Salomon Pico
Encyclopedia
Salomon Maria Simeon Pico (Sept. 5, 1821 - May 1, 1860) was a Californio
, the cousin of Pío Pico
, who led a bandit band in the early years of the California Gold Rush
in the counties of the central coast of California. Considered by Mexicans as a patriot who opposed the American conquest of Alta California
from Mexico and their subsequent rule. Hated for his banditry by the newly arrived Americans but protected by Californios in as a defender of his people.
near Salinas, California
and baptized at Mission San Juan Bautista
. His father was José Dolores Pico, a soldier with the Presidio of Monterey. Antonio Maria Pico (1809–1869) and José de Jesús Pico
(1806-1892) were his brothers.
José Pico had spent a long career with the military, but by 1821 was partially retired as a manager for the King’s Ranch, which provided food, leather, and other supplies to the Presidio. Salomon’s mother, Maria Ysabel Cota, came from Santa Barbara. Salomon spent his early life on the Rancho del Rey, but returned to Monterey pueblo with his mother when his father died in 1827. Monterey was the capital of Alta California
, and here Salomon was exposed to education and international influences not available on the Rancho.
By 1840, Pico was courting a young lady who lived near his brother’s home in Pueblo de San José. On December 13, 1840 Pico married Juana Vasquez at Mission Santa Cruz
. They made their home at first in Monterey, where children began arriving regularly. In 1844, Pico received a Mexican land grant of 58000 acres (234.7 km²) in the San Joaquin Valley
, somewhere near the Stanislaus River
and the San Joaquin River
in what is now Stanislaus County. The couple's fourth child was baptized at the Santa Clara Mission.
. In August of that year, the gold rush flooded onto Pico’s land. Exactly what happened isn’t known, but Juana would not survive. Salomon took her to Monterey to get medical help, but on November 19, 1848 she died there.
in what is now Santa Barbara County. By day, he became a stock dealer, trading in horses and cattle. In southern California
, there was little gold mined, but great numbers of cattle were raised, giving the area the name the "Cow Counties". Where formerly cattle were raised mostly for their hides, now with the high demand for food in the northern mines, the price of cattle there made it very profitable to drive these same cattle north. Men would ride south with the large amounts of gold dust, to buy stock, then drive them north to sell for a profit. Salomon Pico was in a perfect position to meet and discover the plans of these men.
By night, Salomon Pico with his gang, worked El Camino Real
south of what is today Santa Maria, ambushing the men riding south from the gold fields, who were often carrying gold to be used to buy herds of cattle. Many of these parties of two or three, were never heard of again after passing San Luis Obispo. In later years, numbers of human skeletons were found in in the countryside with a bullet hole in the skull, accounting for the mysterious disappearances of so many cattle traders. The victims were mostly Americans whom the Californios felt were enemies, and the crimes which the gang committed were never divulged by the locals, or if brought to trial, resulted
in an acquittal because in this region the Californios were still in the majority and Pico was connected to its influential members.
The gang avoided conflicts with county officials, who in turn seemed to let the bandits alone. Although on one occasion, when delivering a writ to a local rancho, the Sheriff of Santa Barbara came face to face with Salomon Pico who had been waiting for him on the trail, thinking him a possible target for robbery. For some hours the two maneuvered to get or retain the advantage. Pico tried to get behind the Sheriff, the Sheriff maneuvered to keep Pico before him. until Pico realized he was recognized and was dealing with a formidable opponent. The Sheriff identified himself and ordered Pico to ride away and after getting out of pistol shot, bid the Sheriff "Adios" with a wave and rode away.
Pico had a land grant he could not enforce against the many squatters on the land he couldn’t use, he wasn’t ready to remarry yet, and his lifestyle precluded luxury. It is not known exactly what happened to all that gold he took, but it is known that his popularity soared very quickly among his own people. By 1851 he was fully established as a flamboyant outlaw with a loyal gang and a following among his people. He had become so popular, that with a knock on the door and an urgent request for shelter, he could ride his horse right into people’s homes and so elude the pursuit of any posse.
