San Luis Obispo, California

History

The earliest human inhabitants of the local area were the Chumash people. One of the earliest villages lies south of San Luis Obispo and reflects the landscape of the early Holocene when estuaries came farther inland. The Chumash people used marine resources of the inlets and bays along the Central Coast and inhabited a network of villages, including sites at Los Osos and Morro Creek.

During the Spanish Empire expansion throughout the world, specifically in 1769, Franciscan Jun�pero Serra received orders from Spain to bring the Catholic faith to the natives of Alta California; the idea was to unify the empire under the same religion and language. Mission San Diego was the first Spanish mission founded in Alta California that same year.

On September 7-8, 1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portol� entered the San Luis Obispo area from coastal areas around today’s Pismo Beach. One of the expedition’s three diarists, padre Juan Cresp�, recorded the name given to this area by the soldiers as Ca�ada de Los Osos (“ca�ada” translates as “valley” or “canyon”). The party traveled north along San Luis Creek, turned west through Los Osos valley, and reached Morro Bay on September 9.

In 1770, Portola established the Presidio of Monterey and Jun�pero Serra founded the second mission, San Carlos Borromeo, in Monterey. The mission was moved to Carmel the following year. As supplies dwindled in 1772 at the mission and presidio, the people faced starvation. Remembering the Valley of the Bears, Presidio of Monterey commander Pedro Fages (a member of the Portol� expedition) led a hunting expedition to bring back food. Over twenty-five mule loads of dried bear meat and seed were sent north to relieve the missionaries, soldiers, and neophytes (baptized natives). The natives were impressed at the ease by which the Spaniards could take down the huge grizzlies with their weapons. Some of the bear meat was traded with the local people in exchange for edible seed. It was after this that Jun�pero Serra decided that La Ca�ada de Los Osos would be an ideal place for the fifth mission.[citation needed]

The area had abundant supplies of food and water, the climate was also very mild, and the local Chumash were very friendly. With soldiers, muleteers, and pack animals carrying mission supplies, Jun�pero Serra set out from Carmel to reach the Valley of the Bears. On September 1, 1772, Jun�pero Serra celebrated the first Mass with a cross erected near San Luis Creek. The very next day, he departed for San Diego leaving Fr. Jos� Cavaller, with the difficult task of building the mission. Fr. Jos� Cavaller, five soldiers and two neophytes began building Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, which would later become the town of San Luis Obispo.

The first mission structures were built with whatever materials could be found nearby. Later, more permanent buildings were constructed with adobe walls, wood timber roof beams and tile roofs. The completed mission compound included: the church, the priests’ residence, the convento, storerooms, neophyte and visitor residences, soldiers’ barracks and other structures. The mission also had a grist mill, tannery, water supply system, land for farming and pastures for livestock. The whole community of priests, natives and soldiers needed to produce goods for their own livelihood.

When the Mexican War of Independence from Spain broke out in 1810, all California missions had to become virtually self-sufficient, receiving few funds or supplies from Spanish sources. Beginning soon after Mexico won her independence from Spain in 1821, anti-Spanish feelings led to calls for expulsion of the Spanish Franciscans and secularization of the missions. Because the fledgling Mexican government had many more important problems to deal with than far-off California, actual secularization didn’t happen until the mid-1830s.

Overview

San Luis Obispo (/s�n ‘lu:?s ?’b?spo?/; Spanish for St. Louis, the Bishop [of Toulouse]) is a city in the U.S. state of California, located roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the Central Coast.

The population was 45,119 at the 2010 census. The population of San Luis Obispo County was 269,637 in 2010.

Founded in 1772 by Spanish Franciscan Jun�pero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities. Serra’s original mission was named for the 13th Century saint and bishop Louis of Toulouse.

The city, locally referred to as San Luis, SLO, or SLO Town (as its county is also referred to as SLO) is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State University.

Geography

The earliest human inhabitants of the local area were the Chumash people. One of the earliest villages lies south of San Luis Obispo and reflects the landscape of the early Holocene when estuaries came farther inland. The Chumash people used marine resources of the inlets and bays along the Central Coast and inhabited a network of villages, including sites at Los Osos and Morro Creek.

Demographics

During the Spanish Empire expansion throughout the world, specifically in 1769, Franciscan Jun�pero Serra received orders from Spain to bring the Catholic faith to the natives of Alta California; the idea was to unify the empire under the same religion and language. Mission San Diego was the first Spanish mission founded in Alta California that same year.

On September 7-8, 1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portol� entered the San Luis Obispo area from coastal areas around today’s Pismo Beach. One of the expedition’s three diarists, padre Juan Cresp�, recorded the name given to this area by the soldiers as Ca�ada de Los Osos (“ca�ada” translates as “valley” or “canyon”). The party traveled north along San Luis Creek, turned west through Los Osos valley, and reached Morro Bay on September 9.

In 1770, Portola established the Presidio of Monterey and Jun�pero Serra founded the second mission, San Carlos Borromeo, in Monterey. The mission was moved to Carmel the following year. As supplies dwindled in 1772 at the mission and presidio, the people faced starvation. Remembering the Valley of the Bears, Presidio of Monterey commander Pedro Fages (a member of the Portol� expedition) led a hunting expedition to bring back food. Over twenty-five mule loads of dried bear meat and seed were sent north to relieve the missionaries, soldiers, and neophytes (baptized natives). The natives were impressed at the ease by which the Spaniards could take down the huge grizzlies with their weapons. Some of the bear meat was traded with the local people in exchange for edible seed. It was after this that Jun�pero Serra decided that La Ca�ada de Los Osos would be an ideal place for the fifth mission.[citation needed]

The area had abundant supplies of food and water, the climate was also very mild, and the local Chumash were very friendly. With soldiers, muleteers, and pack animals carrying mission supplies, Jun�pero Serra set out from Carmel to reach the Valley of the Bears. On September 1, 1772, Jun�pero Serra celebrated the first Mass with a cross erected near San Luis Creek. The very next day, he departed for San Diego leaving Fr. Jos� Cavaller, with the difficult task of building the mission. Fr. Jos� Cavaller, five soldiers and two neophytes began building Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, which would later become the town of San Luis Obispo.

The first mission structures were built with whatever materials could be found nearby. Later, more permanent buildings were constructed with adobe walls, wood timber roof beams and tile roofs. The completed mission compound included: the church, the priests’ residence, the convento, storerooms, neophyte and visitor residences, soldiers’ barracks and other structures. The mission also had a grist mill, tannery, water supply system, land for farming and pastures for livestock. The whole community of priests, natives and soldiers needed to produce goods for their own livelihood.