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An expedition on its way to find Monterey Bay and led by Don Gaspar de Portola traveled through Orange County in late July. Since these were the feast days of St. Anne and of St. James (Santiago), the river and many other landmarks were named for these saints.
Jose Antonio Yorba, a veteran of the Portola march and his nephew Juan Pablo Peralta received a land grant from the governor of Mexico that extended eastward from the Santa Ana River to the mountains with a length of more than 22 miles. It was given the name Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, thus using again the saints’ names the explorers had chosen.
It was the only rancho located entirely within present-day Orange County. The City of Santa Ana stands on part of that original rancho. The ranchos flourished for some 50 years. “All was open range in those days and livestock roamed at will.” (Friis, p.33)
The last governor of Alta California, Pio Pico, retreated to Mexico, passing through the Orange County area on his way.
California was ceded to the United States by Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
California was admitted to the Union as the 31st state.
Floods followed by terrible drought conditions combined to destroy the cattle industry so vital to the ranchos. The landowners were forced to sell off some of their land. The Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was “partitioned” or divided among the heirs of the original families.
William Spurgeon and Ward Bradford purchased 74.27 acres of the Rancho Santiago de Santa from Jacob Ross and Ana Maria Chaves, one of the heirs to the rancho, as the site for a new town to be called Santa Ana.
“Town lots were placed on the market for a very low price, it having been told that a lot on the southwest corner of Fourth and Main Streets was sold for $15 and the adjoining lot was given for free to the purchaser, as an inducement to settlers to buy other lots”. (Swanner, p.16)
The original town site was part of the Spring School District and a one- room schoolhouse was built on the northeast corner of 3rd and Broadway.
The plat of the new town was recorded on December 13, 1870. Its first boundaries were Seventh on the North, First Street on the South, West Street (now Broadway), on the West, and Spurgeon Street on the East.
Mr. Spurgeon opened Santa Ana’s first store, became its postmaster, it Wells Fargo Agent, and supplied water to the many of its residents.
Santa Ana and the neighboring new town of Tustin became rivals for the extension of the Southern Pacific Railroad South of Anaheim. Santa Ana prevailed and the track was completed n 1878. A depot was built just north of the First Street crossing.
Efforts were then made by Mr. Spurgeon and others to move the business section of town closer to the rail line and away from 4th street. Streets in a new subdivision north east of the original town site were laid out at right angles to the Southern Pacific and also at an angle to the existing streets. The plan did not work out; the merchants did not move; the lots were later sold for residential use. The arrangement of streets, however, remains to this day.
The Santa Ana Library Association was formed in 1878 by interested townspeople.
Santa Ana’s population was 711 persons. The first Spurgeon Building was erected in 1882 on the southwest corner of Fourth Street and Sycamore. Offices and merchants were on the first floor; an auditorium was on the second. Commencement exercises for the first high school graduating class were held these, as were programs by Madame Helena Modjeska and other notables.
Police and Fire Departments took shape in this decade. The Central Grammar School was built and gas mains were laid for street lighting.
Santa Ana was incorporated June 1, 1886. William Spurgeon was elected chairman of the new Board of Trustees. These was a real estate boom in Orange County in 1887-’88, sparked by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad. Brick structures joined earlier buildings on Fourth Street. Santa Ana was described in an 1886 brochure as “a place for desirable homes”.
Orange County was officially established as a California County on August 1, 1889. Santa Ana had been chosen as county seat in an election the month before. Mr. Spurgeon was chairman of the New Board of Supervisors. Santa Ana Board of Trade was formed in 1888. Ten years later it changed to Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce.
Santa Ana’s population was 3682. There were three school buildings in the city at the beginning of the decade. French’s Opera House opened in 1890 with a performance of Macbeth starring Mme. Helena Modjeska. Company F of the California National Guard was formed in 1890. It later became Company L, “Santa Ana’s own”.
A street railway system connected the city with both Orange and Tustin. In 1891 the McFadden brothers opened the Santa Ana and Newport Railway, which connected Santa Ana with the Newport wharf.
The Santa Ana Public Library was established in 1891. French’s Opera House was remodeled and its name was changed to Grand Opera House in 1897. It could seat 1200 people.
At the beginning of the new century, Santa Ana had free mail delivery, a sewer system, electricity and the Sunset Telephone Company.
Santa Ana’s population was 4933. Santa Ana High School was built at 10th and Main
Streets in 1900. The Orange County Courthouse was dedicated in 1901. Santa Ana Hospital Association opened its first building on E. Washington Street in 1902.
A library building was made possible by a $15,000 gift from Andrew Carnegie. It was constructed at 5th and Sycamore streets on land donated by W.H. Spurgeon.
Santa Ana City Hall was erected at the corner of 3rd and Main Streets in1904. The Pacific Electric Railway, the famous “Red Cars”, came to town in December 1906.
Santa Ana’s Chinatown area at the southwest corner of Bush and Third Streets was burned to the ground in May 1906 due to a leprosy scare.
In May 1908-1909, the Southern California Sugar Company Factory was built on South Main Street (about two and a half miles from the center of town) with the capacity to process 600 tons of sugar beets daily.
