Monterey, Cradle of California's Romance; The Story of a Lost Port That Was Found Again and a Dream That Came True (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Money was constantly being appropriated to repair the public buildings, improve the streets, etc. In June, the question of delinquent taxes became serious. Nevertheless, $300 was appropriated for the first Fourth of July celebration ever held in California. An elaborate program was prepared. In the fall, a company 'of disbanded soldiers came to Monterey. To pass away the time, they gave a couple of theatrical performances in an old saloon belonging to John A. Swan. These were purely private affairs, but so great was their success that the soldiers agreed to give a public performance. They induced Jack to fix seats, stage and scenery in the old adobe. The bills were got out in due form, posters printed with a blacking pot and programmes written announcing 'Putnam' or 'The Lion's Son of '76' as the first piece to be played. It was only an experiment. Never before in California had a play been given for which admission was charged. The box-office receipts were enormous. AMERICAN MONTEREY September 9, 1850, Congress admitted California to the Union and Monterey became really an j American county seat. AMBITIOUS AYUNTAMIENTOS What an uncommon Common Council the men of 1850 hoped to be They planned that Mon- terey should have a public market house, a city physician, fine, clean streets, improved drainage system, a new jail, a big, new wharf and the incorporation of the city. In reality, they improved the streets and succeeded in having the Legislature pass a bill to incorporate the city of Monterey. It was signed in April, 1851. The city was to be governed by a Mayor, nine Aldermen, an Assessor and a Marshal. The city limits, until all the land could be surveyed, were fixed at a radius of one mile from the church. The city was specifically given autho...