Know then, that on the right hand of the Indies, there is
an island called California, very close to the side of the
Terrestrial Paradise, and it was peopled by black women, without any
man among them for they lived in the fashion of the Amazons. They
were of strong and hardy bodies, of ardent courage and great force.
Their island was the strongest in all the world, with its steep
cliffs and rocky shores. Their arms were all of gold, and so was the
harness of the wild beasts which they tamed and rode. For in the
whole island, there was no metal but gold.
Thus wrote
Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in The Adventures of Esplandiam, which
was published in Madrid, Spain
in 1510. This
romantic science fiction novel more than likely inspired the Spanish
conquest of the golden state of California, although they
were slow about doing so. In
spite of the promise of Amazon women and gold riches, it would be
another 25 years before Hernando Cortez would land in and explore
the area. Yet another seven years would go by before Portuguese born
sailor, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, would set foot in what we now know
as the
harbor
of San Diego, under the flag
of Spain.
|
Corneille
Wytfliet. Granata Nova et California. Lovanii, 1597-Maps of the Pimería Early Cartography of the Southwest |
Image
courtesy of: parentseyes.arizona.edu |
While the
timeline of our state's history shows other explorations, it took
another 227 years before Europeans actually settled in what was
known as Alta California
. Therefore, we
find no mention of the
Christmas celebrations of any kind until Governor Gaspar de Portola
sets out for his search for Monterey
in 1769. We can
thank Franciscan Father Juan Crespi for diaries that he kept while
accompanying the Governor on his explorations.
December
24, 1769
: On this day before
Christmas...we set out in the morning on the same road by which we
came…The march covered three leagues, and we halted on the same
spot as on the 10th of September, which was in the valley
of
El Osito
de San Buenaventura. It was God's
will that we should celebrate the "Nativity" joyfully,
which was done in this way: more than two hundred heathen of both
sexes came to visit us in this place, bringing us Christmas gifts,
for many of them came with good baskets of pinole and some fish,
with which everybody supplied himself, so that we had something with
which to celebrate Christmas Day. Blessed be the providence of God,
who succors us more than we deserve! These gifts were returned with
beads, which pleased them greatly.
December
25,1769
: On this day of the
"Nativity of Our Lord" we could not celebrate in any other
manner than by saying Mass….The cold is so biting that it gives us
good reason to meditate upon what the infant Jesus, who was born
this day in Bethlehem, suffered for
us. We made three leagues and a half, and went to stop a little
farther to the south of the estuary of Santa Serafina, close to a
small village of Indian fishermen, from whence a great deal of fish
was obtained in exchange for beads, with which all provided
themselves. So we celebrated Christmas with this dainty, which
tasted better to everyone than capons and chickens had tasted in
other places, because of the good sauce of
San Bernardo
hunger which
all had in abundance.
|
Captain Juan
Bautista de Anza (Courtesy
National Park Service) |
A Christmas Baby in Coyote Canyon
It is not until six years later, during the winter
of 1775 that we see mention of the blessed holiday once again in the
annals of
California
history. Journey
with us back in time as we travel with Captain Juan Bautista de Anza
and a party of 240 persons, which included 30 soldiers, 29 of which
had their wives accompanying them, four colonist families, and a
total of 115 children. Our intrepid explorers also took 355 head of
cattle and 450 saddle horses and pack mules. They traveled
from Sonora, Mexico, to Monterey,
California. As the
Christmas season came to pass, the de Anza party found themselves on
a cold and foggy day in
Coyote
Canyon
which is located
in present day Riverside
County. Somewhere
during their travels from the
southern Arizona
presidio of
Tubac and Coyote
Canyon
three more
children had been born, and one woman had died. It was Christmas
Eve, and the soldiers enjoyed brandy that was given to them by their
commander.
Gertrudis Linares, one of the soldier's wife, was in labor
that Christmas Eve as the party camped in Coyote
Canyon, and she had
been since the day before. Because of her long and trying ordeal,
Gertrudis was sure she was going to die. Father Pedro Font listened
to her confession, and consoled her throughout most of the day.