Salomon Pico's career as a bandit around Rancho Los Alamos came to its end in 1851, after John Caldwell, a mail rider between Monterey and Los Angeles, was murdered in the lower Salinas Valley
on June 8, 1851. A party of volunteers pursued the murderers, and near San Luis Obispo, captured a group of men, that included Solomon Pico and William Otis Hall, an American. These men were tried at a vigilante court and were sentenced to be hung but the civil authorities rescued them before the sentence could be carried out. Pico, because the standing of his cousin Pío Pico
in the community, was freed on bail. The other captured Californios were also released on various pretexts, only Otis Hall remained in custody. On the night of August 9, vigilantes broke into the jail and enforced the ruling of their court. Otis was hung on the door of the jail, becoming the first known lynch mob victim in the central coast region. Under the threat of a similar fate Pico quickly fled the region. However members of his gang and others continued to plague the central coast region for many years, under new leaders like Jack Powers
and Pio Linares.
. Judge J. S. Mallard, Justice of the Peace and of the Court of Sessions had issued an arrest warrant for Benito Lugo, Francisco Lugo, and Mariano Elisalde, accused murderers of some Americans in the Cajon Pass. Hayes believed the Lugo's had hired Pico to dispose of the Judge and mistook Judge Hayes for Judge Mallard who shared the same office. Pico was wounded in the arm later that night when Sheriff James R. Barton
discovered his hideout and exchanged shots with him. The following morning Pico had his arm dressed in Los Angeles without the Sheriff being alerted, protected by his Californio and American friends.
In November 1852, following the murder of Major General Joshua H. Bean, renewed efforts were made to rid the county of a suspected gang of highwaymen infesting it. A determined effort was made to arrest the leaders and break up the organization of the gang. The Vigilance Committee of Los Angeles caused the arrest of several Mexicans belonging to Salomon Pico's band, including Reyes Feliz, who made a confession of his crimes, including the murdering of a Mexican, but professed ignorance of General Bean's death, or of any person accessory to it. Reyes Feliz was convicted and executed. Finding Southern California too hot for him, pursued by the Los Angeles Rangers Pico fled to Baja California to avoid capture. The New York Times of April 26, 1853 reported news from San Diego on March 17:
Pico became an associate of José Castro who had been living in San Juan Bautista
until 1853, when he returned to Mexico and was made political chief of the Baja California
frontier in 1856.
, Mexico, where he accepted a position as captain of the guard for the military commander of the frontier of Baja California
, Colonel José Castro. Castro made many land grants in Baja California to friends and supporters including a grant to Salomon Pico of 11 Leagues of vacant lands of La Frontera.
It was in his official capacity that Pico was guarding the jail when four American businessmen from San Diego were placed there to await trial. Emotions on both sides of the border were running at fever pitch, and the threat of a race war
was on everyone’s mind. When a mob of Mexicans marched on the jail to lynch the Americans, Salomon Pico alone stepped between them, and talked the mob into going home. He had made the final step to become a defender of justice not only for his own people, but for all peoples.
On April 14, 1860, Col. Castro was killed by a man named Marquez, who was under indictment for murder at Los Angeles. His successor in command of the Baja California frontier, Feliciano Ruiz de Esparza, decided to rid La Frontera of California outlaws infesting the region. On May 1, 1860, he rounded up and executed 15 such men including Solomon Pico.
is strong, but how much Salomon Pico contributed to the legend of Zorro must remain conjecture. Like Zorro, Salomon lived a dual life, defending justice by night, riding a powerful steed and trusting to the loyal support of his people. Some of the stories from his outlaw years connect clearly with certain aspects of the Zorro legend, though the connection may be circumstantial.
In contrast with the heroic image, a newspaper article published in 1925, claimed Pico carried with him a string of ears, removed from his victims to mark them forever; proof that they had met him.
Contemporary accounts of Pico make no such claims. Collecting the ears of his victims seems to have been borrowed from Hubert Howe Bancroft's account of the conduct of Domingo Hernandez, a Californio bandit contemporary with Pico, that operated from the vicinity of Monterey northward.