Glenn Martin’s first flight in a plane he had constructed himself was on August 1, 1909 from McFadden’s pasture. It wad the first airplane flight in California.
Santa Ana’s population was 8429 in 1910. On May 1, 1912 Glenn Martin flew from Newport Beach to Catalina Island and back to San Pedro in 88 minutes, the world’s largest over water flight up to that time.
A new high school was constructed in 1913, called the Santa Ana Polytechnic High school, which was designed in the Greek Revival Style. The campus was moved from 10th and Main Streets to Walnut Street. Santa Ana Junior College was begun in 1915 as part of the high school.
The old Spurgeon building on 4th street was razed and a new building with a 35-foot neoclassical clock tower was erected in its place in 1913. In January 1916, heavy storms and massive flooding swept the Santa Ana Valley, damaging agriculture lands and disrupting services. Rankins, Orange County’s department store, opened at 117 W.4th street in 1917.
Company L, Santa Ana’s National Guard Unit, was ordered to Nogales, Arizona from June to October 1916, during the time of the Pancho Villa’s raids along the border. In October 1918, the men arrived in France, and some were involved in the fierce battles in the Argonne Forest. Captain Nelson Holderman was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions. Company L “arrived in Santa Ana during April 1919, where they were given a tumultuous welcome”. (Swanner Company, p. 62)
Santa Ana’s population was 15,485. The Orange County Historical Society had been formed in 1919, but its first official meeting was held May 24, 1920 at the Carnegie Library. In 1921there were 32 churches in the City of Santa Ana.
The Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, formerly the Santa Ana Board of Trade, was incorporated in 1921. The first Seagrave pumper truck was purchased by the Santa Ana Fire Department in 1921. There were 4 fire stations by the end of the decade..
KWTC, Orange County’s first official radio station, began broadcasting in 1926 on North Ross Street. The call letters were later changed to KREG and still later to KVOE, “The voice of the Orange Empire.”
For a while in the 1920’s, Santa Ana had a statewide reputation as a place for quickie marriages. St. Ann’s Inn opened in 1921 and was located near the Orange County Courthouse. In 1927 the State of California passed a law requiring a 3 day waiting period after the issuance of a marriage license, thus seriously reducing the number of guests at the Inn.
Santa Ana joined the Metropolitan Water District in 1928. Architect Frederick Eley designed many homes and public buildings in Santa Ana. Among those were the YMCA, Lathrop Junior High School and the Borchard home on E.4th street.
The 1920s were a period of cultural events and clubs in the city. There were weekly concerts in Birch Park. The Choral Union, the Santa Ana Community Players, and the Cantando Club (a male chorus) were representative of the arts groups. Rotary, Lions, Toastmasters came into being as did the Breakfast Club, which became well known for its outdoor breakfasts served on Main Street.
Santa Ana’s population was 30, 322.
The stock market crash of October 1929 had many unsettling effects on Orange County’s economy and residents. The Works Progress Administration provided job for many people across the country during the 1930’s. WPA projects in Santa Ana included the City Hall at 3rd and Main (1935), Santa Ana High School (1935-1937), relining the Santiago Creek Channel and developing facilities for Santiago Park (1937-38).
The Fine Arts Press operated as part of the High School and Junior College from 1930 to 1942. Printer Thomas E. Williams and his students designed and created 25 titles of superior quality.
Santa Ana Junior College moved from the Walnut Street campus with the High School to its own building at 10th and Main Streets in 1933.
The Long Beach earthquake spread destruction and death in Orange County on March 10, 1933. It was a 6.3 tremor with 78 aftershocks all told .Three of the four Orange County deaths occurred in Santa Ana.
The Santa Ana Register was purchased by R.C. Hoiles in 1935. In 1939 a new press and plant for the newspaper was opened at 6th and Sycamore, three blocks north of the previous location.
The Bowers Museum opened to the public February 15, 1936. Heavy rains in February and March of 1938 filled the Santa Ana River to overflowing and undermined dikes in the area. Santa Ana was fortunate not to be in the direct path of this overwhelming flood.
Santa Ana’s population held steady at 31, 921. With clouds of war already darkening the horizon, Santa Ana’s Company L was inducted into the service March 3, 1941. It was composed of 92 men and 2 officers.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, preparations for the war multiplied. The Santa Ana Army Air Base, a training facility for the Army Air Corps, was established on land now used by Orange Coast College and the County Fair. The United States Naval Air Station, Santa Ana, California was located near Tustin; two giant blimp hangers were constructed there. The Orange County Airport was taken over by the Army and was called the Santa Ana Army Airdrome. Irvine Park was closed and became an infantry training camp.
“Santa Ana was surrounded by military installations and became the unofficial off-base center for servicemen and their families. With more than a dozen restaurants, four theatres, USO Canteen, and churches of almost every denomination, the city offered off-duty entertainment and worship opportunities.” (Marsh, p.153)
In May 1942, all Orange County Japanese were relocated to a camp at Poston, Arizona and were not allowed to return until January 1945.
To satisfy the need for an agricultural labor force during the war years, laborers were brought from Mexico, beginning in 1943. They were known as “Braceros”.
