Full Answer
Who led the search for ports along the California coast?
The need for safe haven along the California coast prompted the next visit by European seafarers. In 1602 Sebastian Vizcaino led a reconnaissance expedition of the California coast, searching for ports and giving some of the first place names such as San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Monterey.
Why did the Spanish settle in California?
The decision by the Spanish to finally establish settlements in California in 1769 was spurred by fears that rival European powers such as Russia or England would seize it and threaten New Spain. Known as the Sacred Expedition, this party was led by Captain Gaspar de Portola and Father Junipero Serra. Portola and Serra had constant battles over the purpose of the trip. Portola thought the primary purpose was to find Monterey Bay described by Vizcaino, and set up a presidio, or fort, to protect New Spain. Serra on the other hand was more interested in converting the local Indian population to Christianity. Together they ended up establishing Mission San Diego in 1769, Mission Carmel in 1770, and the presidios at San Diego and Monterey, the first Spanish settlements in California. During Portola’s attempt to find the location of Monterey Bay, his men stumbled upon San Francisco Bay, but it would be several years before the news was followed up.
What was the name of the island that the Spanish conquistadors ruled?
In 1510 Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo wrote a book entitled Las Sergas de Esplandian, The Deeds Of Esplandian, which described a mythical island full of riches called California ruled by black Amazons, and their Queen Califa (CALAFIA). The story was fictional, but the Spanish conquistadors had found great wealth after conquering the Aztecs from 1519-1521 and the Incas from 1532-1572 in the Americas, making any story seem possible.
Why was De Anza considered a backwater?
De Anza brought the first Spanish families and livestock to California, some 240 soldiers and colonists, but the area was always considered a backwater, existing simply as a buffer to protect the much more important territories father south.
When was San Francisco incorporated into Spain?
The incorporation of the San Francisco Bay Area into Spanish California began when Juan Bautista de Anza created the first overland trail to California from New Spain on two trips in 1774 and 1776, the second of which led to the founding of Mission San Francisco de Asis and Presidio San Francisco.
Where did the Spanish make landfall?
The Spanish ships would typically make landfall near Cape Mendocino on the California coast then make their way south to Mexico. Following their long journey across the Pacific, the battered ships and weakened crews were prone to attacked by pirates looking to relive them of their goods.
Where did the Spanish ship travel to?
Beginning in 1565, twice a year ships would travel from the Spanish colony in the Philippines, an important foothold in the Asian trade of spices, silk, and china, to New Spain to stop for badly needed supplies and rest. The Spanish ships would typically make landfall near Cape Mendocino on the California coast then make their way south to Mexico. Following their long journey across the Pacific, the battered ships and weakened crews were prone to attacked by pirates looking to relive them of their goods. The need for safe haven along the California coast prompted the next visit by European seafarers.
What did the early European images of California show?
Early European images of California show these settlers' interest in Native Americans already inhabiting the area. The engraving of Captain Rogers' men being received by Native American men on the shores of California in the early 1800s depicts the two...
What were the Spanish and Californians doing in the late 18th century?
Russian settlements in northern California (shown in the two images of Fort Ross) connected Russia to its other sea otter trade routes, were places to grow food for their Alaskan settlements, and served as bases for trade with Californians. Before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the French controlled much of what would border both Spanish territory on the West Coast and the newly formed United States to the east. The ink drawing shows a French diplomat being received at Mission Carmel in 1786.
Where is the first known print taken on the site of San Francisco?
Vue du Presidio de San Francisco [ca. 1815] Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) in the Spring of 1837. This is the first known print taken on the site. View of San Francisco [California]: taken from the western hill at the foot of Telegraph Hill, looking toward Rincon Point and Mission Valley.
Is California a place of cultural interaction?
California has always been a place of cultural interaction. Early California evolved and changed with each new group of settlers. These images depict the developing interconnectedness of California's early cultures.
Where did the Californians come from?
The earliest Californians were adventurous Asians who made their way across the Bering Straits to Alaska thousands of years ago when a warmer climate and a now-vanished land bridge made such travel easier.
What tribes were in the California mountains?
Tribes included the Karok, Maidu, Cahuilleno, Mojave, Yokuts, Pomo, Paiute, and Modoc. On the other hand, the mountains that divided the groups made extensive warfare impractical, and the California tribes and clans enjoyed a comparatively peaceful life. Illustration IV: Mount Shasta with Indians and TeePees.
What did the Native Americans eat in California?
