Discussion Questions 

• Why did the Spanish come to Alta California?

• How do you think the Ohlone felt when they first saw the Spanish?

• What was the priest’s job at the mission?

• How are today’s historians able to know so much of what happened then?

• The priest believed the Ohlone needed help, to be taught the Spanish way of life, but did the Ohlone need any help? Were they living perfectly fine before the Spanish came?

• What was the soldier’s job?

• What do you think happened to those that tried to run away?

• Would you be afraid of the soldiers, if you were in the Ohlone’s shoes, why or why not?

• What kinds of jobs did Ohlone men do at the mission?

• What kinds of jobs did Ohlone women do at the mission?

• Before the missions, the Ohlone hunted and gathered their food, now the padres are teaching them how to farm. If you all of a sudden had to eat new foods, would you miss the food you grew up eating?

• What was the purpose of the mission bells on the missions?

• Are there any “bells” in your life, today, that tell you what to do? Or “remind” you about the time of day?

• How have the Ohlone Peoples’ lives changed on the mission?

• Who are the children learning from now?

• How is the Ohlone child’s life different on the mission?

• Why were so many people dying?

• Why is that a problem for the missions?

San Leandro History Museum 

3rd Grade Virtual tour

Vocabulary List

Alta California: (pronounced “all-tuh”)  Upper California; also known as Nueva California (“New California”) a part of “New Spain” established in 1804. Included the modern states of California, Nevada, and Utah, and parts of Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.

mission: a religious outpost; mini town; location or courtyard, a series of 21 missions were established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the state of California as an effort to convert Native Americans to Catholicism and expand European territory

Catholic: a person who belongs to the Catholic Church

Catholicism: the faith and practice of the Catholic Church; Religion; the religion of practiced in Spain at the time; the religion of the Spanish settlers

priest/ padre: religious leader, authorized to perform sacred duties between human and God

Francisco Palóu: the priest who started Mission Dolores  Pronunciation Guide

Mission Dolores: mission located in the city of San Francisco, founded October 9, 1776 by Francisco Palóu, companion of Junípero Serra, both members of the De Anza expedition, which brought Spanish settlers to Alta California; it was the 7th of 21 Spanish Missions; where the local Indians, including Ohlone peoples were converted to Catholicism; it stands as the oldest intact building structure in San Francisco; most Muwekma Ohlone were taken to Mission Dolores

Mission San Jose: mission located in the city of Fremont, founded on June 11, 1797 by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, the 14th of the 21 Spanish Missions in Alta California; also a mission many Ohlone Peoples were taken to and baptized

adobe: a mixture of clay, straw, and water that is dried into bricks used as building material

pueblos: a small town, village, or settlement

settlement: a place where people start a community or town

villages: a small community in a rural area; settlement

presidios: forts built to protect the missions; military base

slave: a person who is the legal property of another person; forced to obey them; work very hard without pay or no freedom, unable to leave or escape

farmers: a person who manages or works on a farm or piece of land, planting, growing, and harvesting crops and raising livestock (animals such as cows, sheep, chickens)

carpenters: a builder, a person who builds, makes, and repairs objects and structures like homes, and buildings

mission bells: used to signal the call to prayer, time of day, when to start work and the end of the day

baptism: a religious ceremony that makes a person a member of the Catholic Church with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on a persons head.

diseases: a medical condition with specific signs and symptoms

measles: a contagious  deadly disease that spreads through the air; brought over when the Spanish came to California; killed many California Indians

smallpox: a contagious deadly disease/ virus with flu-like symptoms and a rash that appears on the face, hands, and forearms; brought over when the Spanish came to California; killed many California Indians

Discussion Questions 

• California was once part of Mexico, True or False?

• Do you think the Ohlone had a better life on the ranchos? Why or why not?

• Who is doing all the work on the ranchos?

• What kind of jobs did the men and women have on the ranchos?

• Why were the Ohlone not allowed to ride horses?

• Were the Ohlone men and women working on the rancho paid for their hard work?

