Lands of Promise and Despair

Edited By Rose Marie Beebe and Robert M. Senkewicz

This is an excellent book of edited source materials that chronicle early California.  The book is divided into four parts that cover the period from 1492 to 1842, or 350 years of Spanish exploration, conquest and exploitation.

The first part, from 1492 to 1620, deals with exploration as Spain arrives in the Caribbean Sea, pushes into what is now Mexico and starts probing by sea its distant province, Alta California.

The second part, from 1697 to 1772, covers the colonization of Baja and Alta California.  The struggle for dominance of these new colonies by the military and the church becomes acute.  The period ends with the initial overland foray into Alta California by Gaspar de Portola.

The third part, from 1772 to 1819, discusses how the settlements developed.  The Spanish settlement model was based on presidios, pueblos and missions.  The military controlled the presidios at the key ports of San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Francisco.  The civilian controlled pueblos of Los Angeles, San Jose and Branciforte (Santa Cruz) supplied the presidios with foodstuffs.  The Church controlled missions pacified and employed the Native Americans.

The fourth part, from 1824 to 1842, covers Mexican California after Mexico gained its independence from Spain.  One of the essays discusses the petition of John Rowland for the land that ultimately becomes Rancho La Puente, which every Homestead Museum docent should find interesting.