BALAGUER AND PORTOLÁ
The ancient city of Balaguer is the capital of La Noguera region. It is located on both banks of the River Segre, it is a most attractive town.
The city is 29 kilometers to the North of Lérida, the provincial capital, on road C.1313 to Seo de Urgel. At present Balaguer has about 14,000 inhabitants.
The historic town is framed within the mediaeval walls, the XVth century Church of Santa Maria, the castle-citadel of the Counts of Urgel, and the Sanctuary where the image of the famous Christ is revered. The historical center is located in the great porticoed Mercadal square.
The new town spreads along the left bank of the river and in this modern urban growth area there are the St. Dominic convent cloisters, declared a National Monument. Besides, it is in this flourishing area where not only the tree of the "Twinning of Catalonia-California" can be found but the beautiful sculpture of Portolá.
In the house owned by the family in the Mercadal
Square, Don Gaspar de Portolá y de Rovira was born in 1714,
according to the information in his Military Service records.
Portolá Military Service record.
(Simancas General Archive)
Click for enlargement.
He was the second male child of the noble family of the
Barons of Castellnou de Montsec. Originating in the town of Arties in the Valle de Aran and based in Ager and Castellnou, all its members married into leading families
from other Catalan towns.
Gaspar de Portolá entered the Regiment of Villaviciosa as a cadet at the age of 14 and from then on devoted his entire life to the Army, until he died in Lérida at the age of 67.
In his years serving the Crown, he was Governor and Commander of the 1770 expedition to Monterrey which led to the occupation of the territories of Alta California. Likewise Governor of the city of Puebla in Mexico.
That enterprise, which represented the beginning of today’s State of California in the U.S.A., was composed of the Franciscans under Father Junípero Serra, the Catalan Volunteers of Pedro Fages, the native soldiers of Fernando de Rivera, and many Christian indians from the Baja California Peninsula.
Portolá and the people of his expedition have been recognized and honored since then as the founders of California and also of many towns and places in this State.
In Balaguer, Arties, Ager, Lérida and Barcelona, the Bicentenary
of California was
commemorated in 1970.
With the attendance of delegates from the highest authorities of Spain, of the California State, the Church and the Nobility, homage was rendered to the members of the expedition.
In their memory a statue of Portolá, on which was fitted a bronze plaque donated by the people of California, was unveiled.
Click on the sculpture and on the plaque to enlarge them.
It is worth noting that these plaques are placed
by the Government of California in specific places to
remember outstanding events in its history. A plaque to
remember Father Serra was placed in the Mallorcan town of
Petra, which was the first one placed outside California. The
second is the one in Balaguer.
For the 1970 California Bicentenary celebrations, the Merrill and Drake families were the official representatives of the then Governor Mr. Ronald Reagan, who was presented with a portrait of Gaspar de Portolá.
Since that time Balaguer is twinned with the California city of Pacifica. This twinning was achieved thanks to the activity of Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy. Balaguer recalls and praises them.
A relationship between school students in the two cities was born at that time. The exchange of hundreds of letters strengthened the friendship between Pacifica and Balaguer. Young people from Pacifica, led by the Ricarte family, dressed in traditional Catalan style and carrying our flag, represent our city in public social events and those in the city of San Francisco. Mr. Ricarte, in the appropriate uniform, takes the part of Gaspar de Portolá with dignity on official and festive occasions, as the Pacifica Coast Fog Feast, and the S.F. Discovery Parade.
