-American war. California was now ruled by the Americans and poised for rampant growth.

Opening

In the early days of California under the United States, change was fast and dizzying. The Gold Rush fueled massive population growth not only from Americans but from people around the world who heard of riches beyond their imaginations flowing from California’s rivers. But this influx of people caused racial tensions to rise. The merging of Natives, Latinos, Anglos, Chinese, and Irish paved the path for a deadly conflict of cultures that persisted for decades. In addition, the debate surrounding California’s admission to the union as a free or slave-holding state divided not only Californians but the democratic party itself. 

Wrought with conflict, the people of Southern California persisted with their hopes and dreams of prosperity as a guiding light. Their ambition burned bright, a beacon of hope against the chaos.

This is The Story: Los Angeles.

Episode 2: Statehood, the Gold Rush, and the Map

Part 1: Statehood

In the years leading up to California's statehood, the United States seethed with tension over the expansion of slavery. California's potential admission as a free state threatened to upset the delicate balance of power in Congress, igniting a fierce national debate. Southern states vehemently opposed upsetting the balance in favor of free states, fearing it would diminish their influence and endanger the institution of slavery itself.

While Los Angeles leadership harbored Confederate sympathies and pro-slavery sentiments, California as a whole reflected a more complex political landscape. A bitter struggle raged statewide, mirroring the national conflict: should California be admitted as a free state or a slave state? This question held profound consequences for both sides of the deeply divided nation.

In an attempt to settle the matter, there were early proposals of not one state of California, but two, both admitted to the Union with their own representatives and senators. California would comprise the northernmost counties of the territory, and a new state called Columbia would be composed of everything south of Santa Cruz including Los Angeles and San Diego.

Faced with a monumental decision, California leaders convened a committee to analyze proposals and chart a course. Their surprising recommendation? Divide California into three distinct states, extending its eastern border well into present-day Nevada. Had this plan been realized, we'd now have Shasta encompassing California's northern counties, Colorado in the south, and a central state named California. 

Tensions remained high as Californians grappled with the competing proposals. David Broderick, a self-made Irish immigrant who rose to prominence in California politics, strongly opposed slavery and created a hard division in the California Democratic party: those for slavery, and those against. Broderick eventually met his death in a dual with pro-slavery judge Terry whom Broderick had insulted. 

The 3 state solution was eventually scrapped by the committee and residents overwhelmingly supported a 2-state option: A free California in the north, and a pro-slavery California in the south. But the death of Broderick secured his place as a martyr for the anti-slavery cause and the the anti-slavery faction of the party rallied behind him ultimately defeating the pro-slavery movement in the territory.

The two-state vote was ultimately inconsequential… it didn’t matter. Southern US senators in Washington were preparing for war with the North and the matter of splitting California never even came to a vote in Congress. California would remain intact and be admitted to the Union as a single free-state.

But that didn’t stop the state from passing awful and aggressive laws that protected slave owners. Under an 1852 law, anyone who “rendered assistance to a fugitive slave was liable to a fine of $500 or imprisonment”. In addition, any out-of-state American could enter California, claim any person of color as their slave, and without any debate on the matter a judge was forced, by law, to turn the individual over to the claimant. 

In the years leading up to the United States Civil War, the compromise of 1850 was passed which

• approved California's request to enter the Union as a free state

• strengthened fugitive slave laws 

• allowed slavery in Washington, D.C. but banned the slave trade.

• defined northern and western borders for long disputed Texas

• and established a territorial government for New Mexico and Utah, with no determination for or against slavery.

The Compromise of 1850, while deeply flawed, proved to be a significant milestone. California's entry as a free state signaled the growing power of the anti-slavery movement and foreshadowed the eventual demise of slavery in the United States. California was now the 31st state admitted to the union.

Part 2: The Gold Rush

In the midst of the tumultuous battle between abolitionists and slavery sympathizers, the word of California’s rich Gold deposits was spreading. The early Spanish and Mexican settlers of the region had written about gold and other fine metals worn by the natives, but it wasn’t until the US obtained California that gold-hunters flooded the territory. 

On January 24th, 1848, James Marshall, while constructing a sawmill for his client John Sutter, made a remarkable find in the American River – a glimmer of gold. Though Sutter and Marshall tried to keep the discovery discreet, rumors ignited across California, then rapidly throughout the nation. This moment, catalyzed by a simple discovery by Marshall, not only spurred vast migrations and economic upheaval but also shaped the identity of the American West. This was the genesis of the legendary Gold Rush.

