History of California: Gold Rush

When addressing the history of California and its cities, there are a handful of notable areas that stand out as some of the most prominent in the state. To most, these may include cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland, and Berkeley, among countless others. However, it goes without saying that with these popular cities, come those that may not be in the same caliber, and where many may find suburban neighborhoods and local markets, with friendly communities thriving with one another. An excellent example of one of these cities would be located in the southeastern San Francisco Bay Area, known as Fremont, California. The history of the city of Fremont does not date back extremely far, but from its settling in 1797 by Spaniard Father Fermin de Lasuen to its incorporation as a city to California in 1956, there have been a number of different time periods that held their own specific influences, both on Fremont itself, and on California as a whole. A handful of the most notable of these influential time periods includes becoming a supply center for thousands of miners during the Gold Rush, annexing 5 different districts into itself, and turning into one of the forerunners of the Silicon Valley, housing 750 high-tech companies’ production facilities, headquarters, and offices in the city. The importance of these time periods is reflected in their respective impressions on California history, and also serves as the foundation for the efforts in which the city has become a harbinger of religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity and justice in today’s society.

Fremont, of course, being part of the Bay Area, had an enormous role to play during times like the Gold Rush, where areas that were heavy in gold, for example, San Francisco, saw exponential growth in its population from hopeful individuals trying to get their hands on a portion of the prize. These individuals included American migrants from the East and Midwest that made long and dangerous treks towards California and thousands of immigrants that also traveled from Europe and Asia. However, many were not able to find their way into these areas that held gold, and thus, settled on an area that went by the name of Mission San Jose. Phil Holmes, a Fremont native, compiled a series of different eras in order to create a condensed version of the city’s history. In regarding the settlers in this area, Holmes states that “These American pioneers planted thousands of acres of grain and vegetables and changed the economy from peaceful pastoral to intensive agricultural (business, marketing, and industry). They took over the old Mission and rancho landings, built wharves and warehouses, and shipped their produce to San Francisco… Mission San Jose became a boisterous supply center for hordes of miners on their way to the gold mines.” This statement by Holmes shows how important of a role Fremont truly played during the Gold Rush era of 1848 to 1855, and helps demonstrate the fact that this area was so agriculturally robust that it ushered in the way for the agricultural industry to thrive in the subsequent future.

Throughout all of the years and periods of time in which the area of Fremont was functioning, it had never been officially admitted to become a city of California until the year 1956. Of course, before this year, the area that is known today as Fremont was known as Washington Township. This all changed when Wally Pond, one of the members of the first Fremont City Council, chose the name ‘Fremont’ for the city after an ultimatum deadline forced him to make a crucial choice. Pond, during an interview in mid-1997, is quoted as saying, “‘Our map's ready to go to the Board of Supervisors. No name, no map. You might as well call up and cancel, and go for approval at a later date.' Well, the wheels were really spinning in my head – what do I do? So finally I said, 'Well, put down Fremont.' Sometimes you have to do things like that and make a decision.' Wally Pond’s decision here to name the city Fremont was a bit controversial, but in the long run, became widely accepted among all. Although Pond would only end up serving one term on the City Council, his lasting impact laid the figurative pavement for the city in which more than 200 thousand individuals would reside today. One of his main accomplishments during his term was annexing five different districts into the city of Fremont. Staff Journalists of The Daily Republican Newspaper, explain that “The towns of Niles, Mission San Jose, Centerville, Irvington, and Warm Springs were incorporated into the City of Fremont in 1956.” Although this date may seem as if it was incredibly recent, Fremont did not hesitate to begin further broadening, improving, and establishing public centers and organizations to help make its name known.

The Silicon Valley, a term coined in 1971, has vastly changed the way in which not only California functions, but our entire globe as well. This is mostly thanks to the vast amount of innovations and technological advancements that have originated in the Valley, from decades in the past to years in the future. However, when associating many cities with Silicon Valley, the majority of individuals are to think of areas such as San Jose, Palo Alto, and Cupertino to represent the main fronts. Nonetheless, one city, in particular, that really flies under the radar when being associated with the Valley is Fremont. Being one of the main forerunners in the development of the Silicon Valley, thanks to the rapid industrialization and high-tech employment of the surrounding areas, Fremont housed hundreds of different company facilities of some sort in the city. The official City of Fremont’s website details this period of time in the year 1999, stating that “Approximately 750 high tech companies opened their offices, headquarters or production facilities in Fremont by this time. These firms included 15 of the top 100 fastest-growing public companies in the San Francisco Bay Area.” This statistic proves how significant the city of Fremont was in the ultimate development of the Silicon Valley, because there were not many other areas and cities that could house such great amounts of companies’ facilities, and was further complemented by the fact that the city’s vast amount of land was so affordable.