The years after the war were a time of hope and growth. Many men who had been stationed at the local military based returned with their families to settle.
Santa Ana’s population grew to 45, 533.
Company L was again inducted into the Federal Service, this time in August, 1950, to eventually serve on the central front in Korea during a very cold winter.
The last of the Red Cars rolled down 4th street July 2, 1950.
Mater Dei High School opened it classrooms in 1950. Carl Thornton was selected as Santa Ana’s first City Manager in 1951.
The Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park was dedicated March 9, 1952. A City Charter was adopted by voters November 4, 1952.
Plans and purchases of land for the new Civic Center continued throughout the decade. In 1956 voters approved a $700,000 bond issue for a new building for the Santa Ana Public Library.
Fashion Square, a shopping center on North Main Street, opened September 17, 1958. Homer Plaza, at 17th and Bristol, opened in March, 1959.
In January 1959, 3000 acres to the southwest were annexed by the City of Santa Ana. This extended the city’s size to 22 square miles.
Santa Ana’s population grows to 100, 359.
A new building for the Santa Ana Public Library was dedicated on May 1, 1960 at Ross and Civic Center Drive. The venerable Carnegie Library at 5th and Sycamore was demolished soon after.
A new Santa Ana Police Department Building opened in November, 1960 in the growing Civic Center Plaza area.
The Orange County Historical Society was reactivated in 1961 after a fifteen-year hiatus.
The Orange County Court House built in 1900 closed its doors officially December 13, 1968. A new courthouse, located at Civic Center and flower Streets, was dedicated January 10, 1969.
Heavy rains during January and February 1969 left a record with 21 inches maximum reported.
The City of Santa Ana celebrated it centennial year in 1969.
Santa Ana’s population was 156,601.
The Orange County Civic Center Plaza area in downtown Santa Ana continued to develop during the 1970’s. The Japanese Garden and Tea House groundbreaking took place in 1970. Construction began on the State of California Building in 1972. The new County Hall Administration rose in 1978.
A new City Hall for Santa Ana was erected in the Civic Center in 1973. The former City Hall at 3rd and Main became an office building.
Mac Fadden Branch library at McFadden and Fairview opened in 1971, and Newhope Branch Library at Newhope and First opened in 1978.
The Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society was formed in the mid-1970s. Its special project was the restoration of the Dr. Howe-Waffle house. The house was moved from 7th and Bush streets to it present location at Civic Center at West and Sycamore in 1975. Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle was the first woman physician to set up a practice in Orange County.
Santa Ana’s population rose to 203,714.
This decade was a time of re-development for the City. Restoration of historic buildings and neighborhoods occurred at the same time as the demolition of some older buildings and single-family dwellings. New office structures and apartment house rose in many areas of the city.
Increased immigration from many parts of the world, especially from Mexico, Latin America, and southwest Asia, spurred population growth and challenged the school district.
The Santa Ana Historical Survey was completed in 1980. It documented over 3000 homes and buildings in the city as to their historical and architectural background.
A bus terminal in downtown Santa Ana by the Orange County Transportation District was completed in 1984. The Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, an inter-city commuter hub, began service in 1985.
The torch for the 1984 Olympic games passed through Santa Ana in July of that year on its way to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Santa Ana’s shopping mall Mainplace opened in September 1987. The old courthouse was opened once more and rededicated on November 12, 1987. Lovingly restored, it contained museum space, the offices of the Orange County Historical Commission, and the Orange County Archives. A Foreign trade zone was also added in 1987.
The mayor of Santa Ana was elected directly by the voters for the first time in November 1988. The winner was Dan Young.
The County of Orange, with Santa Ana as its original county seat, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1989.
Santa Ana’s population increased to 293,743.
State enterprise zone added in 1993.
Artists Village, an area of the downtown between 2nd and 3rd streets and between Main Streets and Sycamore, developed during the 1990’s, making use of the older buildings in the area encouraging artists to live and work there. The Grand Central Market building was renovated and leased to Cal State Fullerton for the use of students and professors as a work and living space. This Grand Central Art Center was dedicated in 1999.
Neighborhood associations organized and developed during the period, dealing with local issues from historic preservation to traffic problems. By 1999 there were 55 of these groups.
Ground was broken in 1997 for the Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School. In 1945 Mr. Mendez and others filed the landmark case Mendez vs. Westminster seeking to end segregation of Mexican students in Orange County; this was accomplished in 1947. The Mendez School was dedicated and classes opened in 2001.
Federal Empowerment Zone (1999) added.
Santa Ana’s population was 337,977.
Hispanics now comprise 77.70% of the population.
Caribou Industries wins approval to build Orange County’s tallest building. The 37-story tower is named One Broadway Plaza.
Sources Quoted in time line
- Friis, Leo. Orange County through four centuries. Santa Ana, California, Pioneer Press, 1965. Page 33 quoted.
- Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana----an illustrated history. Encinitas, CA, Heritage Publishing Company, 1994. Page 153 quoted.
- Swanner, Charles D. Santa Ana, a narrative of yesterday. Claremont, CA, Saunders Press, 1953. Page 16 quoted.
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