Founding of Los Angeles
The founding of Los Angeles, California, occurred on September 4, 1781, under the guidance of Don Felipe de Neve, the Spanish governor of California. This initiative was aligned with Spanish colonial policy, which emphasized the importance of establishing settlements after setting up local missions and military posts. De Neve proposed the establishment of a pueblo on the site of a native village discovered in 1769, which was named Portiuncula. The location was formally sanctioned by a decree from King Charles III of Spain.
On August 18, 1781, 44 settlers, including men, women, and children from Mexico, arrived at the nearby San Gabriel Mission for instruction before moving to the new pueblo. The inauguration involved a ceremonial procession and blessings, marking the settlement as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora La Reina de Los Angeles de Portiuncula. Initially, the pueblo consisted of basic adobe structures, and by 1800, it had a modest population. Following Mexico's independence in 1821, Los Angeles experienced political changes and, by 1835, was designated a city. The community expanded significantly after California became a U.S. state in 1850, driven by events like the gold rush and the development of key industries. Today, Los Angeles stands as one of the largest cities in the United States.
Founding of Los Angeles
Founding of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, was officially founded on September 4, 1781. The moving spirit behind the foundation was Don Felipe de Neve, the Spanish governor of California, who acted in conformity with the Spanish colonial policy that active colonization should start once a local mission center and military forts were established. He recommended to the viceroy of Mexico that a pueblo be built on the spot where, in 1769, a group of explorers and missionaries under Captain Gaspar de Portol‗ had discovered a native village. They named the fertile valley Portiuncula after a chapel in Italy favored by Saint Francis of Assisi. The establishment of the future city was subsequently ordered by royal decree of King Charles III of Spain.
Every detail was worked out well in advance of settlement. An area of four square leagues out of the 17,500-acre tract was set aside and divided into a small plaza surrounded by seven-acre fields for agriculture, pastures, and royal lands to be leased to citizens. On August 18, 1781, the settlers, recruits from Mexico, reached the San Gabriel Mission. Lying nine miles to the northeast of the planned site, the mission served as a base where the settlers rested and received instruction about where to live, what to build, what crops to grow, and how much time to give to community undertakings. On September 4 the expedition set out for the newly designated pueblo. It included the 44 settlers (11 men, 11 women, and 22 children), Don Felipe de Neve, and a detachment of soldiers and priests from the San Gabriel Mission. At the site the native villagers gathered to look on as a procession formed and the marchers slowly circled the plaza, invoking God's blessing. The governor gave a formal address, followed by prayers and benediction. Thus the new settlement was established, officially named El Pueblo de Nuestra Se9ora La Reina de Los Angeles de Portiuncula.
The little pueblo first consisted of dwellings with rawhide doors and paneless windows. Three years later the settlers erected a simple adobe church on the plaza. The narrow streets became pools of mud in winter and clouds of dust in summer. By 1800 the population of Los Angeles numbered only 315, living in 30 adobe dwellings with a town hall, guardhouse, army barracks, and grain storehouses.
After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the settlement experienced frequent political disturbances. In 1835 it was made a city by the Mexican congress, and from 1845 to 1847 it was the capital of California. When the Mexican War broke out between the United States and Mexico, the defenders of Los Angeles fled before advancing American troops under Commodore Robert F. Stockton and Captain John C. Fr‗mont. The American flag was unfurled over Los Angeles on August 13, 1846.
After California was granted admission as the 31st state in of the Union on September 9, 1850, the population of Los Angeles rapidly increased, augmented by the California gold rush and later by the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the discovery of oil, and the development of the aircraft and motion picture industries. Between 1890 and 1940, the population grew from 50,395 to 1,504,277, a gain of almost 3,000 percent. Los Angeles is now one of the largest cities in the United States.