The Springdale news., 1906-04-27

stricken city. has long been per S mcaled with an air of romance 1p'
 and adventure Nowhere may one turn without being reminded of the legends that have been woven around the forty.nners and their in mediate followers The names of the streets and Of the business blocks, such as Kearney, Sutter. Montgomery. Duz pont. Flood, Creeker and Sharon. bring to the mind of the visitor bong forgot ten stories Of riot or adventure and of fortunes whose vastness once excited his wonder Cir made him ihrrcdulous
 Ihe site gf the city WIS first visited by Europeans il 1769. aud ii l775 Btl- carel ordered I fort. presidio and mis slon= founded on the bay One year later. the year of the Declaration Of Independence the Spanish settlers be gan the work, and when Vancouver. the explorer, visited the place in I792 the presidio represented the military authority, while the pueblo and mls. sion stood for the civil and religious factors respectively. The mission WIS seeularized il 1884 and town laid out the year following.
 In 1916 an American man Of war, unz der command of Commodore John E Montgomery. entered the harbor and boisted the stars and stripes over the town. Mexico, which succeeded Spain us the owner Of California. was then at war with the United States, and the act of Commodore Montgomery ended has I mi Montgomery appointed Lieutenant Washington A Bartlett te he Frisee,s first alcalde. or mayor, under the new regime Under Spanish and Mexican rule the town was a sleepy. HHprogress I've place, but with the coming of Amer icans and the discovery of gold in ISIS there came an era of growth and bus tie This did not eventnate at once for the first news of the discovery of gold practically depopulated San Fran. cisco
 The town WIS smttcn as hY plague, ana one historian thus describes what happened: Its houses were left unoc- cnpied and unprotected. is former trade ceased. it's lots fell to small phIl LII luttI Adlut-, IlS IA0 NFtkIA newspapers were suspended. and the town, deserted by the bulk of its in- babitants was at one time without Il single officer clothed with civil author ity..
 After the first rush to the gold dig gings the town began to regain its lost ground, and ere long the influx of gold seekers gave quite an impetus 10 it's growth. The town was incorporated in April. 1S50 and the first common council elected proeeedc~l with diligence to plunder the city treasury. The same year the state was admitted to the Union, and when the steamer Ore gon brought the news-there was no telegraphic communication in those days-business was entirely suspended and the entire population rushed to the wharfs to welcome the hamburger. The town had about 10000 inhabitants Ut that time, and when the people were informed that the signal flags of the Oregon indicated that California was sovereign state Of the United States of America "a universal shout arose from 10000 voices on the wharfs, ill the streets. upon the hills, honsetops and the world of shipping in the bay.
 In its early history the city suffered from several disastrous fires. Between December, 1S49, and June. 1851, six confiagrations played havoc with the growing young town. Better buildings were planned and several fire compa- nies were organized These were steps iD the right direction. It was also dis covered that the fires were started by criminals who profited by the confu- sion.
 This fact and the inefficiency and corruption of the city government led large number of citizens to organ ize the famous vigilance committee which ruled the place In 1851. Quite number of crooks were 1ynched hy the committee, others were driven out, like John Oakhurst the leading figure in Bret Harte's ''Outcasts of Poker Flat" and the city went through pu- rification process that was of great benefit to it.
 The aspect of San Francisco at this time was not inspiring 10 infioWing gold seekers. It was struggling med- ley of low, dingy adobes, frali wooden shanties, born in an afternoon. with sprinkling of more respectable frame houses and mass of canvas ana ruD- Der haoitations. It was mainly city of tents, rising in a crescent upon the shores of tie cove. From Clark point 1t skirted the land to Telegraph hii, along the Clay street slopes. tapering away to the California street ridge Ihe larger number passed to the south west shores of the cove. beyond the Market street ridge, a region sheltered from clustering winds and provided