When referring to California history, the Bay Area is a substantial component, no matter the respect to which time period it is being referred to. The city of Fremont, however, does not typically receive the same level of recognition, but this does not dampen its impact on its overall history, and the historical instances that would take place around some of its own important time periods. In fact, one of the Spanish Fathers who first traveled to California from the Old World, Father Juníperro Serra, set out to establish a number of different missions all throughout the state, and this would be during the period of time right before the area of Fremont would be originally founded. In an article titled, “The Mission Trail”, author Edward Readicker-Henderson describes that, “The motivating force behind the California mission trail was Father Juníperro Serra, a Franciscan monk, who came to the New World from Spain in 1749… He founded the first nine missions on El Camino Real, from San Diego de Alcalá in 1769, to as far north as San Francisco de Asís, just a bit west of the Bay, in 1776. Before he died in 1784, he had run a total of 15 more, some on the trail, some not, as far south as Baja.” As mentioned in the statement, the missions that were originally founded would reach as far north as San Francisco, implicating that not too long after, would Mission San Jose, and the area of Fremont, be founded in its settling year of 1797.

Decades after this, California was bombarded by migrants thanks to the Gold Rush era, and as mentioned before, Fremont, during this time period, served as a supply center for the hordes of miners that were finding their way to the gold mines. It was around this age that Washington Township would be established, a monumental step in the development of the city, but the consequences facing the indigenous population would haunt California all the way to the present day. In the textbook, Competing Visions: A History of California, Robert Cherny states that “For most California Indians, the 1850s and 1860s were years of stark tragedy. Of the estimated 150,000 Native Americans in California in 1848, only 31,000 remained by 1860… Long before the Gold Rush, California Indians had become the major part of the workforce on the ranchos along the coast between San Francisco and San Diego and inland from San Francisco Bay.” One of the most notable of the indigenous tribes, known as the Ohlone, would reside in areas near Mission San Jose, and also came to influence some of Fremont’s history in the future.

By the end of the 20th century, Silicon Valley was at a height in which it would only continue to surpass. As mentioned before, by the year 1999, the City of Fremont had described that it was home to 750 high-tech companies’ facilities. However, in reference to the period of time between 1980 and the late 1990s, the city also specifies that “These years mark the boom in Fremont’s high-tech employment, especially in the Warm Springs District, linking us to the famous Silicon Valley brand name. After all, Apple’s first Mac computer manufacturing plant was located in Fremont.” Thanks to this enormous expansion in the high-tech industry, the entire Bay Area began to notice more and more population growth in a number of different cities, not just areas like San Francisco and San Jose. As a result, the foot traffic and the escalation of crowds that were brought in by these companies, whether it was their customers or employees, all helped contribute to the ever-growing, diverse population of Fremont that is seen today.

Religious diversification has, more recently than ever before, stood as one of the main features of Fremont’s demographic and overall population. Competing Visions: A History of California, refers to the advancement of religious diversity when stating that, “The Harvard Diversity Project traveled to the Bay Area to produce Fremont U.S.A., a 2008 documentary that is now used by schools and congregations to build bridges among different faith traditions.” Not to mention that, in addition to the city’s religious diversity, there are substantially various amounts of cultures and ethnicities that populate Fremont as well. In the specified documentary, it is stated that “With a population of 210,000, it is considered the most diverse American city of its size.” Despite this film being over 10 years old, these circumstances have not changed, as Fremont is still recognized as being home to people from all walks of life.

Despite the community of this city to be so welcoming for the most part, Fremont and its population have faced their fair share of ethnic adversity and religious discrimination as well. Most notably found in history books, this can be recognized in the oppression and decline of indigenous people, their homes, and their land, as even Ohlone College resides on what was once a village site occupied by Native Americans. In addition to this, and in more recent years, Middle Eastern immigrants have faced many different forms of discrimination, which can be attributed to the attacks on September 11th. In the text, Competing Visions, Cherny provides a statistic describing that, “In 2000, Fremont was home to the nation’s largest Afghan-American population and housed four mosques, three Buddhist temples, Sikh and Hindu places of worship, and a women’s monastic retreat center.” Cherny also later goes on to state that, “In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Fremont was rocked by violence against Muslim mosques and Afghan Business, and the murder of Alia Ansari, a Muslim mother of six.” Prejudice has played an enormous role in the history of California, however, the city of Fremont’s ability to move past the injustices plaguing an area proves just how devoted it is to bringing justice to the communities. Following these accounts of animosity and bigotry, not only was the aforementioned documentary, Fremont U.S.A. produced, but minority representation and exposure in arts, literature, films, and music has increased exponentially. This can be particularly seen to the point where even a site in the Centerville area has been designated as Fremont’s Little Kabul, combining culture and cuisine to be offered to local residents in various ways.

In conclusion, the city of Fremont has gone through a number of different periods of time in which each and every single one of them have not only shaped the city but the state of California as well into what it is seen as today. From its agricultural age, becoming a supply center for thousands of miners during the Gold Rush, to its annexation of five different towns, Niles, Mission San Jose, Centerville, Warm Springs, and Irvington, into the city, and becoming one of the forerunners of the Silicon Valley, housing 750 high-tech companies’ facilities in itself, it is safe to say that Fremont, California is only getting started in its history. Not to mention the city’s efforts in being an advocate for religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity, by producing a documentary promoting the practices, and encouraging peace and harmony throughout the communities. Although an area like Fremont may not draw as much attention to itself like San Francisco or Los Angeles does, that does not discourage its rich history from unfolding and developing as the years go on. With multiple plans to expand certain areas and further develop the rest of the city, one can only imagine how Fremont will look like a few years down the line.