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The Mormons, then as now objects of unusual interest, appear to have performed
their duties successfully while in San Diego. These duties were not arduous--
merely those of a garrison in time of peace--and they had time to ply their trades, burning
bricks, digging wells, making log-pumps, and doing other things really more useful
than soldiering. One of their number, Henry G. Boyle, relates in his diary: "I think I
whitewashed all San Diego. We did their blacksmithing, put up a bakery, made and repaired
carts, and, in fine, did all we could to benefit ourselves as well as the citizens. We
never had any trouble with Californians or Indians, nor they with us."
One thing they did which the present historian regrets, as those of the future are
likely to. Quartered in an old build-
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ing in which public documents were stored, they used some of these documents for fuel
and thereby destroyed the records of the past.
Upon the departure of the Mormons, they were succeeded by Company I of the
famous Stephenson Regiment. This company was raised at Bath, New York, and its officers
were: captain, William E. Shannon; lieutenants, Palmer B. Hewlett, Henry Magee,
and William H. Smith; sergeants, Joshua S. Vincent, Joseph B. Logan, and Joseph
Evans. The company was mustered out here on September 25, 1848, and this was the
end of the military occupation of San Diego.
José Ramon Argüello, who was appointed sub-prefect April 3rd and took office on
the 12th, 1846, was the last Mexican prefect. The last Mexican jueces de paz, or alcaldes,
were José Antonio Estudillo and Juan M. Osuna. In August, Miguel de Pedrorena
took Estudillo's place, the latter being absent. On September 15th, at the election ordered
by Stockton, Henry D. Fitch and Joaquin Ortega were elected alcaldes, the first
under American rule. At the custom house, Henry D. Fitch was in charge but resigned in
April; Pedro C. Carrillo was acting as collector when the Americans came and was reappointed
by Stockton upon taking the oath.
Pedrorena was appointed collector on June 24, 1847, but as military orders required
the commanding officer in each port to serve in that capacity, Lieutenant Robert
Clift, of the Mormon company, filled the place.
The constitutional convention met at Monterey in September, 1849, Miguel de
Pedrorena and Henry Hill representing San Diego. The legislature met the following winter
and launched the great American State of California. San Diego was the first county
created under the act of February 2, 1850, and San Diego and Los Angeles made up
the first judicial district. The first legislature also provided for a custom house at San Diego.
Two voting precincts were established under a law providing for the first elections
in the new state, one at Old Town, the other at La Playa--and the official record of the
election held here April 1, 1850, reads as follows:
FIRST PRECINCT-VOTES FOR OFFICERS.
The undersigned judges and clerks of election held in the first precinct of the
county of San Diego, State of California, on the first day of April, 1850, do hereby certify,
that at said election there were eighty-eight votes polled, and that the following statement
presents an abstract of all the votes cast at said election for the officers designated
in the third section of an act entitled "An Act to provide for holding the first County
Election," and that the accompanying Poll List gives the names of all persons so voting.