<div class="image-550">
<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-26/bagiuo-city-hall-1930.avif" alt="Baguio City Hall" loading="lazy" />
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(Baguio City Hall, 1930.  Source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/johntewell/53495244679" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank"  rel="noreferrer">John Tewell's flickr account</a>)
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<h2>
The Indigenous Foundations: From Kafagway to Baguio
</h2>

<p>
Long before American colonial planners envisioned their mountain retreat, the area was known as Kafagway to the Ibaloi people, meaning <i>"wide open space"</i> or <i>"grassy clearing"</i>. This expansive plateau in the Cordillera highlands served as a grazing ground for cattle and a hub for gold panning activities along nearby streams.
</p>
<p>
The land was primarily owned by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mateo_Cari%C3%B1o" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Mateo Cariño</a>, a prominent Ibaloi chieftain whose family had inhabited and cultivated the area for generations. Archaeological evidence suggests Ibaloi presence in Benguet dating back to at least 1000 BCE, making them the rightful ancestral inhabitants of what would become Baguio City. The name "Baguio" comes from the Ibaloi word <b class="lt-bold">"bagiw"</b>, meaning moss - an ode to its lush, misty terrain.
</p>
<h2>
Spanish Attempts and Limited Control
</h2>
<p>
During Spanish colonial rule, the area remained largely beyond direct Spanish control despite several expedition attempts. In 1846, the Spanish established a <b class="lt-bold">comandancia</b> in nearby La Trinidad and organized Benguet into 31 <b class="lt-bold">rancherías</b>, with Kafagway being designated as one of these settlements. At this time, Kafagway was described as a minor ranchería consisting of only about 20 houses, with the Spanish <b class="lt-bold">presidencia</b> eventually being relocated to Cariño's house, where the current Baguio City Hall now stands.
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<h2>
American Colonial Vision Takes Shape
</h2>
<p>
The transformation of Kafagway into modern Baguio began with American colonial interests in establishing a cool mountain retreat. In 1900, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Conant_Worcester" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Dean Conant Worcester</a>, an American zoologist and colonial official, led an expedition to find a suitable location for a summer capital after convincing U.S. Secretary of War <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elihu_Root" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Elihu Root</a> to order such a mission.
</p>
<p>
Governor-General <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1717/september-15-1857-william-howard-taft-first-civil-governor-of-the-philippines-was-born-at-cincinnati-ohio" class="news_link">William Howard Taft</a>, during his first visit in 1901, was impressed by the climate, noting the <i>"air as bracing as Adirondacks or Murray Bay"</i>. However, this development came at a devastating cost to the indigenous population. On November 11, 1901, the American colonial government expropriated lands owned by the Ibaloi people, forcing them to sell their ancestral properties.
</p>
<h2>
Urban Planning and Infrastructure Development
</h2>
<p>
The city's modern layout was conceived by renowned Chicago architect <a href="https://kahimyang.com/articles/2985/september-4-1846-daniel-hudson-burnham-was-born-in-henderson-new-york" class="news_link">Daniel Burnham</a>, who arrived in the Philippines in December 1904 at the request of Secretary of War William Howard Taft. Burnham, celebrated for his design of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, spent six weeks surveying the Cordilleras and developed his master plan following the tenets of the <i>City Beautiful Movement</i>.
</p>
<p>
Burnham's plan, submitted to Congress in June 1905, envisioned a garden city for 25,000-30,000 residents with a central public park (initially called "<i>Meadow Park</i>",  later renamed Burnham Park), radiating pathways, and scenic boulevards. The implementation fell to <b class="lt-bold">William E. Parsons</b>, the consulting architect from 1905 to 1914.
</p>
<p>
Key infrastructure developments included:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://kahimyang.com/articles/2982/lyman-kennon-was-born-on-september-2-1858-in-providence-rhode-island" class="news_link"><b class="lt-bold">Kennon Road</b></a> (1903-1905): The first road directly connecting Baguio to the lowlands
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_John_Hay" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><b class="lt-bold">Camp John Hay</b></a> (1903): Military reservation established by President Theodore Roosevelt
</li>
<li>
<b class="lt-bold">The Mansion</b> (1908): Official summer residence of the American Governor-General, designed by Parsons under Forbes' supervision
</li>
</ul>

<h2>
The Charter Creation Process
</h2>
<p>
The actual incorporation of Baguio as a chartered city involved a specific legislative process within the Philippine Commission. On August 4, 1909, <a href="https://kahimyang.com/articles/3205/william-cameron-forbes-his-philippine-impact" class="news_link">William Cameron Forbes</a>, then serving as acting President of the Philippine Commission (while Governor-General James F. Smith was on leave), introduced item No. 124 in the day's agenda: an act to incorporate the city of Baguio.
</p>
<p>
The bill underwent the standard legislative process:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<b class="lt-bold">August 4, 1909</b>: First reading and filing for second reading
</li>
<li>
<b class="lt-bold">August 9, 1909</b>: <i>Act No. 1963</i> was officially enacted by the Philippine Commission
</li>
<li>
<b class="lt-bold">September 1, 1909</b>: The act took effect, officially establishing Baguio as a chartered city
</li>
</ul>

<p>
The charter itself was drafted by Justice <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/729/today-in-history-november-5-1881-george-malcolm-who-founded-the-up-college-of-law-in-1911-was-born-in-michigan-usa" class="news_link">George Malcolm</a>, who served as a law clerk and later codified various statutes issued by the American colonial government. Malcolm would later become a Supreme Court Justice and is often credited as a key figure in Philippine jurisprudence.
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Today in Filipino History, September 1, 1909, Baguio was declared a chartered city