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Mini-Histories: Condensing complicated history.

8/19/2016

1 Comment

 
I'm trying to write a short article of history that some people might not know about. So I'm first making a condensed version of San Diego history for me to work off of.
San Diego began as a Spanish fort upon a hill overlooking the bay in 1769. A few years later, a mission was placed about five miles down the valley and another fort was placed on Ballast Point to guard the bay. The soldiers kept law and order and regulated control of international trade, while the friars from the missions taught Christianity to the local natives. This wasn't always easy though. In 1775, there was a native revolt that resulted in the burning of the mission (later rebuilt) and the death of a friar, and there was a battle in 1803 between the Spanish troops at Ballast Point and a US ship called the "Leila Byrd" who had smuggled otter skins out of the area.

By 1821, Mexico had won its independence from Spain and the inhabitants of the old fort on the hill began to spread out and build homes at the foot of the hill, now known as Old Town. One of the inhabitants was Pio Pico, a successful businessman and prominent Mexican politician, who in 1829 made plans in San Diego to take over the Capitol of Alta-California, Los Angeles - the revolt was successful. A few short years later in 1832, he would become Governor pro-tem of Alta-California and secularize the mission lands, making them available to sell. He became Governor in 1845, the same year the United States annexed Texas. Needing money to defend California, he began to sell land. By 1846, a U.S.Naval ship Cyan had docked near the bay and a garrison of marines had raised a United States flag at Old Town's main square, and a battled ensued at San Pasquel Valley between U.S. troops led by General Kerney and "Dragoons" led by Pio Pico's brother Andres.

Now belonging to the United States, entrepreneurs began pouring in and buying land. A new town had sprung up on the grounds of an old Spanish cemetery in the 1850s that is now Downtown San Diego. South of it, an old Spanish ranch was bought, split in two, and became National City and Chula Vista. A lighthouse was built on Point Loma, and the Hotel Del Coronado was built across the bay. Docks were built and roads were paved. Land was reserved for a city park that would later hold the 1915-1916 Panama/California Exposition and the 1936, 1936 California Pacific International Exposition. The U.S. Navy would build bases throughout the county and population exploded. Old wooden structures were soon replaced with skyscrapers, and horse drawn carriages were replaced with cars. In the 1960s, freeways, Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego Sports Arena and the Coronado Bay Bridge were all built. New communities popped up and continued to expand into today.
Ok, I got my history. Damn, did I pack in the facts! Ok. I need something to drink. I'll be right back.
Ok, I'm back. Out of those, I picked out five:
San Diego began as a Spanish fort upon a hill overlooking the bay in 1769. By 1821, Mexico had won its independence from Spain and the inhabitants of the old fort on the hill began to spread out and build homes at the foot of the hill, now known as Old Town.

During San Diego's Spanish years, soldiers kept law and order and regulated control of international trade, while  friars taught Christianity and farming to the local natives.

There was a battle in 1803 between Spanish cannons at Ballast Point and a US ship called the "Leila Byrd" who had successfully smuggled otter skins out of the area. It was called "The Battle of San Diego Bay", and there were no casualties.

Pio Pico was a successful businessman and prominent Mexican politician who, in 1829, made plans in San Diego to take over the Capitol of Alta-California - the revolt was successful. A few short years later in 1832, he would become Governor pro-tem of Alta-California and secularize the mission lands, making them available to sell.

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego Sports Arena and the Coronado Bay Bridge were all built in the 1960s.
...and one bonus fact
Pio Pico became Governor of Alta California in 1845, the same year that the United States annexed Texas. Needing money to defend the state, he began to sell land and his brother Andreas would lead a garrison of "Dragoons" who would fight General Kerney's forces in the Battle of San Pasqual.
Now for the ultimate test: Are they tweetable?
Picture
Boooooo!!!! *tweek, tweek, tweek* How about now?
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No, that doesn't work either! *tweek, tweek, tweek* Now?
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YAY! It could easily be confused with South Dakota, but it's Tweetable!
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Manifest Destiny: Settlements - Alaska

8/5/2016

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The following portion is a draft from Manifest Destiny:
In June of 1741, two Russian ships named the St Paul and the St Peter, were out at sea when they were separated. One of the ships, the St. Paul, sighted land and sent a longboat full of men to explore it. While they waited for their return, the crew found an abundance of sea otter in the area who's fur they could trade at a profit, they also learned that what they had landed on was an island. The aweigh team never returned, so they sent another longboat full of men to find the first group. When the second boat also failed to return, the ship left and continued sailing east. By October, they would turn back west and return to Russia.
While the St. Paul was waiting for their men to return from the island, the St. Peter, separated but still sailing east, also spotted land. The fact that there were mountains on this land gave the Captain, Dane Vitus Bering, hope that they had found a continent. They turned back west with the intent of returning to Russia and telling their people about what they had found. By November however, the crew had become shipwrecked on an island and Bering died of Scurvy the next month. The island that the surrounding sea would bear his name from then on.
The surviving crew wintered on the island, collecting sea otter fur, and once things warmed up again, the survivors built a 40 foot boat out of planks taken from the corpse of the St. Paul. Reaching Kamchatka by August of 1742, the Russians were impressed with the quality of the otter skins they returned with and decided to make a settlement on the land which they called "Russian America".
The settlements and expeditions would grow, but when it came to actually catching otter, they pulled a page from the Spanish and tasked the local population with the labor. Once again, disease took large swaths of the native population, once again the natives revolted, once again they were subdued into near extinction. In Time, the Russians would migrate down the coast until 1812, when they established Fort Ross. By the 1760s however, they were still up in Russian America, later called "Alaska".
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