Solano Canyon Blog

Cruise through time up Buena Vista Street

9/26/2015

This blog traces the genealogy of Buena Vista Street, which we all know today as North Broadway. But it was not always so; Buena Vista Street has undergone several name changes over time, although its alignment has remained relatively constant.

Follow along as we trace the history of this, well, 'historic' Los Angeles street, from Downtown to the Los Angeles River and beyond ...

The pathway to Eternity

The View up Eternity Street from Fort Hill, ca. 1879 [CHS-7078]

No, this isn't a secret recipe for how to get to Heaven. Each of us has his or her own ideas about how that works.

One of the first things that was required of the newly-formed pueblo that was Los Angeles in 1781 was to figure out how to dispose of those who died. We do not know the exact location of the first church, nor that of the Plaza, for that matter; but it is reasonable to assume that the first burials took place in a cemetery at, or near, the church itself.

Eventually — and like the location of the first cemetery, the exact date is uncertain — the Catholic Church acquired some land a short distance to the northeast of the pueblo, at the mouth of a ravine against the base of the Stone Quarry Hills. The ravine was the second one to the East that came down from the hills and it became known as Cemetery Ravine, for obvious reasons. The exact location and size of the cemetery is well-documented, however, as shown on several early maps of the area, including this one from 1857.

Location of Calvary Cemetery, 1857 [SR Map 0335]

The street that led from Downtown to Calvary Cemetery was called Calle Eternidad, which was later Anglicized to Eternity Street Like all streets in Los Angeles, it was a dusty, unpaved street that, by the time it reached Calvary Cemetery, was little more than a trail for horses, burros, and wagons.

Here comes Fort Street

Beginning at the south side of Fort Moore Hill and running to First Street was a street that is shown on Lt. E.O.C. Ord's original 1849 map of Los Angeles named Fort Street. Ord's map was later incorporated into other maps, including this one made in 1853 and this one made in 1857 by George Hansen.

Downtown Streets from 1849, 1853, and 1857 [SR Map 0336]

It's nearly impossible to read the street names on this old map, so here is the same map with the street names annotated.

Downtown Streets from 1849, 1853, and 1857, annotated

Fort Street is not shown on these maps. It is roughly parallel to Eternity Street, and to the left of Short Street. In 1890, Fort Street, from 10th Street up to 1st Street, was renamed Broadway. From 1st Street up to California Street, it became North Broadway.

Meanwhile, people who wanted to get to the north of Los Angeles, or to east of the river, followed a simple trail that began at the end of Eternity Street, at Calvary Cemetery. The dotted line on this map from 1868 shows the trail that existed from Calvary Cemetery to the river. Also of interest on this map are the locations of la Zanja madre and the water wheel.

Map showing the trail from Calvary Cemetery to the river [SR Map 0375]

Bueva Vista Street becomes a reality

Then, in 1884, Eternity Street was renamed Buena Vista Street and was established all the way to the Los Angeles River. The parcel labeled "Solano Heirs" is the original, 17-acre parcel that became the first 100 lots of the Solano Canyon community.

Broadway and Buena Vista Street are connected

But there was no easy way to get from North Broadway onto Buena Vista Street without going around Fort Moore Hill, so a tunnel was bored beneath Fort Moore Hill, which allowed North Broadway to connect directly with Buena Vista Street. The tunnel was opened to traffic in 1901 ...

The Broadway Tunnel, which opened to traffic in 1901. It was 65 feet from the street to the top of Fort Moore Hill.

After much hand-wringing, Buena Vista Street became North Broadway in 1909

There were several proposals to the City Council over time to change the name of Buena Vista Street to North Broadway. These proposals were usually met with a chorus of objection by those who lived along the street and who bemoaned the loss of the original, Spanish names of many of Los Angeles' Streets. Calle Principal became Main Street; Calle Primavera became Spring Street; Calle del Toro became Bull Street; Calle de las Arispas became Wasp Street; and on an on and on ... And Calle Eternidad became Eternity Street.