Californio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
, the cousin of Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
, who led a bandit band in the early years of the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
in the counties of the central coast of California. Considered by Mexicans as a patriot who opposed the American conquest of Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
from Mexico and their subsequent rule. Hated for his banditry by the newly arrived Americans but protected by Californios in as a defender of his people.
Early life
Salomon Pico was born on the Rancho del Rey San PedroRancho Nacional
Rancho Nacional was a Mexican land grant in the Salinas Valley, in present day Monterey County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Vicente Cantua...
near Salinas, California
Salinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
and baptized at Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista was founded on June 24, 1797 in what is now the San Juan Bautista Historic District of San Juan Bautista, California. Barracks for the soldiers, a nunnery, the Jose Castro House, and other buildings were constructed around a large grassy plaza in front of the church and...
. His father was José Dolores Pico, a soldier with the Presidio of Monterey. Antonio Maria Pico (1809–1869) and José de Jesús Pico
Rancho Piedra Blanca
Rancho Piedra Blanca was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José de Jesús Pico. The name means "white rock" and refers to rocks painted white by its bird population...
(1806-1892) were his brothers.
José Pico had spent a long career with the military, but by 1821 was partially retired as a manager for the King’s Ranch, which provided food, leather, and other supplies to the Presidio. Salomon’s mother, Maria Ysabel Cota, came from Santa Barbara. Salomon spent his early life on the Rancho del Rey, but returned to Monterey pueblo with his mother when his father died in 1827. Monterey was the capital of Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
, and here Salomon was exposed to education and international influences not available on the Rancho.
By 1840, Pico was courting a young lady who lived near his brother’s home in Pueblo de San José. On December 13, 1840 Pico married Juana Vasquez at Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz was established in 1791 and named for the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, the name that the explorer Gaspar de Portolà gave to the area when he camped on the banks of the San Lorenzo River on October 17, 1769, and erected a wooden cross...
. They made their home at first in Monterey, where children began arriving regularly. In 1844, Pico received a Mexican land grant of 58000 acres (234.7 km²) in the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
, somewhere near the Stanislaus River
Stanislaus River
The Stanislaus River in California is one of the largest tributaries of the San Joaquin River. The river is long and has north, middle and south forks...
and the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
in what is now Stanislaus County. The couple's fourth child was baptized at the Santa Clara Mission.
Mexican American War and the Gold Rush
Pico probably fought with the Mexican army against the United States, but his role is not clear. There are family stories that indicate he served as a scout and soldier during this time. By the time California had been annexed to the Union, he was probably back on his ranch with his family. With a population of around 10,000 non-Indians in the state, it was still a small community in 1847. On January 24, 1848 gold was discovered at Sutter's MillSutter's Mill
Sutter's Mill was a sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter in partnership with James W. Marshall. It was located in Coloma, California, at the bank of the South Fork American River...
. In August of that year, the gold rush flooded onto Pico’s land. Exactly what happened isn’t known, but Juana would not survive. Salomon took her to Monterey to get medical help, but on November 19, 1848 she died there.
Central Coast
Salomon Pico is said to have vowed revenge. Avoiding the gold fields, he moved to the vicinity of Rancho Los AlamosRancho Los Alamos
Rancho Los Alamos was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Antonio de la Guerra, a son of José de la Guerra y Noriega...
in what is now Santa Barbara County. By day, he became a stock dealer, trading in horses and cattle. In southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, there was little gold mined, but great numbers of cattle were raised, giving the area the name the "Cow Counties". Where formerly cattle were raised mostly for their hides, now with the high demand for food in the northern mines, the price of cattle there made it very profitable to drive these same cattle north. Men would ride south with the large amounts of gold dust, to buy stock, then drive them north to sell for a profit. Salomon Pico was in a perfect position to meet and discover the plans of these men.
