GASPAR DE PORTOLÁ
FIRST GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA

By George P. Hammond.
Director Emeritus.
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

The peninsula of Baja California is a mountainous land –rocky, sterile, rainless- which extends for about a thousand miles from Cape San Lucas to the 32^nd parallel, the boundary with the United States. It was inhabited by various Indian tribes when the Spaniards under Hernán Cortes and his successors first landed on its shores in the 1530s, people who had adapted themselves to their impoverished environment. Very early in its history, Baja California was rumored to be rich in pearls, and for more than two centuries, numerous entrepreneurs made repeated attempts to harvest the pearls, by the use of Indian divers, but never with much success.

These early visits to the peninsula led to exploration of the vast coastline of Baja California, with the result that by 1600, after the expeditions of Sebastián Vizcaíno, Spanish explorers had learned much about the land, had drawn maps of its configurations, ending with the magnificient map of Miguel Costansó, showing Baja california in its complete form, a map thats drawn in 1770 and published in Madrid in 1771.

Meantime, the Jesuits, under the inspiration of Fray Eusebio Francisco Kino, and later of his disciples, Juan María de Salvatierra, Francisco María Piccolo, Juan de Ugarte, andothers, had established the first mission in the peninsula, which they called Nuestra Señora de Loreto –the name it still bears—the beginning of nearly a hundred years of Jesuit missionary activity in this inhospitable land.

After the expulsion of Jesuits from Baja California, the mission field was eventually given to the Dominican Order, while the Franciscans of the College of San Francisco el Grande in Mexico City were assigned the responsibility for sending missionary to Alta California.

Alta California, today called simply California, was occupied by the Gálvez (he always wrote his name "Joseph" in the French style), who determined that Alta California must be occupied, firs to prevent it from falling into the hands of a foreign nation, among whom the Russians from Alaska appeared to offer the greatest threat, and secondly, to offer the benefits of Christianity and civilization to its numerous native tribes.

The momentous decision of Gálvez to occupy Alta California was made in 1768, on a personal visit of inspection to Sonora and Baja California. He proposed and organized a series of expeditions, two by land and two by sea, to lead Spanish soldiers, settlers, and missionaries to accupy the new land.

The leaders of the two land expeditions were Don Gaspar de Portolá, governor of the Californias, both Baja and Alta, since they were then a single, united entity, and Captain Fernando de Rivera y Moncada, who was in charge of the presidio of Loreto. In addition, two ships were sent by the water route, with supplies and reinforcements for the settlements and missions it was proposed to establish in Alta California.

The Peninsula trail
Portola left the fort of Loreto to Vellicata, following Fernando de Rivera steps.
Father Serra joined there the governor, founding the mission of San Fernando de Vellicata.
Both reached San Diego together.
Sea routes
The "San Carlos" departed from La Paz to San Diego. The "San Antonio" set sail
from San Jose del Cabo. A third vessel, the "San Jose",
shipwrecked, loosing the cargo and his tripulation.

Don Gaspar de Portolá, the governor, had only recently taken up his duties in Baja California, in October, 1767. His first major assignment had been to supervise the expulsion of the Jesuits from the peninsula, a disagreeable task that he performed to the complete satisfaction of the King, and with a minimum of discomfort to the missionaries. And very shortly thereafter, it became his duty to assume the chief responsibility for the great push into the north, subject only to the orders of Gálvez himself.

Captain Rivera, accompanied by Father Juan Crespí, was given charge of the first land expedition, which was open the trail through the peninsula of Baja California to the ports of San Diego and on to Monterrey. By march, 1769, accompained by 25 soldiers, three muleteers, and 42 California Indians, he had reached the northernmost post of Velicatá, with a large supply-train and nearly 400 domestic animals. He left Velicatá on March 24, and arrived at San Diego on May 14, nearly two months later. The distance from Velicatá to the Bay of San Diego was approximately 400 miles. Except for the usual hardships of the march through an unknown country, strange Indian tribes, extremely rough terrain and the lack of forage and water, the expedition got through safely, through some of the Baja Californi Indians deserted and others died en route.

In the second expedition came the governor, Don Gaspar de Portolá, together with Fray Junipero Serra, who was to be the president of the Alta California missions. It set out from Loreto on March 9, 1769, with 10 soldiers, two servants, and 44 Baja California Indians, and the necessary horses, cattle, and supplies, reaching the Bay of San Diego on June 29. Nothing unusual happened on the trip, but Portolá, too, lost most of his Indians, all except about a dozen.

The story of the two supply ships is much more dramatic. The first to sail, the San Carlos, was a small vessel of 200 tons burden. It departed from La Paz, chief port of Baja California, on January 9, 1769, with its cargo of livestock, utensils, church ornaments, tools, provisions, seeds, etc. On board were 62 men, including Liutenant Pedro Fages and his 25 Catalan soldiers, the engineer Miguel Costansó, two blacksmiths, and a baker. It had an incredibly difficult voyage, due to contrary winds and storms, and did not reach San Diego uintil April 29, a voyage of 110 days.

The other vessel, the San Antonio, was not ready to sail until February 15, with a similar crew and cargo. Its commander was Juan Pérez, a native of Majorca, and a former master of the manila galleon. In the next decade, he was to become the foremost Spanish sea captain in exploring the North Pacific coast. The San Antonio was fortunate in making a relatively fast voyage to San Diego, which if reached on April 11, being at sea only 55 days.