After Font retired for the night, Gertrudis finally gave birth to a
son. Christmas day, we find Father Font making note of the child's
birth in his diary:
December 25, 1775:
Because a little before midnight, on this "Holy Night of
the Nativity", the wife of a soldier happily gave birth to a
son, and because the day was raw and foggy, it was decided that we
should remain here, and I solemnly baptized the boy, naming him
Salvador
Ygnacio.
Los Pastores
During the oncoming years, the Spanish took over California, building
missions up and down the state. The church played a major role in
the settlers and the native Indians lives during this time period.
At Christmas, the traditional Los Pastores play was performed to
commemorate the birth of Christ as told in the Gospel of Luke. It
was presented in missions, chapels, plazas and patios throughout the
land, not only on the holiday itself, but for several days
afterwards, as well. Church performances played inside were
primarily verbal, but outside performances were physical. There were
both religions and non religious versions of the popular play.
Parades of children could be seen following players up and down the
streets, taunting the actors that portrayed the six shepherdesses,
the clownish hermit Ermitano, the lazy vagabond Bartolo, Lucifer the
Devil, and the angel Gabriel. Lucifer was carefully avoided, of
course. It was customary after the performance for the hosts to
serve guests and performers alike, the crisp fried sweetened cakes
known as bunuelos. Hand worked ornamental tokens were given as
gifts.
The night of Christmas
1838, a pastorela was being performed as General Jose Castro and his
troops surrounded the home of Juan Bandini at the base of Presidio
Hill in San Diego. Bandini
himself, active in the current rebellion against Governor Juan B.
Alvarado, was not present this night. Five men were taken prisoners,
two Carillos, two Picos, and Joaquin Ortega. The justice of the
peace, Jose' Antonio Estudillo, also wanted, hid in the loft of the
chapel of the Estudillo house, while his wife Dona Victoria talked
to General Castro. She convinced him that her husband was several
miles away at the tiny settlement of La Playa. The General took the
prisoners he had captured further north and released them at a later
time. Pio Pico recalled playing the devil during the Los Pastores,
but claimed that Castro arrived on December 27, not December 25.
Judge Benjamin Hayes didn't remember a Los Pastores at all, but
claimed a grand ball was going on at the Bandini House instead.
Christmas Before The
Gringos
As the days of the Spanish missions
died down, the lands they occupied were turned over to individual
churches and Mexican rancheros. The Christmas season was remembered
by Governor Pio Pico's nephew, Jose Ramon Pico for the San
Francisco Call of December, 1899 in an article entitled
"Before the Gringo Came." Cattle ranching was the
predominant activity of the time period. All of November was filled
with preparing hides and tallow for the Yankee traders. Then
December came and the adults enjoyed the seasonal fun as much as the
children. Christmas Eve at the Pico hacienda, was full of Mexican
and Spanish guitar and mandolin music, dancing in the patio, coffee
and cigaritos on the veranda, and lots of singing.
One particular night before Christmas, Jose remembered a
moonlit frosty night, and a beautiful horseback ride to the Mission
Santa Clara. Jose and 25 or so young men and women friends, donned
horses dressed in silver decorated saddles, bridles and spurs for
the ride. As they approached the mission they noticed the ruddy glow
of an Indian encampment holding ceremonious dances. The Indians
cooked and ate, then disappeared in the darkness except for some of
the elder men and women. Suddenly loud yells were heard, and the
Indians that had disappeared came running from behind the trees on
the flat and the rocks on the nearby hills, appearing as if they
were going to murder and scalp those left at the fire. Another war
cry was heard and more Indians rushed to defend the elders, in a
mock battle, laughing, wrestling, and rolling on the ground till too
tired to go on.
Their play ended as the padres came to take them to the night
mass at the mission, where the story of the Christ child was told,
as they gazed upon scenes from the Old Testament on the walls.
Following this observance, Jose and friends galloped to the
hacienda, and to the patio where dark Mexican coffee, tortillas and
tamales de las gallinas (chicken) awaited them. Dancing went on
until the first light of Christmas morning, when everyone took to
hammocks under verandas until lunch time bell rang. Christmas
celebrations lasted throughout the week.
