Juan De Anza Trail -- Mission San Gabriel the Archangel, San Gabriel CA
N 34° 05.797 W 118° 06.409
11S E 397901 N 3773421
Sapnish explorer Juan de Anza blazed a trail into California from the Spanish fort at Tubac, later leading parties of settlers along this route into California, establishing settlements all the way to Francisco.
Waymark Code: WMQWBN
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/05/2016
Views: 3
The waymark is a handsome plaque in the shape of the modern US state of California with a round de Anza medallion inset. The plaque reads as follows:
"“DE ANZA EXPEDITION 1775-1778
Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza by Decree of Carlos III of Spain
Led an expedition to this site – the mission being to colonize the San Francisco Bay area”
The medallion is located in the southern wall of the historic Mission San Gabriel the Archangel, near the church door, in downtown san Gabriel CA.
This mission was a usual stop for De Anza and immigrant parties who traveled along the de Anza Trail and settled much of California in the late 18th century, until hostile Indian tribes shut down the trail.
From the National Park Service: (
visit link)
"On the eve of the American Revolution, Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza led more than 240 men, women, and children on an epic journey across the frontier of New Spain to establish a settlement at San Francisco Bay. Discover their legacy on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, connecting culture, history, and outdoor recreation throughout Arizona, California, and beyond. Use the tools on this website to plan your own Anza Trail experience.
About the Anza Trail
"¡Vayan Subiendo!"
"Everyone mount up!"
A familiar call from Spanish Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza. In 1775-76, Anza led more than 240 men, women and children on an overland journey across the frontier of New Spain to settle Alta California. Follow 1200 miles in the footsteps of this intrepid, multiethnic expedition, and explore the rich cultural history of communities from Nogales, Arizona, to San Francisco.
The 1,200-mile Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail commemorates, protects, marks, and interprets the route traveled by Anza and the colonists during the years 1775 and 1776 from Sonora, Mexico (New Spain), to settle Alta California and establish a mission and presidio at today's San Francisco, California. The de Anza Trail was designated a National Historic Trail by Congress in 1990 through an amendment to the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241-51)."
From Wikipedia: (
visit link)
"The Trail commemorates the 1775–1776 land route that Spanish commander Juan Bautista de Anza took from the Sonora y Sinaloa Province of New Spain in Colonial Mexico through to Las Californias Province. The goal of the 1775–1776 trip was to establish a mission and presidio on the San Francisco Bay. The trail was an attempt to ease the course of Spanish colonization of California by establishing a major land route north for many to follow. It was used for about five years before being closed by the Quechan (Yuma) Indians in 1781 and kept closed for the next 40 years."