Hudson 4 California History
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  • Key Topics & Resources for California History
    • Geography
    • California Regions
    • California Indians
    • European Explorers 1521-1776
    • California Missions 1769-1823
  • Cabrillo National Monument
  • California Missions & Presidios
    • The Search for the Golden Mission by Torrey Mahall
    • San Diego Presidio Park
    • Mission San Diego de Alcala
    • Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Carmelo
    • Mission San Antonio de Padua
    • Mission San Gabriel Arcangel
    • Mission San Luis Obispo
    • Mission San Francisco de Asis
    • Mission San Juan Capistrano
    • Mission Santa Clara de Asis
    • Mission San Buenaventura
    • Mission Santa Barbara
    • Santa Barbara Presidio
    • Mission La Purisima Concepcion
    • Mission Santa Cruz
    • Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad
    • Mission San Jose
    • Mission San Juan Bautista
    • Mission San Miguel Arcangel
    • Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana
    • Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
    • Mission Santa Ines
    • Mission San Rafael Arcangel
    • Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma
  • Spanish Landing Site ~ Sacred Expedition ~ San Diego
  • Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
  • Sutter's Fort
  • Fort Ross
  • James Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park/Sutter's Saw Mill, Coloma
  • Donner Memorial State Park
  • Bear Flag Revolt ~ Sonoma
  • Historic Monterey
    • Custom House
    • Colton Hall & Old Jail ~ Monterey
    • The Old Jail
    • Portola's Cross, Carmel
    • Pacific House Museum
    • California's First Theater
    • Presidio Museum
    • Royal Presidio Chapel
    • Cooper-Molera Adobe
    • Casa Del Oro
  • Old Sacramento
    • California Train Museum
    • Transcontinental Railroad
    • Pony Express
  • Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park ~ General Vallejo's Rancho
  • Railtown 1897 ~ Jamestown
  • Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
  • Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
The first people of California were the California Indians.  They lived off the land for thousands of years before the Europeans began to explore and settle in California.  In the mid-1500's, Spain began sending expeditions to explore North America.  Cortes (Spain) conquered the Aztecs in 1521 and established the colony of New Spain in present-day Mexico.  Cabrillo (Spain) discovered San Diego Bay in 1542.  Drake (England) explored San Francisco Bay in 1579.  In 1602, Vizcaino (Spain) made maps and gave names to places along the coast of California.  Bering (Russia) discovered the Bering Strait, a narrow water passage between Asia and North America in 1728.  For more than 150 years, Spain ignored California...until England and Russia started showing interest in the area.  Jose de Galvez, a New Spain's representative of King Charles III of Spain, decided to send an expedition to Alta California to establish Spanish settlements and secure the Spanish Empire in California.  The Sacred Expedition of 1769 consisted of four groups: two by land and two by sea.  The first ship, the San Carlos, was led by Captain Vila and Lt. Fages.  It  left New Spain on January 9, 1769 and sailed north towards Alta California.  On February 15, 1769, the San Antonio, led by Captain Perez, headed north.  The first land expedition, led by Captain Rivera and Father Crespi, left on March 24, 1769.  Finally, Captain Portola and Father Serra left New Spain by foot on May 15, 1769.  The two ships met in San Diego at the end of April.  Rivera's land expedition arrived near this location on May 14th, and Portola and Serra's land expedition met them here on July 1, 1769.  Nearby, Portola established the San Diego Presidio and Serra established the San Diego Mission on July 16, 1769, the first European settlements in California.  
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"Near this point, sea and land parties of the Portola-Serra Expedition met two ships, the San Antonio and San Carlos, anchored on May 4-5, 1769. The scurvy weakened survivors of the voyage established a camp, where on May 14 and July 1 they greeted the overland parties from Baja California. Together, they began the Spanish occupation of Alta California. "
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San Salvador build site at spanish landing
Timeline of portola expedition
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