Description

Henry Fitch was the first American to settle permanently in San Diego and become a Mexican citizen. Fitch was a Yankee trader and shopkeeper who was elected to various offices in Mexican San Diego, and in 1845 he prepared the map of the Pueblo Lands which established the city's original boundaries. Fitch literally put San Diego on the map, and because of the generous boundary drawn by Fitch, the City of San Diego had nearly 50,000 acres of land to sell later on to real estate developers such as Alonzo Horton. Producer Peter Hamlin and historian Clare Crane discuss with their guests the development of San Diego during the Mexican period (1821-1846), including the secularization of the Missions, the establishment of San Diego as a Pueblo, the significance of the Mexican land-grant ranchos, the gradual movement of American settlers into the area; and the effect of these developments on the Indian population. Iris Engstrand discusses the legal background of Pueblo status and land-use, based on the Laws of the Indies. John Witt and Robert Teaze describe important differences in Anglo-Saxon and Spanish legal concepts in regard to land and water use; and comment on the importance of Pueblo Lands in San Diego. Robert Austin talks about his musical, "My Cousin Josefa," which dramatizes the romantic elopement of Henry Fitch and Josefa Carrillo. Charles Carrillo comments on the importance of family traditions and their relation to historical actuality. Lucy Killea discusses changes in land use as the cattle industry developed during the Rancho era, and the effect of these changes on the local Indians' way of life. Paul Ezell describes the archeological excavations at Presidio Park, and the discovery of the Fitch family graves. Names mentioned during the program include: Maria Antonia Josepha Carrillo Fitch, Pío de Jesús Pico, Andrés Pico, Francisco María Ruiz, Alonzo Erastus Horton, Harry C. Hopkins, Joaquin Victor Carrillo, Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo, Carla Alberghetti, Jack Ritschel, Charles Carrillo, José María de Echeandía, Jedediah Strong Smith, José Bernardo Sánchez, James Ohio Pattie, and José Antonio Estudillo.