Benicia, California

Larkin, and Comandante General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, on land donated to them by General Vallejo in December 1846.

== History == The City of Benicia was founded on May 19, 1847, by Dr.

In February 1848, first word of gold found at Sutter's Mill was leaked at a Benicia Tavern, thus starting the California Gold Rush.

In March 1850, Benicia became one of the first incorporated cities in California, a month after Sacramento.

The original campus of Mills College was founded in Benicia in 1852 as the Young Ladies Seminary, and was the first women's college west of the Rocky Mountains.

It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854.

In 1858, the county seat was moved to Fairfield.

From 1860 to 1861, Benicia was indirectly involved in the Pony Express.

Before moving to Oakland in 1871, it was located on West I Street, just north of First Street.

Addison Mizner (1872–1933), visionary resort architect, born in Benicia.

On December 1, 1879, the Central Pacific Railroad rerouted the Sacramento-Oakland portion of its transcontinental line to Benicia and established a major railroad ferry across t...

The prolific shipbuilder Matthew Turner formed the Matthew Turner Shipyard at Benicia in 1883.

On June 5, 1889, the legendary prize fight between James J.

=== Modern era === In 1901, the world's first long-distance powerline crossing over Carquinez Strait was built.

Guillermo Wagner Granizo (1923–1995), ceramic tile muralist, moved to Benicia in 1980.

== Notable people == === Artists and designers === Robert Arneson (1930–1992), sculptor, and professor of ceramics in the Art Department at UC Davis.

A major fire on March 22, 1945, destroyed a half-block of businesses, including the nearly-century-old “old brewery”, and the Solano Hotel, with flames briefly threatening the o...

Two developments in the early 1960s completely changed Benicia: The closing of the Benicia Arsenal in 1960–64, and the completion of the Benicia–Martinez Bridge in 1962.

The Benicia Peddler's Fair is one of the largest street fairs in Northern California, this outdoor event began in 1963 with a few collectable and antique stores displaying their...

On December 20, 1968, near the Benicia water pumping station on Lake Herman Road, the Zodiac Killer made his debut by killing Vallejo natives David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen ...

Northeast of the town's residential areas an oil refinery was built and completed in 1969 by Humble Oil (later Exxon Corporation).

Between 1970 and 1995, the population of Benicia grew steadily at a rate of about 1,000 people per year, and the city changed from a blue-collar town of 7,000 to a white-collar ...

The refinery was later bought by Valero Energy Corporation, a San Antonio-based oil company, in 2000.

The Holy Ghost Parade celebrated its centennial in Benicia in 2007.