california avenue silver city map image from usgsCalifornia Avenue is located in the western part of Silver City.  The roadway was named after the State of California. Portions of California Avenue are shown to the left in the map above; the map is courtesy of the United States Geological Survey.

Much of the land that is now included in California and New Mexico – including a large portion of what is now Grant County – became part of the United States of America at the same time in 1848.  The rest of area now included in Grant County was added to the United States through the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico in 1853. One of the key reasons for the Gadsden Purchase was to allow for the construction of a railroad from America’s southern states through New Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and California.

Silver City was incorporated as a town in 1878.

Some of the events that also took place in 1878:

On June 8, 1878, The New Mexican, a newspaper hailing from Santa Fe, reported that a Senate committee recommended that unresolved Mexican land grants in New Mexico and three other states were to be referred to “United States District Courts, with the right of appeal to the Supreme Court.”  This news article noted that this was a similar approach taken with Mexican land grants in California.

Some residents of California – in the form of “fine Merino sheep” – moved into New Mexico in this same year, according to a news article dated July 13, 1878, in the Las Vegas Gazette.  

yosemite falls image from the national park serviceThe same newspaper reported on May 11, 1878, that “The mouth of the Sacramento River, California, is filling up with sand.”

California is known for many things, including the majesty of Yosemite National Park.  According to the National Park Service, this national park was initially protected in 1864.

“The expansive park’s…1,169 square miles, nearly 95 percent of which are designated Wilderness, are home to hundreds of wildlife species, and [more than] a thousand plant species,” according the National Park Service.  “Yosemite supports more than 400 species of vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.”

The photo, provided courtesy of the National Park Service, shows the “Yosemite Falls and Merced River Cook's Meadow in early May.”  You can view a live webcam of Yosemite Falls by clicking here.

Within a few hours of the natural beauty of Yosemite is an urban metropolis built in California by man – the City of San Francisco.  A panorama view of the city in 2018 is seen in the photo above, provided courtesy of Mitul Shah from Burst.

Silver City and San Francisco share a heritage of growth through mining.

san francisco san francisco california city photo by mitul shah from burstWhile Grant County is substantially larger in size than San Francisco – Grant County is 80 times the size of the City of San Francisco – Grant County has a much smaller population than this California city.  The United States Census Bureau estimated that 833,305 people lived within the City of San Francisco on July 1, 2018. The population of Grant County? According to the Census Bureau, an estimated 27,346 people lived in Grant County as of the same date.

Do you have questions about communities in Grant County?

A street name?  A building?

Your questions may be used in a future news column.

Contact Richard McDonough at chroniclesofgrantcounty@gmail.com.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.