Las Posados
A sixteenth century liturgical ceremony conducted by priests
turned into a nineteenth century Christmas pageant popular primarily
in Mexico, known as Las
Posados. December 16 to December 24, friends and neighbors make
processions from house to house as they hold candles and images of
Mary, Joseph, and an angel. In song, participants ask for a place to
rest, as they stop at the homes along the way, symbolizing Mary and
Joseph searching for a birthplace for the Christ Child. One home
each evening invites them in for entertainment. At the very last
stop, the participants ask for shelter, which is denied, until he
learns who they are. Singing, dancing, and the breaking of the piñata
are enjoyed. Las Posados was originally performed for the benefit of
the mission Indians but was probably not enjoyed by the Spanish
aristocracy controlling Presidio towns. Many modern Mexican-American
families in
Southern California
continue this
custom today, however.
|
Capt.
John A. Sutter |
Captain Sutter's
Golden Christmas
Captain John Sutter was one of the first gringos to settle in
California. His fort in the
settlement of New Helevetia provided a welcome resting place for the
immigrants that survived the rugged continental crossing to the
golden state. By the end of 1847 with California
in the hands of
the Americans, Sutter had much to celebrate. James W. Marshall had a
site selected for a sawmill in the Indian
Valley
of "Culuma".
People up and down California
were beginning to understand Sutter, and
appreciated his kindness and generosity. Even Governor Vallejo who
had once considered Sutter a pestilent intruder, was now his good
friend.
|
A
new map of the gold region in California by Charles
Drayton Gibbes, 1851.
(Courtesy
Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division) |
In a grand effort to make Christmas one that would be forever
remembered, Captain Sutter declared there would be a great feast at
the fort. The fattest of his cattle were slaughtered. Burros were
provided for the Indians favorite delicacy, fried jackass meat.
Frijoles, tortillas, and salmon were served. Wine was drawn into
panikins and pitchers from barrels. Sutter's own wine made from the
wild grapes found in surrounding valleys was a favorite of trappers,
hunters and Indians. The fiery liquor, aquardiente, made from the
juice of pressed sugar cane was served in bottles to European
guests.
Guests would travel from cities as far away as San Francisco
and
Sonoma. Families from
rancheros rode in on horses, the women with couriers sitting
behind them to hold them straight on their horses. The men
were dressed in silk jackets, embroidered waist coats, and velveteen
breeches. The ladies wore sleeveless silk or crepe gowns, satin
shoes, and scarlet or flesh colored stockings. They made a colorful
sight as they enjoyed the great feast Sutter presented, and drank
his wines. Following the meal, Sutter directed everyone to the long
room where he held balls and assemblies. The master of ceremonies
would take every lady in the room one by one and dance a few steps
with them, as they sang an improvised verse. The bomba, the zorrita,
the fandango, the jarabe, and the contra danza went on until early
morning.
During the height of the merriment and dancing, Sutter
disappeared with a few friends. As they sipped from goblets of
aquardiente, they discussed California's future. For
the most part, the Hispano-Mexicans were sure that the occupation by
Americans would mean ruin for them. Sutter himself was
not so sure of that. He reached in his pocket and pulled out
a metallic object. He passed it around to everyone there in his
private chamber, and watched as they turned it over in their fingers
in silence.
"That is gold," he informed them." The gold
was found from a stream ten miles from the fort, and Sutter
speculated what would happen if more rich streams were found in the
area. "Would not the find be followed by a rush of people who
would neglect the profits of horticulture and agriculture?" he
asked.
Vallejo, who was in the room, laughed at the prospect of
California
becoming a land
of gold. Sutter, however did not laugh. "I am puzzled," he
said, "I do not pretend to be a prophet, nor do I know enough
of geology to form an opinion whether or not nuggets of gold will be
more abundant here than they are in the East of Europe. But this I
am sure of. If gold is found here in large quantities the real
resources of the country which I am spending my life in trying to
develop, will be passed over by the gold seekers, my object in
founding New Helevetia will be defeated and I may die in the poor
house."
Ironically, a month from that Christmas day, John Marshall
came to the fort from Sutter's very own mill with a bag of gold
nuggets under his arm. Sutter's prophecy would become true.
