El Pueblo De San José De Guadalupe

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Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Santa Clara Valley, it was the home to the Ohlone natives. Their territory spanned from San Jose all the way to the Guadalupe River, originating from Santa Clara. The process of converting the land into Spanish settlements began in 1777. This began with the expeditions of Sergeant Jose Ortega. When his soldiers arrived on the land, they noted the vast resources that were available. These resources included a constant source of freshwater, multiple native villages that was spread out along the river, timber, and rich lands. Mission Santa Clara was soon established on the west banks of the Guadalupe River along with the first Pueblo town, El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe on the east. The river helped create a borderline that separated the missionary control of Mission Santa Clara and the pueblo village (Dixon, 1997). …show more content…

Many of the colonists that first arrived here came looking for gold, but their efforts was enervated. However, they decided to stay and take advantage of the land’s resources. The town became the first farming community that provided food for the military and missionaries located in San Francisco and Monterey (Laffey, 1992). One of the oldest buildings that is still standing today is located in the heart of downtown San José. The Peralta Adobe historic site, surrounded by lively bars and lounges remains a remnant of this first Spanish Pueblo town in

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