DOCSLIB.ORG

UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Reconstructing the Past: Historical Interpretations and Native Experiences at Contemporary California Missions Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1c37v6m4 Author Lorimer, Michelle Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Reconstructing the Past: Historical Interpretations and Native Experiences at Contemporary California Missions A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History by Michelle Marie Lorimer August 2013 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Clifford Trafzer, Chairperson Dr. Rebecca Kugel Dr. Larry Burgess Copyright by Michelle Marie Lorimer 2013 The Dissertation of Michelle Marie Lorimer is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Life has taken many twists and turns during the span of my graduate studies at University of California, Riverside. Along this road, my wonderful husband Chris has been my rock through the best moments of my life as well as more trying times. I thank him for all that he has done for me over the past seven years. Chris, I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow. I am so thankful for the family that we have built together. Our young son Christopher is the most wonderful thing to happen to me. After everything we have been through, I understand that being his mother is my ultimate calling in life. Christopher added many smiles as I worked on my dissertation, especially when he “typed” on the computer along with me. I worked extremely hard to finish my dissertation before he takes his first steps (or crawls, for that matter). I thank Christopher for his unbelievable strength and cheerfulness that has added exponential joy to my life. My family, a source of many smiles as well, has also encouraged me to continue my studies. My mom and dad generously devoted countless hours playing and providing company to Christopher while I typed away on the computer. From Florida, my sister Sherrie read several of my chapters and provided priceless advice – desperately needed after long days of research and writing. My in-laws, Mike and Maureen Lorimer, provided helpful insight on representations of the California missions from perspectives of experienced educators. I value their encouragement and all the time they spent talking with me about this research project. Special thanks to my friends and other family iv members, specifically Erik, Stephanie, Heather, Thomas, Sean, and the Stonerocks for providing support, encouragement, and avenues for much needed relaxation time during this long and often difficult process. Throughout my graduate career, my amazing advisor Clifford Trafzer has guided, supported, and encouraged me to complete my research and finish this dissertation. I thank Cliff for taking me under his wing from the very beginning. His generosity and guidance means more to me than I could ever truly express. Cliff, you are a dear friend and an inspiration to me. I also thank Rebecca “Monte” Kugel for her constant encouragement. She spent countless hours chatting with me about research goals and my teaching aspirations. Most importantly, during a strenuous graduate program, she provided an outlet to just talk about life in general. Monte and Cliff have been very positive fixtures in my life over the past five years, and I hope they remain in my life for many years to come. Many thanks also go to other members of my committee, including Catherine Gudis, Larry Burgess, and Yolanda Moses. Thank you for your input and comments. They helped resituate my focus on my research topic and dissertation after being away from UCR during an extended maternity leave. Thank you also to the many professors whose diverse classes helped shape my research interests, especially Steven Hackel whose public history research seminar on the California missions planted the seed for my dissertation topic. My project would not be what it is today without the varied perspectives shared by several faculty members during seminars at UCR. Finally, I thank the sources that helped significantly fund my graduate career, especially the Rupert Costo v Endowment, the UCR History Department, and the Graduate Division. Thanks also to the Old Towne Preservation Association for awarding me the Anne Seibert Academic Scholarship that funded research for my second and third chapters. Looking forward, I hope to make positive changes through my work. I also hope to make my family, friends, advisors, and donors proud. This dissertation would not have been possible without the help and guidance of so many people. It is to them that I dedicate this work. vi ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Reconstructing the Past: Historical Interpretations and Native Experiences at Contemporary California Missions by Michelle Marie Lorimer Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in History University of California, Riverside, August 2013 Dr. Clifford Trafzer, Chairperson Spanish missions that dot the landscape in California today exist as centers of historical interpretation. Visitors to California, residents of the state, and school children often turn to these sites to learn about the early history of the region. Unbeknownst to many visitors, the history presented at many contemporary California mission sites reflects an incomplete, skewed, and biased perspective of the past created in the early-twentieth century by local promoters such as Charles Fletcher Lummis and John Steven McGroarty. This “revisionist” history focused on a romantic and idyllic representation of the mission era – centered on the benevolent work of Spanish priests and celebration of mission ruins. Revisionists pushed Native Californians into the periphery of this manufactured narrative, despite the central role of indigenous people in building, populating, sustaining, and expanding the missions. Following in this tradition, contemporary mission museums continue to present an unhistorical version of the past. vii Interpreters at these sites frequently ignore such themes as Native labor, Indian resistance, contagious diseases, malnutrition, infant mortality, violence, death, and Spanish-inflicted punishments. They glorify the Spanish priests, deemphasize the role of Native people, and minimize the negative impact of Spanish colonization on California Indian populations. Scholars writing in the late twentieth century provide more accurate and detailed analyses of early California history and the Spanish mission system. However, popular representations of mission history do not reflect scholarly knowledge offered during the past fifty years about the role of Native Californians within the mission system. Interpreters at mission sites today continue to situate colonial California within idyllic depictions consistent with the mission myth. While some contemporary sites attempt to present more balanced and honest representations of the past, sanitized and romanticized narratives remain the most prominent presentation of Spanish missions in California found in popular culture today. