 |
 Important Dates in
California |
 California's
Franciscan Missions |
 Don Gaspar de Portolá
led an expedition in 1768 that established the
first Presidio (military fort) at San Diego and
"discovered" San Francisco Bay. He also
established the first Presidio at Monterey, in
1770. |
 Juan Bautista de Anza
led two exploratory missions into northern
California. The first made it to Mission San
Gabriel near present-day Los Angeles in 1774. The
second expedition resulted in the founding of
what is now San Francisco, in 1776. In 1778 he
helped create the longest-lasting peace treaty
ever signed by the Comanches and any of the
governments of Spain, Mexico or the United
States. |
 California Gold Rush
On January 24, 1848, James
Marshall was inspecting work on a sawmill being
built for John Sutter on the American River near
the present town of Coloma when he saw gold
flakes on the ground. By the spring of 1849, the
non-native population of California had grown to
almost 100,000 people, the vast majority of whom
were looking for gold. |
