Monterey’s first official Fourth of July celebration was a bilingual occasion.

California underwent a massive transformation after the U.S. and Mexico signed a treaty to end the Mexican War in 1848, followed by the Gold Rush, and in early 1850 was on the brink of statehood. (Statehood was formalized on Sept. 9 of that year.) Federal and Anglo money interests pushed out – and down – the Mexicans who once ruled over the territory. Yet for a while, Monterey remained off to the side of those changes happening in other parts of California; mostly white U.S. citizens, Mexicans, Chinese and others lived and worked together. A majority of residents were Spanish speakers.

As the Fourth of July approached in 1850, some prominent townspeople thought it was fitting for Monterey to celebrate the American holiday for the first time. A petition with 23 signatures, including a few citizens of Mexican ancestry, was presented to the Monterey City Council on June 6, asking for money to pay for the celebration, according to a history journal, Noticias del Puerto de Monterey.

It’s not known how much money the council provided, but the celebration did take place. According to one news account, there was a procession of military men that started in the plaza in front of “the church,” presumably referring to San Carlos Cathedral. With drums beating and banners waving, the procession made its way through the town until reaching Colton Hall. Army Capt. E.K. Kane read the Declaration of Independence in English, followed by a reading of the same document in Spanish by Lt. John Hamilton. Hamilton had been aided in creating the translation by Padre Ignacio Ramirez de Arellano, who also gave remarks in Spanish that day alongside speeches in English.

“It was an unusually fine day and we were in fine spirits and our hopes ran high,” read a news report in Alta California, published 20 years later. “It being the first Fourth of July after the adoption of the State Constitution, and as the times were flush in Monterey in those days, everyone was brim full of patriotism, as you may suppose, and we all looked forward to a glorious career for Monterey.”

Both copies of the Declaration of Independence that were read that day are on permanent display inside Colton Hall, English and Spanish side by side.