THE EXPLORATION AND THE EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT OF SETTLEMENT OF

CALIFORNIACALIFORNIA

We know things now that the Spaniards didn’t in

1760

And, as students (all of us), And, as students (all of us), we are seekers of knowledgewe are seekers of knowledge

However, what we seek is scattered in a thousand

places

But, then, we have many resources

We gather scattered things to make a coherent

whole

Setting the stage--CaliforniaSetting the stage--CaliforniaThe early periodThe early period

~~40,000 to 340 years BP~~40,000 to 340 years BP

Early hominid history N. America and Asia

collided ~25 million years BP and B. Strait becomes a sometimes bridge

Out of Africa ~~5 million years BP

to N.A. ~40,000 BP—maybe several times

The Spanish PeriodThe Spanish Period

• ~1500-1700’s Spanish slowly spread through central and South America

• 1542-3 Cabrillo explored parts of West coast• 1760’s conflict between sects within Spanish

Catholic church leads to ascendancy of Franciscan order

• 1769 Don Gaspar de Portola’ left Alta California to explore northward, find Monterey Bay, and claim all for Spain

Setting the stage—California

what was known in 1700 Much of

California’s coast had been examined by Spanish ships

A grand bay was reported at Monterey – 36.7o N

Setting the stagenavigation technology

Latitude could be determined accurately

Longitude was a guess

First PartPortola’s orders

Take a party of ~200 to San Diego

Establish a presidio-a place to garrison solders

First jobget to San Diego

Set out in early spring

Never been done ~~4 months to San

Diego; several lost Leave most there to

build a presidio and explore northward

North to Monterey 1 Taking

Navigator-map maker Two priests A squad of Catalonian

solders + officer A scout

Proceeded northward mostly along the coast to ‘LA’

In Los Angles (1769 -- 1948)In Los Angles (1769 -- 1948)

• Portola’ Trek—reenactment of the exploration of California--1948

• Part of California Centennial Celebration

North to Monterey 1 Continuing north

along coast to SLO North of 35o N

reports were of a rugged, impassible coast

Turned inland not knowing what to expect

North to Monterey 2 They found the

Salinas River Valley Totally unknown

and unexpected This took them all

the way to Monterey

With water, easy travel, abundant game

Monterey 1

36.7o N No ship No magnificent

harbor

Monterey 2 Portola’ explored

further north ~108 days saw

the South end of San Francisco Bay from a mountainous area

“A bay to hold all the ships of Spain”

The end of Portola’s first exploration

After another month of fruitless exploration and illness

Began the return to San Diego Route became ‘the Kings

Highway’; became the mission route established by Father Junipero Sera; became (almost) highway 101

1769-1847 U.S. mainly involved in the East U.S.

and southern coasts The interior of North America was

primarily a dry, barren barrier Spain, then Mexico (after the war of

independence) was involved only with southern and coastal California – San Francisco was the north-most administrative center

1848

End of the Mexican-American war California ceded to the U.S. as

settlement

GOLD!GOLD!1848 – discovery 1848 – discovery of gold at Sutter’s of gold at Sutter’s Mill on the Mill on the American River American River (not first)(not first)

California’s early population

1847 – European population ~ 10,000

1850 – European population ~ 50,000 in the mines; probably total of ~100,000

Ways to the gold fields--1 Ship to San

Francisco

The hazards and problemsThe hazards and problems

Ways to the gold fields -- 2 and 3

Overland

Oregon Trail To Oregon then south by Shasta or K. Falls Several branches to Immigrant (Donner)

Pass Santa Fe Trail

Branch to Mojave to Tehachapi Pass Branch to Mojave to Cajon Pass to LA Branch to Blythe and Salton Sea to LA To Yuma to San Diego to LA

The Railroads 1870’s and 80’s Most of the

passes used earlier – first was Donner, 1869, directly to Sacramento and San Francisco

Note the affects of

Gold Passes Routes across the deserts

Pre WWII California markets and

California as a whole not politically important

California oil fields began mostly 1900-1920 but petroleum not all that important--------yet; and the Gulf coast oil fields were much closer to the eastern markets

WWII and followingWWII and following

• Pacific theater of WWII

• Ship building

• Aircraft industries

• Oil for a high technology war

• Entertainment industries

• Beginnings of huge population influx

• High technology