Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 Public Domain. Release under the CC BY Attribution license--http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--Credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library; From the California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California Send requests to address or e-mail given USC Libraries Special Collections specol@usc.edu
Description
Photograph of a drawing of California's first State House, San Jose, 1849. An American flag flies from a tall flag pole in front of the small two-story building. Another one-story building is visible to the right. Three people are near the buildings. One is on horseback and is leading another saddled, but unridden, horse. The drawing comes from A.L. Bancroft & Co., San Francisco and was published in Frederick Hall's History of San Jose, 1871. In 1849 Messrs. Sainsevain and Rochon built a large two story adobe on the East side of Market Square intending it for a hotel. The Ayuntamiento (Town Council) at first contracted to rent the building for the State Legislature at $4000 a month, but reconsidered, deciding to purchase it but having no money on hand and the owners not wishing to trust the credit of the Pueblo, The State bought it for $50,000 issuing bonds in payment drawing 2½% a month. The bonds brought only 40¢ on the dollar, leaving a considerable amount unpaid which was finally collected by suit against the city. -- The building was a place of great interest as associated with the beginnings and organization of the Great State of California. It was the hall where was gathered the first Legislative Assembly on the Pacific Coast where the first gubernatorial message was read to the representative of the people where the first State machinery was put in motion where the State was first divided into counties, cities, and towns where the first Senators were elected to represent the new State in the Federal Legislature of the Country. -- It was the hall where the great and long established principles of the common law of England was first made the rule of decision here in California.
Type
image
Format
1 photograph : photonegative, b&w 20 x 25 cm. negatives (photographic) photographs art
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