Blackburn, William

William Blackburn (1814-1867) came overland with three brothers to the Santa Cruz area from Missouri in 1845 or '46, becoming one of the most prominent Santa Cruz residents of that era. After volunteering in 1846 for service in the California Battalion, Blackburn was appointed (by the US military governor) alcalde of Branciforte/Santa Cruz in 1847. After the new state and county were established in 1850, Blackburn was the first elected county judge (previous judges served on the temporary "Court of Sessions", from April to September, 1850).

• History Pages: 8 - Bear Flag Revolt
• The Alcaldes of Branciforte-Santa Cruz (1802-1850), by Stanley D. Stevens
• John L. Chase, The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture (4th ed. 2023), Chapter Two, item (9), page 42-43.
• Santa Cruz County, Calif. Illustrations, with Historical Sketch (1879 book) has a drawing of the Blackburn place, on page f4 (in the 1997 edition), and a biography on page 13.
• The beginning of West Cliff Drive climbs a hill that used to be known as Blackburn Terrace. Clark says that the name was given to the hill by William. The hill was part of the Blackburn lands and was later occupied by the "Concha del Mar" estate. The West Cliff Drive bridge connects the hill to the continuation of West Cliff Drive, crossing above the Rail trail and what was originally the outlet of Neary Lagoon.

William's wife Harriet Mead Blackburn (1831-1920), who he met in Santa Cruz, was seventeen years younger and outlived him by 53 years. After his death, she became a major Santa Cruz land owner/developer. She is one of the few women to have her own biography in Harrison, other than N.D.G.W. members. Harriet's sister Almira married F. M. Kittredge.

William's youngest brother Jacob also stayed in this county. Two other brothers, Daniel and James, had local involvement in the earlier 1850s: Daniel (1816-1901) operated the Blackburn Gulch sawmill for a time, and James (1820-1888) ran a store in Watsonville. The two were among the founders of the town of Paso Robles in 1857. Two Blackburn sisters married and remained in the gold fields area of the Sierra Nevada foothills. The Blackburns' mother Margaret (1781-1857) came to Santa Cruz in 1852.