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Portolá Expedition

The Portolá Expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá from July 14, 1769 to January 24, 1770. It was the first recorded Spanish (and European) land entry and exploration of present day California, United States. In Portolá's era it was known as the first venture by land into the mainland upper area of the Province of Las Californias in New Spain.

History

The territory that is now California was claimed by the Spanish Empire in 1542 by means of the laws regarding right to discovery when Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo explored the Pacific coast of North America. This initial exploration by Cabrillo laid claim to the coastline as far north as the forty-two degrees north latitude line . However, for almost 200 years the Spanish Empire did little to protect or settle this region and accomplished almost no exploratory missions by land. The little settlement that had been achieved was the establishment of missions in Lower California by the Jesuit Catholics. Then, in 1767 Don Carlos III of Spain expelled the Jesuit order from the Spanish Kingdom. At this point, Don Gaspar de Portolá was appointed governor of California and sent to dispossess the Jesuits and replace them with Franciscans who would set up their own network of missions in California.

Gaspar de Portolá

Gaspar de Portolá

Portolá came from a military background and immediately before beign appointed the new governor of the Californias, he was a captian of the dragoons of the Regiment of Spain. In fact, when he first sailed to Lower California as the new governor he brought with him 25 dragoons and 25 infantrymen in order to help him on his expulsion of the Jesuits and, eventually, the further exploration of the rest of California. His military background would prove to be very helpful during the expedition.

Decision to send Expedition

By the late 1760’s the Spanish King and a handful of other European rulers began to realize the importance the Pacific coast of North America would have in maritime trade and activity going forward. The Russians had been advancing south from their strongholds in present day Alaska, and the British had been pushing west in Canada and were approaching the Pacific coast. In order to secure Spain’s claims in California, the King wanted to explore and settle the coastline so that he could create a buffer zone to protect Spain’s territories from the dangers of invasion. Upon hearing about the King’s desire to explore Alta California, the visitador-general, Don José de Galvez offered his services and volunteered to lead the exploratory expedition by sea. Then, as governor, Gaspar de Portolá offered to lead the group by land that would compliment the marine expedition, and by 1769 the voyage was under way. Their original assignment was to travel to the bay of Monterrey and establish a settlement there, but they eventually failed to recognize the bay and Monterrey and went as far north as the bay of San Francisco.

Expedition

The group was made up of four parts. There were two crews exploring by sea, and two crews that would be going north on land. The San Carlos and the San Antonio were the two ships led by Vicente Vila and Juan Pérez. The first land group was led by Captain Fernando Rivera y Moncada and the second was led by Gaspar de Portolá, the expediton’s leader. The members of the expedition included a diverse group with a large portion having a military background. Also among the men were friars who would establish Catholic missions along the way. The most notable friar was Fray Junípero Serra, a very prominent Franciscan friar who established the string of missions along the coast, beginning with the successful founding of the San Diego mission at the very beginning of the expedition. Additionally, there were a number of Indians and mestizos who also were part of the expedition. The crews set out simultaneously but the ships arrived in San Diego first in April of 1969 and had been struck with illness during the voyage. Many of the crewmembers were very sick and the men immediately began to set up a camp and makeshift hospital to administer to the ill. Unfortunately, many men died and the number of troops decreased significantly. The first land party arrived one month later in good health and moved the camp slightly more inland to the location that would eventually be established as the San Diego Presidio. When Portolá arrived in San Diego in late June of 1968 he decided that although many men had perished and their numbers had gone down they should still continue the march to Monterey as soon as possible. So, on July 14th, 1769, Portolá began the march to Monterey with his crew of soldiers, friars, and scouts. In San Diego, Portolá left behind Fray Junípero Serra in charge of the sick. Serra established the Mission of San Diego de Alcalá just two days after the expedition’s departure. While Portolá moved north, more people died and by the time he returned to San Diego several months later only twenty people remained at the camp in San Diego. After travelling north, the party arrived at Monterey but didn’t recognize it as their destination because it did not seem as grand as the descriptions which they had heard. Therfore, the party continued north hoping that they would find a great port. When they arrived at San Francisco Bay they knew it was not the port of Monterey that they had heard about, but it was in fact even grander and more impressive than they had hoped. This marked the end of the voyage north, and Portolá named the bay after San Francisco. The expedition then turned around and headed south to return to San Diego by January of 1790. In total they travelled approximately 1200 miles and became the first Europeans to survey the great bay of San Francisco and countless other important strategic locations.

Interactions with Native Americans

For the most part, it was reported that interactions with Native American tribes in Alta California were peaceful and not too much conflict arose. Many were described as welcoming and helpful, as they offered guidance and supplies to the Spanish explorers. Friendly encounters with the native people had been a goal from the onset of the expedition. The Spanish brought many items and trinkets with which they traded for supplies and used to create peaceful relations. The fact that they used space to carry so many glass beads and other items, rather than food or more crucial supplies, in order to pacify the Native Americans shows how committed they were to creating peacful relationships with the native people. The long term goal was to eventually civilize, settle, and convert the region to Christianity, so it was important that they had peaceful coexistence during the expedition.

Legacy

Portola Trail commemorative rock in Elysian Park near the North Broadway-Buena Vista St. Bridge

The Portolá Expedition is remembered as the first discovery by Europeans of the Bay of San Francisco, although it is occasionally disputed that Euopean sailors had seen it from the ocean. It is generally accepted that the Portolá Expedition was the first discovery by land of San Francisco Bay. It is also important in that it established the overland route north to San Francisco which would eventually become a major part of the Camino Real which was integral in the settlement of Alta California by the Spanish Empire. This overland route also made it possible for Franciscan friars to establish an extensive network of missions that ultimately resulted in the conversion of hundreds of Native Americans.