Market-Almaden

The settlement of the Santa Clara Valley by Euro-Americans began in 1769 with an initial exploration of the valley by the Spanish. The Portola Expedition was encamped along the coast north of present-day Santa Cruz when a small contingent of men, led by Sergeant José Francisco Ortega, crossed the coastal range and unexpectedly came across the bay and valley. Explorer Juan Bautista De Anza identified the valley as an ideal candidate for permanent settlement.

San José de Guadalupe was established on November 29, 1777 on the east side of the Guadalupe River. The original location was subject to severe winter flooding. The pueblo was moved to higher ground during the 1790s, centered about present-day Market Street from Julian to San Carlos Streets in downtown San José, just to the north of the Market-Almaden neighborhood.

Following Mexico’s independence from Spain in the 1820s, a new American presence in San José rapidly changed the character of the pueblo to the bustle common to the typical nineteenth-century American town. The first overland migration arrived in California in 1841, and by 1845 American immigrants had increased the population of the pueblo to 900. In 1848, Mexico ceded California to the United States. The discovery of gold in the Sierra foothills precipitated a sudden influx of new residents. California achieved statehood in 1850, with San José serving as the first state capitol.

During this frontier period, William Campbell’s original survey in 1847 established the familiar grid of streets in downtown San José. Chester Lyman completed a more detailed survey soon thereafter. The Lyman survey includes many of the features still found in downtown San José’s frame area.