The region's lack of rain during the growing season meant that agriculture was not a practical means of livelihood for early Californians, but the gentle climate and rich soil enabled these groups to live by skillfully harvesting and processing wild nuts and berries and by capturing the fish that crowded the streams. The acorn, leached of toxic acids and turned into meal, was a staple of the diet of most California native peoples. Indeed, the first English-speaking Europeans to encounter California Native Americans were so struck by their focus on gathering nuts from the ground and unearthing nutritious roots that they nicknamed them "Diggers," and "Digger Indian" became a vague nickname for many of the groups.
What contributed to the population of California?
An ample food supply, temperate climate, and absence of wars contributed to a large, healthy population. It has been estimated that when Europeans first came to California, the native population was probably close to 300,000--13 percent of the indigenous peoples in North America.
When did the Great Plains tribes get new mobility?
As European settlement came late to California, her natives were also denied access to the newcomers' horses, whose runaways fathered the wild herds that gave Great Plains tribes new mobility as early as the sixteenth century.
Who were the first Europeans to settle in California?
The most expansive European colonizations efforts were made by the Spanish. On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and his crew entered San Diego Bay--the first Europeans to visit California. The land they named "Alta California" was occupied by diverse groups of native people who had inhabited the land for thousands of years. Spanish colonization of "Alta California" began when the Presidio at San Diego, the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast, was established in 1769. With the expedition was Father Junipero Serra, a Franciscan Father who would have a tremendous influence in the colonization of California through the establishment of missions. At San Diego, Serra founded the first of 21 Spanish missions that extend along the California coast. In October of the same year, a detachment of the expedition saw San Francisco Bay.
When did the Spanish colonize California?
Spanish colonization of "Alta California" began when the Presidio at San Diego, the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast, was established in 1769. With the expedition was Father Junipero Serra, a Franciscan Father who would have a tremendous influence in the colonization of California through the establishment of missions.
What was the significance of Colombus' voyages to the New World?
Colombus' voyages to the "New World" were just the beginning of the intermingling of peoples and cultures that formed our nation; this rich and varied history is reflected in the prehistoric and historic sites, buildings, structures, objects and districts found throughout the land. The National Register of Historic Places can guide you ...
Who explored California?
The first Europeans to explore the California coast were the members of a Spanish sailing expedition led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo; they entered San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542, and reached at least as far north as San Miguel Island. Cabrillo and his men found that there was essentially nothing for the Spanish to easily exploit in California, located at the extreme limits of exploration and trade from Spain it would be left essentially unexplored and unsettled for the next 234 years.
How did the California Missions work?
Virtually all the physical work was done by indigenous people convinced to or coerced into joining the missions. The padres provided instructions for making adobe bricks, building mission buildings, planting fields, digging irrigation ditches, growing new grains and vegetables, herding cattle and horses , singing, speaking Spanish, and understanding the Catholic faith—all that was thought to be necessary to bring the Indians to be able to support themselves and their new church.
How were the California delegates chosen?
Convention delegates were chosen by secret ballot but lacking any census data as to California's population and where they lived its representatives only roughly approximated the rapidly changing state population as later shown in the 1850 U.S. California Census taken a year later. The 48 delegates chosen were mostly pre-1846 American settlers; eight were native born Californios who had to use interpreters. The new miners in El Dorado County were grossly under-represented as they had no representatives at the convention despite then being the most populated county in California. After the election the California Constitution Convention met in the small town and former Californio capital of Monterey, California, in September 1849 to write a state constitution.
What are the two parts of California?
The Spanish divided California into two parts, Baja California and Alta California, as provinces of New Spain (Mexico). Baja or lower California consisted of the Baja Peninsula and terminated roughly at San Diego, California, where Alta California started.
What happened after the Mexican American War?
After the Mexican–American War of 1846–48, Mexico was forced to relinquish any claim to California to the United States. The California Gold Rush of 1848–1855 attracted hundreds of thousands of ambitious young people from around the world. Only a few men struck it rich, and many returned home disappointed.
How long has California been a state?
The history of California can be divided into: the Native American period (about 10,000 years ago until 1542), the European exploration period (1542–1769), the Spanish colonial period (1769–1821), the Mexican period (1821–1848), and United States statehood (September 9, 1850–present). California was one of the most culturally ...
What is the history of Baja California?
The history of California can be divided into: the Native American period (about 10,000 years ago until 1542) , the European exploration period (1542–1769), the Spanish colonial period ...
When was San Francisco Bay discovered?
