Illustrations of the military post at Benicia and the town of Benicia. In typed wording under the iamges: UNITED STATES MILITARY POST AT BENICIA. In the early years of American occupancy, the United States Military Post and the Supply Depot at Benicia served as general distributing station for the Pacific Coast. BENICIA IN 1853 A town on the straits of Carquines, possessing a fine harbor at the head of ocean navigation, and a position easy of access to the central rivers and valleys of the state; because of these advantages it rivalled San Francisco up to the time of the gold discovery. In 1853 the legislature declared Benicia the seat of government of the state, but the next year made Sacramento the capital. Soon after this the Government Navy Yard was established at Mare Island, and Congress failed to make Benicia a port of entry; the two facts contributed to the loss of Benicia's commercial prestige, and it never grew to be a city of importance.