De Anza Expedition - San Gabriel CA
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 34° 05.798 W 118° 06.409
11S E 397901 N 3773423
This sign is located in front of Mission San Gabriel.
Waymark Code: WMRW0G
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 08/10/2016
Views: 1
The marker reader:
"Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista De Anza by decree of Carlos III of Spain led an expedition to this site - the Mission Bells begin to colonize the San Francisco Bay Area."
Wikipedia (
visit link) adds:
"The Spanish began colonizing Alta California with the Portolá expedition of 1769-1770. The two-pronged Portolá effort involved both a long sea voyage against prevailing winds and the California Current, and a difficult land route from Baja California. Colonies were established at San Diego and Monterey, with a presidio and Franciscan mission at each location. A more direct land route and further colonization were desired, especially at present-day San Francisco, which Portolá saw but was not able to colonize. By the time of de Anza's expedition, three more missions had been established - the one farthest north being Mission San Antonio de Padua, in the Salinas Valley.
In 1772, De Anza proposed an expedition to Alta California to the Viceroy of New Spain. This was approved by the King of Spain and on January 8, 1774, with 3 padres, 20 soldiers, 11 servants, 35 mules, 65 cattle, and 140 horses, De Anza set forth from Tubac Presidio, south of present-day Tucson, Arizona. De Anza heard of a California Native American called Sebastian Tarabal who had fled from Mission San Gabriel to Sonora, and took him as guide. The expedition took a southern route along the Rio Altar (Sonora y Sinaloa, New Spain), then paralleled the modern Mexico/California border, crossing the Colorado River at its confluence with the Gila River. This was in the domain of the Yuma tribe, with which he established good relations."