The Angry Christmas
Cook at Sutter's Mill
Peter & Jenny Wimmer were amongst the many immigrants who
arrived at Sutters Fort weary from their travels. Peter was employed
by Captain John Sutter as James Marshall's assistant. He was in
charge of the Indians that dug the mill race. Jennie became camp
cook. A divided double cabin housed the mill workers on one side and
the Wimmer family on the other. Jennie was forced to cook over an
unvented open fire pit, unless the weather was nice and she could
cook outdoors. Probably about the same time that Sutter was
celebrating his golden Christmas at the fort, Jennie and the mill
hands were preparing to celebrate theirs. By now there was a stone
chimney over the primitive fire pit in the cabin, which helped with
the smoke problem. The mill workers often complained that Jennie
saved the best portions of food for her own family, but Jennie
contended the mill workers were always late for meals, and this was
why their portions were small. When Christmas Day arrived, the mill
workers did not respond to Jennie's first call, and she refused to
cook another meal. Jennie eventually changed her mind and cooked up
meat, bread, and apple and pumpkin pies for a fine Christmas dinner.
Jennie's original refusal to cook a meal on Christmas, was
commemorated in a derogatory poem written by one of the mill
workers, and read to the others:
On Christmas morning in bed she swore
That she would cook for us no more
Unless we cum at the first call
For I am Mistress of you all.
Eventually a new cabin was built for the mill workers and
they no longer relied on Jennie Wimmer to do their cooking. Jennie,
however, went on to be a significant player in the discovery of gold
at the fort. When
James Marshall found the first nugget of gold in the stream at the
mill, Peter Wimmer was with him. The nugget was given to the
Wimmer's son who took it to Jennie who in turn boiled it in a kettle
of soap all day to test it to see if it was real or fool's gold.
Sure enough, even after being submerged in a pot of caustic
potassium carbonate, the gold piece was as bright as could be.
The Christmas Nugget
The rush would soon be on, and a year after the great gold
discovery at Coloma, much as Sutter had predicted, the 49'ers came
from all over the world to "the diggings". For the most
part the men went west on their own, hoping to spend a short time
mining, then return home to their families with their riches. A few
women, like Mrs. Wm. G. Wilson, decided to come to
California
with their
husbands.
The
Wilson's were good Utah
Mormons, and when Mrs. Wilson arrived, she was pregnant.
The couple decided it was better that the neighboring miners
weren't told about her pregnancy. However, when Christmas day, 1849,
arrived Mrs. Wilson gave birth to a healthy 12 pound boy, and the
newborns cries were heard by two of the miners. They decided to drop
in on the Wilson cabin to pay Christmas respects to the family and
it wasn't long before the word was out in every gully and gulch that
"Bill Wilson struck it rich…found himself a 12 pound
nugget." Soon hundreds of miners were lined up at the little
family's door to view the nugget. A few miners at the time came to
view the child, and each would leave the cabin exclaiming that the Wilson
nugget was the
finest they had seen. For three days men came from as far away as
ten miles to see the huge Wilson
nugget.
Many of the miners who had a glimpse of the
Wilson
nugget were blessed with good luck afterwards, and they
were lead to large gold deposits. Mr. Wilson himself unearthed more
than $3,000 in gold. One nugget, worth $300, weighed in at 18.75
ounces.
Thousands of immigrants would flock to the land where the
Spaniards had originally expected to find Amazon women and gold,
many in search of their own golden nugget. With them, the immigrants
brought Christmas traditions from the countries they originated in,
and these are still reflected in many celebrations up and down the
state today.
Here's to a Merry California Christmas and may each of our
readers find their own golden treasure this holiday!
Bibliography
Christmas
in the Old West, A Historical Scrapbook
by
Sam Travers
Mountain
Press Publishing
California
Timeline of State History
http://www.shgresources.com/ca/timeline/
Christmases
in
California
http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/80fall/christmas.htm
Early
California
Christmas "Before The Gringo Came"
http://www.northpolewest.com/cali.html
The
Far West
http://www2.tcu.edu/depts/prs/amwest/html/w10326.html
A
49'er's Christmas
http://www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/stories/49erChristmas.html
Golden
Christmas Memories of Sutter
http://63.192.157.117/history/history122400.html
Jennie
Wimmer Tested Gold In Her Soap Kettle
http://www.goldrushgallery.com/news/wimmer.html
|