By night, Salomon Pico with his gang, worked El Camino Real
El Camino Real (California)
El Camino Real and sometimes associated with Calle Real usually refers to the 600-mile California Mission Trail, connecting the former Alta California's 21 missions , 4 presidios, and several pueblos, stretching from Mission San Diego de Alcalá in San Diego...
south of what is today Santa Maria, ambushing the men riding south from the gold fields, who were often carrying gold to be used to buy herds of cattle. Many of these parties of two or three, were never heard of again after passing San Luis Obispo. In later years, numbers of human skeletons were found in in the countryside with a bullet hole in the skull, accounting for the mysterious disappearances of so many cattle traders. The victims were mostly Americans whom the Californios felt were enemies, and the crimes which the gang committed were never divulged by the locals, or if brought to trial, resulted
in an acquittal because in this region the Californios were still in the majority and Pico was connected to its influential members.
The gang avoided conflicts with county officials, who in turn seemed to let the bandits alone. Although on one occasion, when delivering a writ to a local rancho, the Sheriff of Santa Barbara came face to face with Salomon Pico who had been waiting for him on the trail, thinking him a possible target for robbery. For some hours the two maneuvered to get or retain the advantage. Pico tried to get behind the Sheriff, the Sheriff maneuvered to keep Pico before him. until Pico realized he was recognized and was dealing with a formidable opponent. The Sheriff identified himself and ordered Pico to ride away and after getting out of pistol shot, bid the Sheriff "Adios" with a wave and rode away.
Pico had a land grant he could not enforce against the many squatters on the land he couldn’t use, he wasn’t ready to remarry yet, and his lifestyle precluded luxury. It is not known exactly what happened to all that gold he took, but it is known that his popularity soared very quickly among his own people. By 1851 he was fully established as a flamboyant outlaw with a loyal gang and a following among his people. He had become so popular, that with a knock on the door and an urgent request for shelter, he could ride his horse right into people’s homes and so elude the pursuit of any posse.
Salomon Pico's career as a bandit around Rancho Los Alamos came to its end in 1851, after John Caldwell, a mail rider between Monterey and Los Angeles, was murdered in the lower Salinas Valley
Salinas Valley
The Salinas Valley lies south of San Francisco, California.The word "salina" is spanish for salt marsh, salt lake or salt pan.-Geography:The Salinas Valley runs approximately south-east from Salinas towards King City. The valley lends its name to the geologic province in which it's located, the...
on June 8, 1851. A party of volunteers pursued the murderers, and near San Luis Obispo, captured a group of men, that included Solomon Pico and William Otis Hall, an American. These men were tried at a vigilante court and were sentenced to be hung but the civil authorities rescued them before the sentence could be carried out. Pico, because the standing of his cousin Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
in the community, was freed on bail. The other captured Californios were also released on various pretexts, only Otis Hall remained in custody. On the night of August 9, vigilantes broke into the jail and enforced the ruling of their court. Otis was hung on the door of the jail, becoming the first known lynch mob victim in the central coast region. Under the threat of a similar fate Pico quickly fled the region. However members of his gang and others continued to plague the central coast region for many years, under new leaders like Jack Powers
Jack Powers
Jack Powers was an Irish-American gambler, outlaw, highway-robber, gang leader, and murderer in southern and central California during the Gold Rush era...
and Pio Linares.
Los Angeles County
Salomon Pico thought to have moved south to Los Angeles County and been protected by local Californios. On the evening of December 12, 1851, he attempted the assassination of Judge Benjamin Ignatius HayesBenjamin Ignatius Hayes
Benjamin Ignatius Hayes , lawyer, first Judge of the Southern District of California from 1852-1864. Writer and collector of historical information about early California....
. Judge J. S. Mallard, Justice of the Peace and of the Court of Sessions had issued an arrest warrant for Benito Lugo, Francisco Lugo, and Mariano Elisalde, accused murderers of some Americans in the Cajon Pass. Hayes believed the Lugo's had hired Pico to dispose of the Judge and mistook Judge Hayes for Judge Mallard who shared the same office. Pico was wounded in the arm later that night when Sheriff James R. Barton
James R. Barton
James R. Barton was the second sheriff of Los Angeles County, California, and the first to die in office, in the line of duty.Barton was born in Howard County, Missouri, emigrated to Mexico in 1841 and moved to Los Angeles in 1843. He served in the Mexican-American War. A carpenter, he was the...
discovered his hideout and exchanged shots with him. The following morning Pico had his arm dressed in Los Angeles without the Sheriff being alerted, protected by his Californio and American friends.
