The area where the city stands is first inhabited by the Ibaloi and Kankana-ey natives. It was originally a pasture for cattle and other livestock. During the Spaniards' period the area was not given much attention.
Due to the climate of the area, Americans were encouraged to fix the place as a vacation. In 1901 the "Kennon Road" was begun. Led by the Americans and with the help of Filipino and Japanese workers, this road was carved between the mountains and along the Bued river from the town of Rosario in the province of La Union to Kafagway. Traveling to this place was easy, and after a few years the population grew. The city was declared "Summer Capital" by the "Philippine Commission" on June 1, 1903. In 1904, renowned architect Daniel Burnham was appointed to plan the development of the city. On September 1, 1909, Baguio was declared a "Philippine Assembly".
Baguio City was one of the first bombings of the Japanese Empire during World War II. The Japanese easily occupy the area. As the Americans returned in the final months of the war, most of the Japanese soldiers in Luzon, including Hen, retreated to the city. Tomoyuki Yamashita. On September 3rd Hen was formally surrendered. Yamashita in the American and Filipino armies are the remaining forces of the Japanese Empire in the Philippines. It was held at "Camp John Hay" located in the eastern part of the city.
The city continued to develop after the war until 16 July 1990, city residents experienced one of the strongest earthquakes in the country. Many buildings were damaged and many people were killed. Most of the buildings that were damaged were hotels.
On the 1st of September of 2009 the city celebrates the 100th anniversary of the city.
Baguio was originally inhabited by various ethnic groups that contributed to its rich culture, which has also been influenced by Spanish, Japanese and American colonization.
The Spanish arrived in the area in 1572, when Juan de Salcedo conducted a number of expeditions to the Benguet highlands, followed by Don QM Quirante in 1694. The area was conquered in 1846 by the Commandante de Galvey, founded by a military garrison or commandancia on the plain north of Baguio. Commandancia was named La Trinidad to Galvey's wife. Later, the Spanish established thirty-one rancherias (settlements) out of defense. The Spaniards brought not only cultural and religious legacy but agricultural development. The conqueror introduced arabica coffee, which has grown in the area of Benguet coffee (Benguet coffee) to date.
When the Americans arrived in the area, the site of the present Baguio City was still an Ibaloi village called Kafagway. Americans made the area accessible by carving the mountainsides along Bued River Canyon and working on Kennon Road, where Kafagway is connected to the lowlands. In 1900, the Americans established their civil government in the area with H. Phelps Whitmarsh as the first governor of Benguet, where Kafagway was the capital. The area was later renamed Baguio.
The Americans planned Baguio as an agricultural recreational facility. The city was designed by American architect and urban planner Daniel H. Burnham, who had also planned Manila's Roxas Boulevard and “Chicago's One Magnificent Mile.” Mines were built in the mountains surrounding the area, and in 1903, Camp John Hay was created as a recreation area for the U.S. Armed Forces.
On September 9, 1909, Baguio was declared an urbanized city as well as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines." A landmark known as the "Mansion" was made the residence of the American governor-general during the summer to escape Manila's heat, a tradition continued by the Presidents of the Philippines. Additionally, the Philippine Commission also built a number of legislative buildings in which The Philippine Government then conducted its business in Baguio City during the summer, a tradition that continues today only by the Philippine Supreme Court. Baguio was still owned and operated by the Philippine government up to the present, including the Cabinet Hill, Engineer's Hill, Supreme Court Compound, Court of Appeals Compound and the COMELEC Compound. The Japanese bombed Baguio on 8 December 1941 and occupied it by December 27 , using Camp John Hay as their headquarters.
On 3 September 1945, General Tomoyuki Yamashita formally surrendered to the Americans at the US Ambassador's residence at Camp John Hay. After his surrender, immediately began Manila, Baguio and the remaining provincial rehabilitation. == The Philippines was granted independence in 1946, with Camp John Hay remaining as an American base in Baguio as per the RP -US Bases Agreement. The camp was finally surrendered to the Philippines on July 1, 1991 along with the remaining US military bases in the country. In 1997, a private company was granted a long-term lease under contract for the development of the premises. Baguio is currently the administrative seat of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), comprising Baguio City, Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Apayao and Mountain Province.
Interesting writing