Welcome to San Luis Obispo County CAGenWeb Project
This website is a proud member of The CAGenWeb Project, a part of The USGenWeb Project. Our goal is to provide free access to genealogical and historical resources.
The site is maintained by County Coordinators Linda L. Donnelly and Cathy Portz and is paid for by the generous donations of project supporters. Although all information on these pages is believed to be correct as presented, if you have corrections, changes, additions, or find that any links provided on these pages are not functioning properly, please contact the webmaster for prompt attention to the matter.
Brief History of San Luis Obispo County
In 1542 two small ships sailed the California coast under the command of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and the flag of Spain. Later, well known explorers in California were Sir Francis Drake in 1579 and Sebastian Vizcaino in 1603. Much later, in 1769, the King of Spain sent sea and land expeditions to occupy California for Spain. Don Gaspar de Portola, leader of the land party, entered what is now San Luis Obispo County on September 2, 1769. Father Serra founded the fifth California Mission at San Luis Obispo in 1772. San Miguel Mission was established in 1797. In 1822 California declared its independence from Spain. In 1825 Mexico claims California as a territory. Mexico ceded California to the United States in 1848, ending the war between the United States and Mexico. In 1850 California became the 31st state, and San Luis Obispo was created one of the 27 original counties. 1861 brought stagecoaches to the county on their runs between San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1886 the railroad reached as far south as San Miguel and Paso Robles. Not until 1894 did the railroad reach the city of San Luis Obispo because of the rugged terrain of the Cuesta Ridge.
San Luis Obispo County Neighbors
Monterey
Fresno
Kings
Kern
Santa Barbara
Ventura
Thanks to our Volunteers
The CAGenWeb Project sincerely thanks the dedicated volunteers who have devoted so much time and effort toward making this site a successful one:
Vicci Stone, County Coordinator 1996-1999
Rita Avila, County Coordinator 1999-2003
Martha A. Crosley Graham, County Co-Coordinator 2003-2017
Elizabeth E. Bullard, State Coordinator, 2017-2021
State Coordinator: Bob Jenkins
Assistant State Coordinator: Jeannette Harper