History

This section examines the history of the San Mateo / Santa Cruz region in order to understand better the present status of salmonid populations. Native Americans, known as Ohlone, inhabited the area for thousands of years prior to European contact. The area's rich natural resources provided food, shelter, tools, and trade items. The Ohlone modified the land through extensive use of fire to create grasslands that provided seeds and game animals. Salmon was an important seasonal component of the Ohlone diet, but never gained the cultural significance with which it was imbued in the Pacific Northwest. When the Spanish colonized the area, they used the extensive grasslands maintained by the Ohlone to support agriculture and ranching at missions, presidios, and pueblos. Under Mexican occupation, large parcels of land – ranchos – were granted to citizens and ranching became integral to the culture. Cattle outnumbered people on the San Mateo Peninsula and tallow production and trade became central to the economy. The American acquisition began an era of resource exploitation. Agriculture continued to be important, but Americans also began to harvest timber and extract mineral resources on a large scale.

A brief overview of the land under Ohlone occupation is presented, followed by the Spanish colonization, the Mexican California and the subsequent American take-over, which was formalized by California Statehood. Finally, the local histories of San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties are presented to reveal how the communities have each developed a unique local character.