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction .....................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1 ....................................................................................................................... 20 Chapter 2 ....................................................................................................................... 55 Chapter 3 ..................................................................................................................... 100 Part II .......................................................................................................................... 145 Chapter 4 ..................................................................................................................... 146 Chapter 5 ..................................................................................................................... 189 Chapter 6 ..................................................................................................................... 229 Chapter 7 ..................................................................................................................... 265 Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 298 ix TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1 Map of New Spain, or Mexico, and the Caribbean.. ......................................... 28 Figure 2 Illustration from Las Casas’ A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies. .. 32 Figure 3 Map of “Explorations on the Northern Frontier of New Spain 1535-1706.” ..... 44 Figure 4 Spanish Explorations in the Americas. ........................................................... 46 Figure 5 Views of the South Pacific Coast Railroad (Santa Cruz). ................................. 58 Figure 6 Postcard depicting Ramona, Alessandro, and their infant.. ............................... 62 Figure 7 A man and woman in front of Ramona's “Marriage Place.” .............................. 65 Figure 8 Image of the book, California for Health, Pleasure, and Residence.. ............... 68 Figure 9 Photo of Virginia Del Valle, c. 1920.. .............................................................. 76 Figure 10 El Camino Real bells at Mission San Diego.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Capitol Cover 10.5
    California State Capitol Museum n a e c O c i f i c a P Kathy Katranis Fotopoulos, M.A. Ed., author Berndt Stolfi, M.A. (History), and Ann Fry, B.A. (Environmental studies), co-authors Acknowledgments This school packet was made possible with the support and cooperation of the following people: Donna McGuire, Jonathan Williams, Jeanne Ekstrom, Michelle Edwards, Sally Smock, Miriam Meidam, Jenan Saunders, Gail Dudding, California State Capitol Museum staff and California State Parks Interpretive Publications Section. California State Parks does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park at: 916-324-0312. To receive this publication in an alternate format, write to the Communications Office at: California State Parks, P.O. Box 942896, Sacramento, CA 94296-0001. © 2005 California State Parks Table of Contents Page Standards Contents Number Met Table of Contents .................................................................... i Student Activity Packet Introductory Information Your Pathway to Sacramento ....................................... 3 ............................ 4.1 California Counties ....................................................... 4 ............................ 4.1 State Capitol Vocabulary .............................................. 5 ............................ 4.5 History of California History of California and the State Capitol ................... 6 ............................ 4.5 History of the Capitals and
    [Show full text]
  • THE EXPLORERS by Richard F. Pourade CHAPTER ONE: BEFORE
    THE EXPLORERS By Richard F. Pourade CHAPTER ONE: BEFORE THE EXPLORERS San Diego was a well populated area before the first Spanish explorers arrived. The climate was wetter and perhaps warmer, and the land more wooded than now. The remnant of a great inland lake covered most of Imperial Valley. The San Diego River wandered back and forth over the broad delta it had formed between Point Loma and Old Town, alternately emptying into Mission Bay and San Diego Bay. The natural food supply was so abundant that the state as a whole supported an Indian population far greater than any equal area in the United States. The native population of the southern counties alone must have been at least 10,000. The early maps made of San Diego Bay by the Spanish explorers show the same general configuration as of today, except, of course, for the many changes in the shoreline made by dredging and filling in recent years. The maps, crudely drawn without proper surveys, vary considerably in detail. Thousands of years ago, in the late part of the Ice Age, Point Loma was an island, as were Coronado and North Island. Coronado used to be known as South Island. There was no bay, as we think of it now. A slightly curving coastline was protected by the three islands, of which, of course, Point Loma was by far the largest. What we now know as Crown Point in Mission Bay was a small peninsula projecting into the ocean. On the mainland, the San Diego and Linda Vista mesas were one continuous land mass.