Driven by dreams of wealth and escape from their current circumstances, tens of thousands of individuals abandoned their lives to embark on an arduous journey west. And between 1848 and 1855 almost 300,000 new inhabitants arrived in California, mostly in search of the promise of gold, from Latin America, the United States, even China and Ireland.

Reaching California's goldfields presented monumental challenges. There were three primary routes: risking the grueling trails over the countries midwest and Sierra Nevada; a lengthy and treacherous sea voyage around the southern tip of South America; or a disease-ridden trek across the Isthmus of Panama followed by an unpredictable boat passage up the Pacific Coast.

The quest for gold propelled droves to choose the dangerous land routes, risking dehydration, starvation, and disease. The Gold Rush attracted immigrants from around the globe, including Mexico, South America, Europe, and China.  But while it offered opportunities for some, it brought exploitation and tragedy for others. Violence against Native American populations escalated as resources and claims grew scarce.  Ultimately, few struck it rich; the promise of immense wealth remained elusive.

But despite violence and limited success, the rapid influx of fortune seekers spurred the creation of makeshift boomtowns across the Sierra Nevada foothills. Saloons, supply stores, and gambling halls quickly populated these chaotic tent cities and rickety settlements. The Gold Rush ignited extraordinary economic and demographic transformations. Merchants often found greater prosperity than the miners themselves, catering to the vast needs of the westward migration. Cities like Los Angeles experienced explosive population growth as infrastructure rapidly developed.

While Los Angeles wasn’t a “hot spot” for gold, the increased population of the state meant prosperity for the entire state. Los Angeles became a popular stopping point and important trading post before prospectors and miners left to find their fortunes further north.

In the early years of Statehood and in years prior, California had limited laws and legal infrastructure. Theft and questionable dealings were rampant. Indigenous people were often forced from their own land, minorities and the poor were abused or enslaved, and fights often broke out from overlapping claims of prospectors.

But despite the violence, the image of California as a land with endless possibility and prosperity prevailed as new migrants continued to pour into the young state.

Part 3: the Map

Shocking to many newcomers, after almost a century of existence and rule under three countries Los Angeles was hardly a city. By 1850 the town had no graded streets, no sidewalks, no running water, or any public building whatsoever, tasks the newly formed general Council would soon work to remedy. But before any of that could happen, the City needed a map.

Up to this time, the town  had grown loosely around a central plaza still standing today near Union Station. The city had a massive amount of land, but an empty treasury. Without a proper city plan, buildings and houses popped up with little to no regulations. Homes out of bounds of the traditional property lines meant the plaza needed to be “re-squared” to establish straight boundary lines and proper roads. Without a map, it was difficult for leaders to subdivide and sell properties to lure new residents.

So the city asked the Governor of the day to send a surveyor and selected Lieutenant Edward Ord from the US Army. Ord was considered a mathematical genius and was appointed to the US Military Academy by President Jackson. Highly respected, Ord arrived in the summer of 1849 and offered to make the map in exchange for cash, or for property in the young city, or both. The city leadership chose the cash-only option - wise, considering those lots would be worth much more as the city grew. So Lieutenant Ord got to work with his assistant William Hutton. And by the end of August a Plan de la Ciudade or city plan had been completed.

While encompassing a relatively small portion of the Los Angeles we know today, Ord and Hutton named and mapped many familiar street subdividing the historic core into lots able to be bought, sold, and built upon. The primary north-south streets created were Main, Spring, Fort Street (now Broadway), Hill, Olive, Charity (now calle Grand), Hope, Flower, and Grasshopper (which is now Figueroa). In addition, Ord and Hutton created a numerical street naming system from first moving south to ninth street giving structure and order to the future growth of the city. But even with this new structure, many homes landed right in the middle of the new streets and the newly formed city council had to work plot by plot to either extend property rights and adjust the roads or move the homes.

The council also worked to reinforce some of the existing laws left over from Mexican rule and introduce new laws to the city creating order for the growing population.

First: city prisoners would form a chain-gang and implement public works for the city

• When no public works existed, prisoners could be auctioned out for private use

• No trash could be thrown or animals slaughtered or public bathing in the irrigation canals or streets 

• No public drunkenness or disorderly behavior

• And no gambling or cards in the streets

With the new laws and Ord and Huttons Map, the city could now grow with structure and order. With the completion of the map, the council could now sell lots. By the end of 1849 lots 120 foot by 165 foot were sold for $50 (about forty cents per linear foot of frontage). Prefabricated homes were brought in from the Boston and New York areas and beef prices soared. The city was thriving.

But that didn’t mean everything was good. With such diverse cultures living together, tensions were bound to rise and conflicts quickly ensued.