• What did the rancho owners use to trade with? What was their currency?

• What sorts of goods did the rancheros trade for?

• Why did the American traders on the ships want hides and tallow? What could be made from the hides and tallow?

• Do we still trade with other countries today? (think of the word IMPORT instead of TRADE)

• Do YOU ever trade things with your friends or classmates? What kind of “goods” do you trade with?

• How would you feel if you were an Ohlone child servant on the rancho? Do you think they were free?

Vocabulary

Mexico: the country that borders the United States to the south of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas

Californios: Spanish-speaking people, native to the state of California

land grant: gift of land given by the government

ranchos: “ranch” in Spanish; a large farm

ranchero or rancheria: a rancho owner, person granted a plot of land to start a rancho

cattle: cows and bulls

diseño: “design”; a roughly hand drawn map that showed the boundaries of land; required to accompany Spanish and Mexican land grant petitions  Pronunciation

Estudillo: Last name of Jose Joaquin who started Rancho San Leandro  Pronunciation

Rancho San Leandro: 7,000 acre land grant given to Jose Joaquin Estudillo from San Leandro Creek to San Lorenzo Creek, which later became the city of San Leandro

fiestas: a celebration or party; took place during the rodeo that sometimes lasted for days

vaquero:  Spanish word for cowboy; cattle worker; expert horse riders and ropers  Pronunciation

brand: marks or initials burned into the skin of cattle to tell everyone who the cow belongs to

rodeo: cattle roundups; gathering of cattle to be counted, sorted, slaughtered, and branded

hide (cowhide): cow skin; used to make leather; used as currency to trade with in place of money

tallow: cow fat; melted and turned into candles and soap; used as currency to trade with

currency: something that is used as money

trade/ barter: exchanging or “buying and selling” one good for another without the using money

goods: items, things; merchandise;  coffee, sugar, tea, cotton, lace, silk

servant: a person who performs duties for others

Discussion Questions 

• What year did California become a state of the United States?

• What was discovered in California that made people move here to become rich?

• If you worked at the Cannery for 5 cents an hour, 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, how much money did you make in one week?

• Children often worked in the canneries or for their parent’s small business, like Abraham, to help support their family and pay bills. This was before Child Labor Laws. What kind of chores are you responsible for at home, today?

• Lake Chabot is a man-made lake, True or False?

• Do you think it was unfair how the Chinese workers like Ah Bing were treated?

• What invention is Daniel Best most known for?

• The first Cherry Festival was held in what year?

• Close your eyes and think about your family. Where is your family from? When did they move to San Leandro? Why did they choose to live in San Leandro?

Gold Rush: discovery of gold in California bringing many people to the state in hopes of striking it rich

Cherry City: San Leandro was known as Cherry City for the large amount of cherries produced here.

immigrant: a person who comes to a country to live there permanently

canning: the process of storing and preserving fruit and vegetables in a can to make them last longer

cannery: a factory where food is canned, packed, and shipped for sale

factory: a place where things are made

discrimination: unfair treatment of others because of who they are, or characteristics they possess; the way a person looks, speaks, where they come from

Indian Boarding Schools: overnight schools Indian children were legally required to attend for 3 to 4 years where they were forced to become “American”; to get rid of their native culture

Anthony Chabot: a businessman who developed hydraulic mining for building water systems such as Lake Chabot (named after Mr. Chabot)

Lake Chabot: regional park, reservoir

dynamite: an explosive and dangerous technique used to blow up parts of mountains to make space for a lake or tunnel

archeologist: a person who studies human history through excavation of sites and analyzing artifacts and physical remains

Yemo-Po: “wild-horse slope” in Cantonese; Chinese men’s work camp at Lake Chabot  Pronunciation

inventor: a person who invented or discovered or came up with something

tractor: a powerful motor vehicle with large rear wheels used for farming or pulling trailers

Cherry Festival: an annual local festival or celebration that started in 1909 when there was a bumper crop of cherries, the town decided to celebrate by having a festival