And even though Calle Eternidad became Buena Vista Street — a hybrid between the Spanish Buena Vista and the English 'Street' — eventually, in 1909, Buena Vista Street did, indeed, become North Broadway.

This 1897 map helps to understand the streets

This 1897 map by Sidney Reeve, surveying partner of Alfred Solano, helps to make clear the location of some of the early Los Angeles streets.

Portion of an 1897 map showing the streets of Los Angeles [SR Map 0744]

Begin at the left-hand edge of this strip of map. Locate Main Street, near the center of the left-hand edge of the map. About four blocks in, Main Street splits into Main Street and Broadway. After another two blocks, Main Street splits again, into Main Street and Spring Street.

Now go back to the Main Street-Broadway split. Follow Broadway about ten blocks to the right to the Broadway Tunnel. Upon exiting the tunnel, one is on Buena Vista Street. Buena Vista Street may then be followed all the way to the Los Angeles River.

After the name change of 1909, this entire route became Broadway and North Broadway, which was eventually extended across the river all the way to Avenue 18, the portion east of the river replacing Downey Avenue.

This extension east of the river was made possible by construction of the Broadway Bridge over the Los Angeles River, which was opened to traffic in 1911. Elysian Park may be seen in the photograph on the heights beyond the bridge. This view is from the South, looking North.

Broadway Bridge across the Los Angeles River [Library of Congress]

At one time, Buena Vista Street, now North Broadway, provided a beautiful access point to Elysian Park.

Buena Vista Street entrance to Elysian Park, ca. 1920s

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Fray Junipero Serra, O.F.M

9/24/2015

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Pope Francis delivering the Homily in Spanish in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. yesterday

Statue of Junipero Serra in Mallorca, Spain

Fray Junipero Serra, the Spanish Franciscan priest who started the California Mission system, was canonized yesterday, Wednesday, 23 September 2015 by Francis, the first Hispanic Pope, during a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conceptio in Washington, D.C. Serra is the first person to be canonized in the United States, and he is the first Hispanic saint. His canonization was endorsed by many North American Catholics, especially in California, although he is not well-known outside of California.

Working primarily in las Californias de Nueva España — Baja and Álta California — Serra founded his first mission, Misión San Fernando Rey de España de Velicatá, in Baja California in 1769. In addition, he founded the first nine of the 21 missions in Álta California from 1769 to 1782; they are:

Misión Basilica San Diego de Alcalá, San Diego

Misión San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, Carmel-by-the-Sea

Misión San Antonio de Padua, Jolon
Misión San Gabriel Arcángel, San Gabriel
Misión San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, San Luis Obispo
Mision San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano
Misión San Francisco de Asís, San Francisco
Misión Santa Clara de Asís, Santa Clara
Misión San Buenaventura, Ventura

It would be remiss not to acknowledge that Serra's canonization is not without controversy. While there are Native Americans who protest Serra's treatment of indigenous peoples, there are others who point out that he lived and worked during a time of colonization of the Americas by Spain, and that his actions were within the historical context of that period.

Serra died August 23, 1784. He is buried beneath the sanctuary floor at Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo.

The crowd in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

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A Name Grander Than The Town Itself

9/4/2015

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Today is the official celebration of the 234th anniversary of the founding of the City of Los Angeles. This is the official date, although there is reason to believe, from the distance of 234 years, that that date may be arbitrary. What matters, though, is that we have a date we can use for our birthday celebrations.

This blog tells a bit about what happened 234 years ago, including the names of the people who were involved in founding this great city that we love today — Los Angeles, California.

El pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río de Porciuncula

It's a grand name, and it is debated whether it is even accurate, and to what extent. Whatever the name, however, it is surely grander than the tiny pueblo that sprang up near río Porciuncula, or what we now call the Los Angeles River.

The indigenous people who lived here then were called Tongva after their eponymous Uto-Aztecan language. They called the region Yaa. Their village nearest the pueblo was called Yang-naa (there are various spellings), and they held council at the base of the then-400-year-old sycamore tree that grew in the fertile soil on the banks of the Los Angeles River and which came to be called el Aliso by the settlers.