In November 1852, following the murder of Major General Joshua H. Bean, renewed efforts were made to rid the county of a suspected gang of highwaymen infesting it. A determined effort was made to arrest the leaders and break up the organization of the gang. The Vigilance Committee of Los Angeles caused the arrest of several Mexicans belonging to Salomon Pico's band, including Reyes Feliz, who made a confession of his crimes, including the murdering of a Mexican, but professed ignorance of General Bean's death, or of any person accessory to it. Reyes Feliz was convicted and executed. Finding Southern California too hot for him, pursued by the Los Angeles Rangers Pico fled to Baja California to avoid capture. The New York Times of April 26, 1853 reported news from San Diego on March 17:
- Solomon Pico, the notorious horse thief, whose robberies and acts were at one time almost as notorious in the lower country, although not so bloody, as those of the celebrated Joaquin have been above, is lying very sick at the town of Santo Tomas, in Lower California.
Pico became an associate of José Castro who had been living in San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista is:* The Spanish-language name of Saint John the Baptist. See also the disambiguation page at San Juan. The name also may appear as a Spanish translation of the French Jean-Baptiste.As a toponym, San Juan Bautista may refer to:...
until 1853, when he returned to Mexico and was made political chief of the Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
frontier in 1856.
Life in Mexico
Pico had made frequent visits south of the border, and by 1857 he moved to Santo TomasSanto Tomas
Santo Tomás, Spanish for Saint Thomas, describes numerous locations.- Places in the world :*Argentina**Santo Tomás, Buenos Aires, Carlos Casares Partido, Buenos Aires Province*El Salvador**Santo Tomás, El Salvador*Guatemala...
, Mexico, where he accepted a position as captain of the guard for the military commander of the frontier of Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Colonel José Castro. Castro made many land grants in Baja California to friends and supporters including a grant to Salomon Pico of 11 Leagues of vacant lands of La Frontera.
It was in his official capacity that Pico was guarding the jail when four American businessmen from San Diego were placed there to await trial. Emotions on both sides of the border were running at fever pitch, and the threat of a race war
Race war
Race war is a term referring to developing hostilities between ethnic groups divided on the basis of racial group or skin color. The term may refer to specific violent acts or to general overt or covert hostilities between ethnic groups; compare ethnic conflict.-Manson:The murders perpetrated by...
was on everyone’s mind. When a mob of Mexicans marched on the jail to lynch the Americans, Salomon Pico alone stepped between them, and talked the mob into going home. He had made the final step to become a defender of justice not only for his own people, but for all peoples.
On April 14, 1860, Col. Castro was killed by a man named Marquez, who was under indictment for murder at Los Angeles. His successor in command of the Baja California frontier, Feliciano Ruiz de Esparza, decided to rid La Frontera of California outlaws infesting the region. On May 1, 1860, he rounded up and executed 15 such men including Solomon Pico.
Legacy
Some have claimed the resemblance of Salomon Pico to the fictional ZorroZorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
is strong, but how much Salomon Pico contributed to the legend of Zorro must remain conjecture. Like Zorro, Salomon lived a dual life, defending justice by night, riding a powerful steed and trusting to the loyal support of his people. Some of the stories from his outlaw years connect clearly with certain aspects of the Zorro legend, though the connection may be circumstantial.
In contrast with the heroic image, a newspaper article published in 1925, claimed Pico carried with him a string of ears, removed from his victims to mark them forever; proof that they had met him.
Contemporary accounts of Pico make no such claims. Collecting the ears of his victims seems to have been borrowed from Hubert Howe Bancroft's account of the conduct of Domingo Hernandez, a Californio bandit contemporary with Pico, that operated from the vicinity of Monterey northward.