Governor Portolá commanded a montley group of men on the Bay of San Diego in that summer of 1769. All had suffered greatly, especially those who came by sea. Many were extremely ill from the scurvy, too ill to work, and many had died. Only a man of great courage and determination could face the future without fear, and with a willingness to go forward. Don Gaspar’s chief responsibility, the ultimate objective, was explore and occupy the Bay of Monterry. This was the port which the famed navigator, Sebastián Viscaíno, had lauded in his voyage of 1602-1603, and which had become known through the writing of another navigator, Cabrera Bueno, especially his "Nevegacion Especulativa, y Practica" (Manila, 1734).

Discouraged through he might have been, this Governor Portolá, when he held and inspection of his men and supplies, wrote no word or letter to suggest his disappointment. Since the royal instructions provided that he was to find the Port of Monterrey and establish there the capital of Alta California, he marshalled his forces; and then, leaving Father Serra and the sick at San Diego, he set out on this exploration, a journey that was to carry him over 500 miles of completely unknow country.

First track of the expedition to Alta California
San Diego, our lady th Queen of the Angels of the Porciuncula river, Los Encinos in San Fernando Valley,
Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, San Luis Obispo, Pt. Concepcion.

Leaving san Diego on july 14, governor Portolá set out. His party consisted of Captain Rivera, Liutenant Pedro Fages, Sergent José Francisco Ortega, about 35 soldiers, and two friars –Juan Crespí and Francisco Gómez.

In general, Prtolá’s route followed the coast, past the modern metropolis of Los Angeles, went on to the Santa Barbara area (with its Chumash Indians, people of relatively high culture). Another 100 miles up the coast, beyond the modern Luis Obispo, he encountered the rugged Santa Lucía mountain chain, which they climbed with incredible difficulty, both for men and beast. Beyond it, Portolá and his men saw a curving bay, which to them appeared to be nothing more than an open roadstead. It was in fact the bay that Vizcaíno had called "Monterrey", but they did not recognize it as the wonderful harbor they had been led to expect. Portolá called a council of the officers and priests, and they concluded, be farther northward, so after a week’s rest, they resumed their exploration.

One month later, in November, 1769, Portolá’s scouts, pushing on ahead, reported that their way was blocked by several great arms of the sea. From the higher peaks, they recognized the Farallon Island about 25 miles out to se. And, too, they recognized Drake’s Bay, at Point Reyes, north of present San Francisco Bay, but there was nothing that looked like the famous Monterrey Bay, the object of their search. They were actually looking out upon the modern Bay of San Francisco, never before seen by Europeans. Exhausted and short of supplies, Governor Portolá held numerous councils of war, with his chief officers and advisers, and eventually it was agreed that they must have gone too far north, that the Bay of Monterry was behind them, to the south. So, leaving the unknown Bay of San Francisco, whose several stuaries completely baffled them, they started the return trip. Then, while encamped at the Punta de Pinos, on what was in fact the Bay of Monterrey, they were still convinced that if could not be the one they sought. After further councils with his officers, Portolá decided to return to San Diego, for their supplies were extremely low, and both men and beast were exhausted from the daily travel, and the cold and wet weather. Planting a cross on the beach, with a message, just in case one of the supply ships should reach that bay, they returned to San Diego, both starving and exhausted.

Why did they not recognize Monterrey Bay? The logical explanation is that during the centuries, the famed bay of Vizcaíno’s description, had taken on the status or symbol of an unrealistic sailor’s ideal ! The Portolá party had, therefore, been the victim of history!

When Portolá and his men reached San Diego, in January, 1770, they were dejected and enveloped in a spirit of gloom. The local situation was difficult, too, for the Indians at San Diego had become hostile, supplies there had given out, the supply ships from Mexico had not arrived – everything seemed to have gone wrong, and starvation threatened the entire colony. In this dire situation, they waited as long as possible. To their relief, the San Antonio arrived on March 19, 1770, with supplies. Governor Portolá, in conferences with his chief officers, now decided to return to the Punta de Pinos, convinced that it must be the famed Bay of Monterrey, in spite on inadequady as a good, safe harbor. Sending the San Antonio up the coast to meet them at the Punta de Pinos, Portolá with a party of soldiers traveled by land once again, and reached their goal in May. A week later, the vessel hove in sight. And now, finally, Governor Portolá was able to carry out his instructions, the founding of a town on the Bay of Monterrey as the capital of Alta California.

"Plano de la costa del sur corregido hasta la canal de Santa Bárbara en el año 1769"
Por Miguel Costansó. Archivo Histórico Nacional. Madrid.

On June 3, 1770, after a solemn Mass by Father Serra, and the singing of the Te Deum, Portolá took formal possession of the land in the name of the king of Spain; and the royal presidio and mission of San Carlos de Monterrey were established.

Portolá and his men had overcome enormous obstacles, had annihilated distance, and had extended and outpost of Spanish Empire nearly a thousand miles to the north! They had forestalled any move by Spain’s enemies to seize the land. Portolá had carried out his mission.

In accordance with his instructions from Cisitador Gálvez, Governor Portolá now returned to Mexico, and so he left the California scene, never to return. His work there had been done. With courage, patience, perseverance, determination, and great endurance, he had led Spanish forces successfully in stablishing two post in California, both of great importance. There were the presidio and mission on the Bay on the Bay of San Diego, and the presidio and mission on the Bay of Monterrey. From these two centers, Spain was to extend her chain of towns, presidios, and missions in California, all the way from San Diego in the south to San Francisco and Sonoma in the north.

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