After Mexico won independence in 1821, California fell under the jurisdiction of the First Mexican Empire. Fearing the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, the first Spanish missionaries arrived in California in the 1700s. However, it wasn't until 1847 that California became a United States territory, as part of the treaty that ended the war between Mexico and the United States. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 sparked a wave of settlers to head to the West Coast in search of fortune.
In 1850, California became the 31st state and is now the third largest state behind Alaska and Texas. With millions of acres of farmland, California is a major agricultural producer in the United States. The state is also home to famous cultural institutions and national parks such as Hollywood, Disneyland, Yosemite National Park, Alcatraz, Angel Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. The California gold rush was triggered by the discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848 and was arguably one of the most important events that shaped American history during the first half of the 19th century. As news of the discovery spread, thousands of people flocked to California in search of wealth and opportunity. The original owners of California were Spanish missionaries and soldiers who arrived in the 1700s.
One such individual was José Francisco Ortega, who was appointed military commander of several cities and became a prominent figure in the colony. He was also responsible for designing many irrigation works in Missions and towns, and became an owner of extensive properties. The state constitutions, including the California Constitution, closely adhered to the governmental format and functions set forth in the original U. S. Constitution of 1789. The missions were originally intended to last only about ten years before becoming regular parishes. The flag of California today is based on the original bear flag and still contains the words Republic of California.
Mexican land grants were provisional until resolved and worked for five years, often with very indefinite boundaries and sometimes conflicting property claims. In fact, it can be doubted whether any other American state has had a more complete mass of authoritative original data prepared for historians than California. Anthropologists estimate that up to half a million Aboriginal people flourished on this naturally abundant land for thousands of years before Europeans arrived in the mid-16th century. In 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo became the first European explorer to reach what is now known as California. He sailed up the coast from San Diego Bay and came ashore on October 8 in San Pedro Bay, which he originally called Bahía de Fumos (Smoke Bay) due to all the cooking fires from Chumash Indians along the coast. In 1886, when a Chinese laundromat owner challenged a San Francisco ordinance designed to expel Chinese laundries from business, it marked a turning point for Chinese immigrants who had been denied U. citizenship until then.
Land titles were held by his children born in America who were full citizens. The few owners of these large ranches were inspired by landowning nobility in Spain and dedicated themselves to maintaining a luxurious lifestyle. Before Alta California became part of Mexico, approximately 30 Spanish land grants had already been made throughout Alta California to Presidio soldiers and government officials.