This island was discovered by the Portolá expedition on November 4, 1769. It was used as a base by the Ayala expedition, which in 1775 conducted the first detailed exploration of San Francisco Bay—discovered in 1769. This exploration resulted in official recognition of the bay's merits as a harbor by Spain and its first use as a port. In the early 19th century, the island was used occasionally by Russian and Aleut sea otter bunters, and also by whaling and trading vessels as a fueling and watering place. In 1839, the Mexican Government granted it to Antonio Mario Osio for use as a ranch. In 1863, the U.S. Army utilized it for harbor defense. No surviving structures date from the Spanish or Mexican periods, but much of the island is relatively unspoiled. It is being developed as a California State Historical Park.
How many Spanish missions are there in California?
Of the 21 Spanish missions in California, this one is probably the most accurately restored and gives the best picture of mission life in Spanish California. Founded on December 8, 1787, by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, by 1804 it had 1,520 Indian neophytes. It was destroyed by the major earthquakes of 1812, and rebuilt at its present site, 4 miles to the northeast, between 1813 and 1821. Secularized by the Mexican Government in 1834, it quickly went to ruin. During the period 1935-42 the Civilian Conservation Corps, under the direction of the National Park Service, carefully restored most of the buildings, as well as a portion of the irrigation system. In 1941, the mission became a State historical monument, and further reconstruction has been accomplished recently.
What was the name of the two colonies that were founded on the Colorado River?
In the fall of 1780, Padre Francisco Garcés, three other Franciscan friars, and a small band of soldiers founded on the Colorado River two new experimental colonies, combination missions-presidios-pueblos. One colony, which included Purísima Concepción Mission, was situated on the California side near the point where the Gila River enters the Colorado River. The other colony, including the San Pecho y San Pablo Mission, was 12 miles to the south in present Mexico. The experiment in combining religious, military, and civil functions did not work well because of friction among the different factions.
What was the first gristmill in California?
El Molino Viejo (The Old Mill), probably constructed during the period 1810-12 for San Gabriel Mission by Father José María de Zaldivéa, was the first water-powered gristmill in California. The only others built there during the Spanish period were at Santa Cruz Mission and at San José Pueblo. Built with massive stone-and-adobe walls, some 5 feet thick, it measured 20 by 50 feet. It was abandoned in 1823, but the ruins provided the basis for a reconstruction in 1929. A private residence until recently, it is now owned by the California Historical Society, which plans to restore it and use it as a southern California headquarters and museum.
How many miles did Juan Bautista de Anza travel?
This 455,525-acre park commemorates a portion of the route twice followed during the period 1774-76 by Capt. Juan Bautista de Anza, pioneer of the 700-mile overland route from Tubac, in Pimería Alta, now in Arizona, to San Gabriel Mission in California. Three campsites of the two expeditions are identified in the park. The desert in the region is little changed from the days of the pioneering expeditions.
Where was gold discovered?
While looking in this canyon for stray cattle, in 1842, Francisco López y Arballo first discovered gold, near the surface, in commercial quantities in California. Fortune-seekers swarmed to the area. The placer fields were mainly worked by Francisco García, an experienced miner who brought in other miners from Sonora, Mexico. By the end of 1843, they had mined about $42,000 worth of gold nuggets from nearby San Feliciana Canyon in the San Fernando Hills, as well as an unknown amount from Placerita Canyon. The deposits were exhausted after being worked about 5 years. The canyon is a Registered State Historical Landmark.
When was Los Angeles established?
El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciúncula—or Los Angeles for short—was established on September 4, 1781, by 4 soldiers, 12 settlers, and their families, who settled on a 17,500-acre tract on the orders of Spanish Gov. Felipe de Neve. During the Spanish and Mexican periods, the population grew slowly but steadily, totaling 1,250 in 1845. Los Angeles was the largest settlement in California when it became a part of the United States.
Why Did Spanish Explorers Come to California?
First Spanish Contacts
What Were The Reasons For Spanish Exploration of California?
Who Discovered California First?
The English Plant A Flag
Sebastián Vizcaíno and Monterey Bay
A Pause in Exploration
Early Exploration of California Timeline
- 1533: Spanish ships reach the tip of Baja California. 1535: Hernán Cortez reaches Baja California. 1539: Francisco de Ulloa confirms that Baja California is a peninsula. 1542: Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo arrives in San Diego Bay. He later sails as far as the Oregon coast. 1579: Francis Drake lands near San Francisco. 1602: Sebastián Vizcaíno sails into...