History
Prior to 1810
The earliest native inhabitants of Fairfield were the Indians who settled in the Rockville and Green Valley areas. Artifacts uncovered by excavation teams in Green Valley include those of the Ion culture, dating back five to six thousand years. These discoveries are some of the oldest traces of Indian settlements in Northern California.
1810
Gabriel Moraga, the first known white man in the area, was sent by the Spanish to lead an army in an attack against the local Suisun Indians. Although they resisted fiercely, the Indians were finally forced to retreat. Many of them reportedly set their own huts on fire after realizing the battle was lost, and perished in the flames.
1835
General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, under order of the Mexican government, arrived to colonize the Suisun area and create a buffer against the Russians at Fort Ross. A major battle ensued between Vallejo's forces and several Indian tribes, led by Chief Sem Yeto, where the Soscol Creek and Napa River meet. Eventually, Vallejo's forces overpowered the Indian tribes. Vallejo and Sem Yeto later became allies, joining forces against hostile tribes.
Chief Solano
1837
Chief Solano applied to the Mexican governor for a land grant for his people. The grant, titled Suisun Rancho, was approved and covered most of Suisun Valley. Unfortunately the Indians did not fare well in coexistence, and approximately 70,000 Indians died in the next three years from a smallpox epidemic brought in by the Russians at Fort Ross.
1842
Chief Solano sold his grant to Vallejo for $1,000 (the same grant was sold eight years later to A.A. Ritchie and Captain Waterman for $50,000).
1850
Chief Solano and the remaining Suisun tribe moved to the Napa area, which was not yet extensively colonized.
Captain Robert Waterman
1856
Captain Robert H. Waterman laid out the townsite of Fairfield, which he named after his hometown in Connecticut. A clipper ship captain who sailed around the world five times, Waterman decided to settle in Suisun Valley with his wife, Cordelia (for whom the Cordelia area of Fairfield is named).
1858
Waterman made an offer to the county government to have the county seat moved from Benicia to Fairfield. The proposal was placed on the ballot and ratified by voters in the November election and Fairfield became the new county seat. As promised, Waterman donated sixteen acres of land to the county, at the corner of Texas and Union Streets, for new county buildings.
1860
The first county buildings were constructed (a brick courthouse and jail were built for $15,400). 1903: Fairfield was formally incorporated as a city.
1942
The United States Air Force decided to build a major base installation on a tract of land located to the east of Fairfield, which provided a tremendous boost to the local economy. The Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base later became Travis Air Force Base, one of the major departure points for military units heading to combat in Vietnam. The base was annexed to Fairfield on March 30, 1966.
1943
The Waterman Park Federal Housing was built to accommodate airmen and their families where the Civic Center Complex stands today. Forty buildings provided 160 family apartments along with 5 dormitories which housed 216 men.
1953
After the war, the City of Fairfield purchased Waterman Park and relocated its offices to the recreation and cafeteria buildings. Rent was paid to the City and funds were set aside for a future Civic Center.
1967
City Manager B. Gale Wilson envisioned a focal point for community pride, and held a competition for a new Civic Center Complex design. Architect Robert Hawley submitted his concept of combining buildings and nature, and won. The Civic Center Complex was completed 1971.
2003
Fairfield celebrated its 100th anniversary as a city in Solano County. City officials and staff buried a time capsule at the City Hall complex, to be opened in 2103. Above the capsule, a windmill was commissioned by local sculptor, Chad Glashoff. Fairfield's population is 100,200.
2021
The Council Chamber was remodeled, and the Civic Center Complex celebrated its 50th anniversary by commemorating its history to film.
Fairfield Police Department Fundamental Principles
- Preservation of life is paramount
- Crime prevention takes priority over arrest (if we can prevent crime from happening, we should – once it does, we should try to prevent it from happening again)
- Aim for the absence of crime, not the visible presence of the police dealing with it
- Limit use of force (to only that which accomplishes a lawful purpose and only to when it is reasonably necessary and/or persuasion, advice and warnings are insufficient)
- Public trust (we cannot effectively police without the consent and trust of the people – earn it every day with every contact)
- The public are the police and the police are the public (remember where you came from and that we are in this together)
Martin Rivera
