Muwekma Ohlone People

The Tamien speaking Muwekma Ohlone people have been around the Bay Area over 10,000 years. Evidence of their past in the Guadalupe/Washington neighborhood is found in sacred burial grounds which are also known as shellmounds. Recently burial sites were discoverd in and around the VTA Tamien Light Rail Station. The Ohlone's long history in the Bay Area began to decline in 1769 when the Spanish first made contact. Over time they were "missionized" in the newly built Missions in San Francisco, San José and Santa Clara. Muwekman Ohlone descendants have been in the process of revitalizing their spiritual and cultural traditions, which includes eforts to recognize the Muwekma Tribe as a "Federally Acknowledged Indian Tribe". The Muwekman Ohlone descendants still have a significant presence in Guadalupe/Washington and surrounding area.

El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe

In 1777, during the Spanish/Mexican era, San José became the
first pueblo in California. The inhabitants of this new Pueblo were comprised primarily of Mexicans, Spaniards, Californios, Chileans and the indigenous populations. During this time the Washington area was made up of cultivation plots and grazing lands. Eventually a neighborhood was established in 1815. When the United States toom Territorial control of California in 1846, a vasdt diversity of immigrants flooded into the state. San José became a main source of food and material supplies to the masses that came with the Gold Rush in 1848. It was during this time that land was split up into large lots and distributed as a part of lottery. Eventually, the land begans to be subivided, especially in the 1880's as the area became one of the first areas to accomodate the growing City of San José. The area became known as the Fourth Ward, one of the four political districts that made up San José at the time.

Goosetown

The portion of Washington north of Alma Avenue was part of the original City of San José. During the early 1900's, this area was a thriving Italian immigrant community known as "Goosetown." The Cottage Grove and Alma-Almaden areas were gradually annexed to the City between 1930 and 1957. Many of the homes and structures in Washington date back to the late 19th century. The area contains some recognized historic structures, including the former Woodrow Wilson Junior High School on Vine, and the Roma Bakery building on the corner of Grant and Almaden.

Vine Street Chinatown

Vine Street Chinatown (1870 - 1872, was where residents moved when the Market Street Chinatown burned. 500 people lived on this street of restaurants, lodging houses, brothels, gambling houses, and merchandise stores. When the Guadalupe River flooded, the community had to re-locate. 

Facts

Boundaries: Interstate 280 to the North, South First Street to the East, Willow Street to the South and Highway 87 to the West via the Guadalupe Creek.

Founded: 1992

Area: Guadalupe/Washington

Indigenous Group: Muwekma Ohlone

Indigenous Sub-Group: Tamyen (1777)

Significant Landmarks: Roma Bakery at Almaden & Grant, Woodrow Wilson Jr. High (now C.E.T.), Sacred Heart Church, Faber's Cyclery and The 5-Spot.