    [Show full text]
  • Charles F. Lummis Papers
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt9z09r4s7 No online items Guide to the Charles F. Lummis Papers Processed by Cyndi Shein and Michelle Weng; machine-readable finding aid created by Cyndi Shein Special Collections and Archives The UCI Libraries P.O. Box 19557 University of California, Irvine Irvine, California 92623-9557 Phone: (949) 824-7227 Fax: (949) 824-2472 Email: [email protected] URL: http://special.lib.uci.edu © 2007 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Guide to the Charles F. Lummis MS-R033 1 Papers Descriptive Summary Title: Charles F. Lummis papers Date: 1877-1928, Date (bulk): bulk 1904-1914 Collection Number: MS-R033 Creator: Lummis, Charles Fletcher, 1859-1928 Extent: 5.6 linear feet (14 boxes and 1 oversized folder) Languages: The collection is in English. A few letters are in Spanish. Repository: University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives. Irvine, California 92623-9557 Abstract: Charles F. Lummis explored and documented the culture and history of the Southwest in his writings and photography from 1884 until his death in 1928. A resident of Los Angeles for most of his life, Lummis was city editor of the Los Angeles Daily Times, city librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library, an advocate of Native American rights, and founder of the Landmarks Club and the Southwest Museum. This collection contains a portion of his prolific correspondence to friends and colleagues, documents his tenure as Los Angeles Public Librarian, provides a sample of his photography, and offers a rare glimpse into his college interests and activities.
    [Show full text]
  • WPLI Resolution
    Matters from Staff Agenda Item # 17 Board of County Commissioners ‐ Staff Report Meeting Date: 11/13/2018 Presenter: Alyssa Watkins Submitting Dept: Administration Subject: Consideration of Approval of WPLI Resolution Statement / Purpose: Consideration of a resolution proclaiming conservation principles for US Forest Service Lands in Teton County as a final recommendation of the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI) process. Background / Description (Pros & Cons): In 2015, the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) established the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI) to develop a proposed management recommendation for the Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in Wyoming, and where possible, pursue other public land management issues and opportunities affecting Wyoming’s landscape. In 2016, Teton County elected to participate in the WPLI process and appointed a 21‐person Advisory Committee to consider the Shoal Creek and Palisades WSAs. Committee meetings were facilitated by the Ruckelshaus Institute (a division of the University of Wyoming’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources). Ultimately the Committee submitted a number of proposals, at varying times, to the BCC for consideration. Although none of the formal proposals submitted by the Teton County WPLI Committee were advanced by the Board of County Commissioners, the Board did formally move to recognize the common ground established in each of the Committee’s original three proposals as presented on August 20, 2018. The related motion stated that the Board chose to recognize as a resolution or as part of its WPLI recommendation, that all members of the WPLI advisory committee unanimously agree that within the Teton County public lands, protection of wildlife is a priority and that there would be no new roads, no new timber harvest except where necessary to support healthy forest initiatives, no new mineral extraction excepting gravel, no oil and gas exploration or development.
    [Show full text]
  • Frontier Fighters and the Romance of the Ranchos By, Jim Stebinger Mr
    Newsletter of the Jedediah Smith Society • University of the Pacific, Stockton, California SUMMER 2020 Jedediah Smith in Popular Culture: Frontier Fighters and The Romance of The Ranchos By, Jim Stebinger Mr. Stebinger is a freelance writer, journalist and amateur historian living in Los Angeles. As a UCLA graduate he has had a lifelong interest in history with a focus on western expansion, Jedediah Smith and the mountain fur trade. One of the great surprises of the internet is the extent to up the Missouri. which people will work, research, publish and upload The men go huge amounts of material without recompense. Of course to Ashley’s Wikipedia is the prime example but of perhaps more “mansion” to immediate interest to members of the Society has been the enlist. uploading of vast amounts of “Classic Radio” including at On May 20, least two radio biographies of Jedediah Smith. 1823 we hear raging battle The first piece, which runs 15 minutes 10 seconds, was the “near the present sixth episode of a 39 part series called “Frontier Fighters” 1 boundary of that briefly depicted the lives of men (and some women) North and central to the westward expansion of the United States. South Dakota” Frontier Fighters dramatized soldiers, explorers, mountain Between the men, bankers, doctors and some famous battles including Ashley party the fall of the Alamo. The subjects chosen lived or the events and an enemy occurred from before the founding of the United States up identified as “Arickarees.” Smith is tending to the wounded to about 1900. Although the series is easily available for when Ashley calls for a volunteer to seek aid from Andrew download little is known of the production and crew.
