ELDORADO 193 



with a will. This episode and the presence of the wo- 

 man cheered and lightened their labors for many a 

 day thereafter. 



Prior to the occupation of California by the Amer- 

 icans, not a school existed in the whole country, ex- 

 cept those maintained by the Padre for the conversion 

 of the Indians. The first American school was estab- 

 lished by a Mr. Marsten, at San Francisco, in 1847, 

 he being the first "Yankee school-master" in Califor- 

 nia. In the fall of that year the citizens of that "pue- 

 blo" organized a public school and erected a small one 

 story school house, which subsequently served for a 

 church, where was first preached the Protestant re- 

 ligion in California. The following October, Mr. and 

 r\Irs. J. C. Pelton opened a private school, which in 

 April, 1850, was made a public school, and Mr. Pel- 

 ton and his wife were employed as the teachers at a 

 monthly salary of five hundred dollars. 



The first newspaper puljlished in California was at 

 Monterey, by Messrs. Colton and Semple, August, 

 1864. It was called "The Californian." The first week- 

 ly paper started in San Francisco was published by 

 Samuel Brannan and called the "California Star." 

 The "Union" was the first paper published in Sacra- 

 mento, and in 1851 was edited by B. F. Washington. 

 In 1847 the "Californian" was transferel from Mon- 

 terey to San Francisco. 



In January, 1847, S^" Francisco had a population 

 of four hundred and fifty-nine persons. On April 

 15th. 1838, the first white child was born at Yerba- 

 Buena (Good Herb), now San Francisco, and the city 

 besran its historv. 



