Little-Known Historical Facts About Concord, California
There is a rich and vibrant history of the Concord, California area, with prominent characters being an integral part of the story. Concord and the surrounding community will still appreciate its essential history from its origins on a land grant called Monte del Diablo, to the critical Bay Area core it is today.
The first settlers in the Diablo Valley were a small tribe of Bay Miwok Indians (native to Northern California) from the Chupcan tribe, where herds of deer, elk, bear, and antelope roamed. The tribe lived and shared the valley with the wildlife along the salmon-filled streams. A party of Spanish explorers was led into the region by Captain Pedro Fages and Father Juan Crespi in 1772, becoming the first outsiders to join. For the next 50 or so years, the Spanish continued to explore the valley but did not settle there. By the 1810s, on the San Jose and San Francisco missions, the Chupcans were missionized and vanished from the valley.
Don Salvio Pacheco petitioned Mexico for land in the valley in 1828 and received a 17,921-acre land grant named Monte del Diablo in 1834, a term used to denote the valley area by Spanish soldiers. The grant protected the channel from Walnut Creek east to the hills, and from the foothills of Mount Diablo north to the Bay.
Fernando Pacheco, the son of Don Salvio, took the grant and started a cattle-raising company at the new Rancho of the family; Fernando joined the Pacheco family there in 1846. As a business and social hub of the city, the Grand Adobe of Don Salvio became a focal point and is still located in downtown Concord. Established a few miles north of the hills, Don Fernando's Adobe is now a registered historical landmark. A new town called Pacheco soon developed close to Rancho, but due to floods, fires and the 1868 earthquake, it fell on hard times.
In 1828, Don Salvio Pacheco petitioned Mexico for land in the valley and received a 17,921-acre land grant called Monte del Diablo in 1834, a term used by Spanish soldiers to describe the valley area. From Walnut Creek east to the hills, and from the foothills of Mount Diablo north to the Bay, the grant covered the canal.
Don Salvio's son, Fernando Pacheco, took the grant and started a cattle-raising business at the family's new Rancho; Fernando joined the Pacheco family there in 1846. The Grand Adobe of Don Salvio became a focal point and is still located in downtown Concord as a business and social center of the city. Don Fernando's Adobe, built a few miles north of the hills, is now a registered historical landmark. Near the rancho, a new town called Pacheco soon developed, but it fell on hard times due to floods, fires, and the 1868 earthquake.
Residential expansion came in the 1900s. Mount Diablo Union High School opened in 1901. The school will become the longest high school continuously running in California. Joseph Boyd became Concord's first mayor in 1905. By the same year, 1905, the population of Concord had again doubled, and the "Town of Concord" incorporation was formally approved by a two-vote margin on February 5, 1905.
The population will double again within the next 35 years. Little Town Concord had a full-service commercial downtown area and a pleasant residential lifestyle by the beginning of World War II. With a population of 6,500, Concord became a California City in 1948.
While the initial downtown started to deteriorate, the 1950s and 1960s saw a growth boom, yet new construction was on its way. The First Concord Summer Jazz Festival took place during this period, and the original town square was officially renamed Todos Santos Plaza.
Concord saw great growth and transition from the 1970s through the 1990s, and towards the end of the millennium. BART activities came to the city, the Concord Pavilion was built, June Bulman became the first female mayor, the Tishman Building opened to become the highest rise of Contra Costa, the City embraced its Art in Public Places and Gateway Art Program, opened the megaplex of Brenden's 14-screen movie theater, and extended to North Concord, among other notable events, an elevated BART line.
Concord, now the largest town in the county of Contra Costa, sees the new millennium of the 2000s with a diverse population approaching 125,000. The social, creative and economic growth of the city continues, with more on the way.
Concord, California is blessed with many interesting historical landmarks that are worth a visit:
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Don Salvio Pacheco Adobe
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Concord Historical Society
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Don Fernando Pacheco Adobe
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Site Of The Murder Of Dr. John Marsh
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Galindo Home Museum & Gardens
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Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial
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Todos Santos Plaza
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Markham Regional Arboretum
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Newhall Community Park
All of these wonderful landmarks are located just a short distance from our location located at 111 Arthur Road in Martinez, California! Stop by for a visit anytime!