The Plaza in Los Angeles, with el Aliso in the background [ca. 1860]

Who were los Pobladores?

There were 44 of them — 11 families, comprising 22 adults and 22 children. They were recruited from various parts of México and one was from Spain. They came from Nayarít, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Durango, and Chihuahua in México; and Cádiz in Spain. Five heads-of-household were from Sinaloa; two were from Jalisco; and one each were from Nayarít, Durango, Chihuahua, and Cádiz.

They were also of diverse racial backgrounds. Remember that Spanish North America had an extensive casta system that classified people based upon their ethnic backgrounds — at various times, upwards of 30–40 separate classifications were used. William Mason, historian and co-founder of the Los Angeles Historical Society, explains:

"Of the 44 original pobladores who founded Los Angeles, only two were white … Of the other 42, 26 had some degree of African ancestry and 16 were Indians or mestizos." .
— William M. Mason, Los Angeles Times, 1975

It should be pointed out that the census that was taken on December 31, 1781 — just 42 days after the original padrón — lists not eleven families, but twelve: it included Antonio Rodrígues, 50, chino, from Manila, viudo, and his 8-year-old daughter, Juana María. It is not known whether Rodrígues was actually present at the founding in September; he was certainly not present for the November padrón.

La Escolta

A miliitary escort of four soldados de cuera — three privates commanded by a corporal — was assigned to ensure the safety of los pobladores on their trek from Misión San Gabriel Arángel to the site of the new pueblo. Like the settlers themselves, the members of the escolta traveled with their families. The escolta was comprised of:

Corporal José Vicente Felíz. Español. His wife died in childbirth in Sonora, but Corporal Felíz and his six children arrived safely in Los Angeles.

Private Roque Jacinto de Cota (the author's fourth-great-grandfather). Español. He arrived in Los Angeles with his wife, Juana María Verdugo. A daughter, María Celia Bonifacia de Cota, married José de Jesús Felíz, son of Corporal José Vicente Felíz (above) in Loreto, Baja California.

Private Antonio de Cota. Español. A younger brother of Private Roque Jacinto de Cota (above). He was accompanied by his wife and two children.
Private Francisco Salvadór de Lugo. Español. A daughter, Rosa María de Lugo, married Pablo Antonio de Cota, a brother of escolta soldiers Roque Jacinto de Cota and Antonio de Cota (above).

Both the pobladores and the members of the escolta are commemorated by bronze plaques in the plaza.

Los Pobladores

La Escolta

The pueblo began to grow immediately

A padrón was taken in 1790, and the original pueblo had grown to 31 households and 139 persons in just under nine years.

Felíz 234º Cumpliaños, Los Ángeles!

So if you love Los Angeles as I do, perhaps you can take a moment today to reflect on the great diversity and enormous effort and sacrifice it took on the part of those brave souls to have left their homes in México and traveled to el Pueblo so long ago. Their spirit and determination are present in modern-day Los Angeles, and we should be both proud of them and determined to keep that spirit and determination alive today.

Gracias por leer.

For further study ...

For those who may be interested in following the genealogies of los Pobladores or members of la Escolta, may I suggest the following resources:

Northrup, Marie E., Spanish-Mexican Families of Early California, Volume III. Burbank, California: Southern California Genealogical Society, Inc., 2004.

Early California Population Project. San Marino, California: The Huntington Library, 2006; http://www.huntington.org/Information/ECPPmain.htm

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Cruise through time up Buena Vista Street

The pathway to Eternity

Here comes Fort Street

Bueva Vista Street becomes a reality

Broadway and Buena Vista Street are connected

After much hand-wringing, Buena Vista Street became North Broadway in 1909

This 1897 map helps to understand the streets

Fray Junipero Serra, O.F.M

A Name Grander Than The Town Itself

El pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río de Porciuncula

Who were los Pobladores?

La Escolta

The pueblo began to grow immediately

Felíz 234º Cumpliaños, Los Ángeles!

For further study ...

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