    [Show full text]
  • Summer 2019, Volume 65, Number 2
    The Journal of The Journal of SanSan DiegoDiego HistoryHistory The Journal of San Diego History The San Diego History Center, founded as the San Diego Historical Society in 1928, has always been the catalyst for the preservation and promotion of the history of the San Diego region. The San Diego History Center makes history interesting and fun and seeks to engage audiences of all ages in connecting the past to the present and to set the stage for where our community is headed in the future. The organization operates museums in two National Historic Districts, the San Diego History Center and Research Archives in Balboa Park, and the Junípero Serra Museum in Presidio Park. The History Center is a lifelong learning center for all members of the community, providing outstanding educational programs for schoolchildren and popular programs for families and adults. The Research Archives serves residents, scholars, students, and researchers onsite and online. With its rich historical content, archived material, and online photo gallery, the San Diego History Center’s website is used by more than 1 million visitors annually. The San Diego History Center is a Smithsonian Affiliate and one of the oldest and largest historical organizations on the West Coast. Front Cover: Illustration by contemporary artist Gene Locklear of Kumeyaay observing the settlement on Presidio Hill, c. 1770. Back Cover: View of Presidio Hill looking southwest, c. 1874 (SDHC #11675-2). Design and Layout: Allen Wynar Printing: Crest Offset Printing Copy Edits: Samantha Alberts Articles appearing in The Journal of San Diego History are abstracted and indexed in Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life.
    [Show full text]
  • California's Legal Heritage
    California’s Legal Heritage n the eve of California’s statehood, numerous Spanish Civil Law Tradition Odebates raged among the drafters of its consti- tution. One argument centered upon the proposed o understand the historic roots of the legal tradi- retention of civil law principles inherited from Spain Ttion that California brought with it to statehood and Mexico, which offered community property rights in 1850, we must go back to Visigothic Spain. The not conferred by the common law. Delegates for and Visigoths famously sacked Rome in 410 CE after years against the incorporation of civil law elements into of war, but then became allies of the Romans against California’s common law future used dramatic, fiery the Vandal and Suevian tribes. They were rewarded language to make their cases, with parties on both with the right to establish their kingdom in Roman sides taking opportunities to deride the “barbarous territories of Southern France (Gallia) and Spain (His- principles of the early ages.” Though invoked for dra- pania). By the late fifth century, the Visigoths achieved ma, such statements were surprisingly accurate. The complete independence from Rome, and King Euric civil law tradition in question was one that in fact de- established a code of law for the Visigothic nation. rived from the time when the Visigoths, one of the This was the first codification of Germanic customary so-called “barbarian” tribes, invaded and won Spanish law, but it also incorporated principles of Roman law. territory from a waning Roman Empire. This feat set Euric’s son and successor, Alaric, ordered a separate in motion a trajectory that would take the Spanish law code of law known as the Lex Romana Visigothorum from Europe to all parts of Spanish America, eventu- for the Hispanic Romans living under Visigothic rule.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Political Practices in Mexican Alta California and the Rise of the Diputados Emmanuelle Perez Tisserant
    The Evolution of Political Practices in Mexican Alta California and the Rise of the Diputados Emmanuelle Perez Tisserant To cite this version: Emmanuelle Perez Tisserant. The Evolution of Political Practices in Mexican Alta California and the Rise of the Diputados. California History, University of California Press, 2014, 91 (1), pp.72-73. halshs-01828418 HAL Id: halshs-01828418 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01828418 Submitted on 3 Jul 2018 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. The Evolution of Political Practices in Mexican Alta California and the Rise of the Diputados Author(s): Emmanuelle Perez Source: California History, Vol. 91, No. 1 (Spring 2014), pp. 72-73 Published by: University of California Press in association with the California Historical Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/ch.2014.91.1.72 . Accessed: 10/05/2014 16:43 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive.
    [Show full text]
  • The Colorado Magazine
    THE COLORADO MAGAZINE Published by The State Historical and Natural History Society of Colorado Devoted to the Interests of the Society, Colorado, and the West Copyrighted 1924 by the State Historical and Natural History Society of Colorado. VOL. Denver, Colorado, November, 1924 NO. 7 Spanish Expeditions Into Colorado:f. By Alfred Barnaby Thomas, M. A., Berkeley, California. I. INTRODUCTION We customarily associate Spanish explorations in the West with New Mexico, with Texas, with Arizona, or with California, but not with Colorado. Yet Spaniards in the eighteenth century were well acquainted with large portions of the region now com­ prised in that state. Local historians of Colorado often err by pushing the clock too far back, and asserting that Coronado, Oriate, and other sixteenth century conquistadores entered the state. On the other hand, they fail to mention several important expeditions which at a later date did enter the confines of the state. An Outpost of New Mexico.-The Colorado region in Span­ ish days was a frontier of New Mexico. Santa Fe was the base for Colorado as San Agustin was for Georgia. Three interests especially spurred the New Mexicans to make long journeys northward to the Platte River, to the upper Arkansas in central Colorado, and to the Dolores, Uncomphagre, Gunnison, and Grand Rivers on the western borders. These interests were Indians, French intruders, and rumored mines. After 1673 reports of Frenchmen in the Pawnee country constantly worried officials at Santa Fe. Frequently tales of gold and sil'ver were wafted southward to sensitive Spanish ears at the New Mexico capital.
    [Show full text]
  • Native American Heritage Commission 40Th Anniversary Gala
    “Itu ~(/; W/is ~the ~policy 4of ~the ~state Uwd/;that Native~ Americansll/~ remains ~ ~~~~JwJU~~JJand associated grave goods shall be repatriated.” - California Public Resources Code 5097.991 Table of Contents Event Agenda ....................................................................................................................1 Welcome Letter – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. ...........................................................2 2016 Native American Day Proclamation ...........................................................................3 Welcome Letter – NAHC Chairperson James Ramos ...................................................... 4 Welcome Letter – NAHC Executive Secretary Cynthia Gomez .........................................5 Keynote Speaker Biography ............................................................................................6 State Capitol Rotunda Displays .......................................................................................7 Native American Heritage Commission’s Mission Statement .............................................8 Tribal People of California Map .......................................................................................13 California Indian Seal ...................................................................................................... 14 The Eighteen Unratifed Treaties of 1851-1852 between the California Indians and the United States Government .................................................................................15 NAHC Timeline
    [Show full text]
  • The Desert Serrano of the Mojave River
    The Desert Serrano of the Mojave River Mark Q. Sutton and David D. Earle Abstract century, although he noted the possible survival of The Desert Serrano of the Mojave River, little documented by “perhaps a few individuals merged among other twentieth century ethnographers, are investigated here to help un- groups” (Kroeber 1925:614). In fact, while occupation derstand their relationship with the larger and better known Moun- tain Serrano sociopolitical entity and to illuminate their unique of the Mojave River region by territorially based clan adaptation to the Mojave River and surrounding areas. In this effort communities of the Desert Serrano had ceased before new interpretations of recent and older data sets are employed. 1850, there were survivors of this group who had Kroeber proposed linguistic and cultural relationships between the been born in the desert still living at the close of the inhabitants of the Mojave River, whom he called the Vanyumé, and the Mountain Serrano living along the southern edge of the Mojave nineteenth century, as was later reported by Kroeber Desert, but the nature of those relationships was unclear. New (1959:299; also see Earle 2005:24–26). evidence on the political geography and social organization of this riverine group clarifies that they and the Mountain Serrano belonged to the same ethnic group, although the adaptation of the Desert For these reasons we attempt an “ethnography” of the Serrano was focused on riverine and desert resources. Unlike the Desert Serrano living along the Mojave River so that Mountain Serrano, the Desert Serrano participated in the exchange their place in the cultural milieu of southern Califor- system between California and the Southwest that passed through the territory of the Mojave on the Colorado River and cooperated nia can be better understood and appreciated.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 2. Native Languages of West-Central California
    Chapter 2. Native Languages of West-Central California This chapter discusses the native language spoken at Spanish contact by people who eventually moved to missions within Costanoan language family territories. No area in North America was more crowded with distinct languages and language families than central California at the time of Spanish contact. In the chapter we will examine the information that leads scholars to conclude the following key points: The local tribes of the San Francisco Peninsula spoke San Francisco Bay Costanoan, the native language of the central and southern San Francisco Bay Area and adjacent coastal and mountain areas. San Francisco Bay Costanoan is one of six languages of the Costanoan language family, along with Karkin, Awaswas, Mutsun, Rumsen, and Chalon. The Costanoan language family is itself a branch of the Utian language family, of which Miwokan is the only other branch. The Miwokan languages are Coast Miwok, Lake Miwok, Bay Miwok, Plains Miwok, Northern Sierra Miwok, Central Sierra Miwok, and Southern Sierra Miwok. Other languages spoken by native people who moved to Franciscan missions within Costanoan language family territories were Patwin (a Wintuan Family language), Delta and Northern Valley Yokuts (Yokutsan family languages), Esselen (a language isolate) and Wappo (a Yukian family language). Below, we will first present a history of the study of the native languages within our maximal study area, with emphasis on the Costanoan languages. In succeeding sections, we will talk about the degree to which Costanoan language variation is clinal or abrupt, the amount of difference among dialects necessary to call them different languages, and the relationship of the Costanoan languages to the Miwokan languages within the Utian Family.
    [Show full text]