Gaspar de Portolá

Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira (* 1716 in Balaguer, Catalonia, Spain and New Spain in † 1784) was a Spanish soldier, governor of Baja California and Alta California, explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey.

History

Until 1767 Jesuit missionaries had built about twenty-three missions on the Baja California peninsula. Rumors went around, after which the Jesuits are in the process became very rich and very powerful. Partly because of these rumors imposed Charles III. Finally, the Jesuit ban. Linked to this, he banished all Jesuits from New Spain and ordered their arrest and deportation to Spain. Gaspar de Portolà was commissioned to carry out the king's command, and to arrest the Jesuits. The missions were handed over to the Franciscans and later the Dominicans. The Franciscans played a central role in connection with the seizure of Alta California for the Spanish crown.

Although currently the most successful order had been banned, Spain was still very keen to build missions in Alta California. This especially because the Spanish crown was afraid, England or Russia could claim the territory for themselves. The cartographic basis for the advance of the Spaniards along the California coast to the north had delivered Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602. In May 1768 Portolà volunteered an expedition consisting of four groups - two at sea and two by land - to lead.

All four detachments were to meet again in the bay of San Diego. The first ship, the San Carlos left La Paz on January 10, 1769, the San Antonio followed on February 15. Land the advance began on 24 March under the leadership of Fernando Rivera y Moncada and on May 15 from under the leadership of Portolà of the Mission San Fernando Velicata. Portolà was accompanied by monks and missionaries and soldiers. Also, the Franciscan friar Junípero Serra, which we call the founder of San Francisco today, belonged to the group.

Due to an error on the maps of Vizcaíno the ships missed the Gulf of San Diego first and sailed on to this Los Angeles until they noticed the mistake and returned again. From this camp, the city of San Diego has become later. The San Antonio reached San Diego on April 11, the San Carlos, which had to contend with strong winds and storms, on April 29. A third ship, which was to follow them with supplies, presumably the lake fell victim. Rivera reached the bay in May, where he built the camp that later became the Presidio. Portolà reached the place on June 27. Serra two days later followed him with the majority of replenishment, 70 men, a large herd of cattle and horses, and 163 mules. The sailors had been but decimated. Many of them had already died at sea, most of scurvy, but also after arriving in San Diego sailors died almost daily. Of the two hundred and nineteen men who left Baja California, remained little more than a hundred left.

On July 16, 1769 Serra erected a cross and celebrated the first Mass in Alta California. He built the Mission San Diego de Alcalá. This was the first of the Spanish missions in California and became the starting point of the El Camino Real, (as has shifted the interest on connections to the East ) " royal " road from San Diego to San Francisco, the most important trade route in California until the arrival of the Americans.

On July 14, 1769 Portolà was already broken to make to the search for the Bay of Monterey. Portolàs group marched now constant northward beyond today's Los Angeles and Santa Monica they reached on August 19, Santa Barbara. They moved on through San Simeon and finally reached on October 1, the mouth of the Salinas River north of Monterey.

After a march of about a thousand miles to the north they reached this port. But the fog obscured the coast, so that the bay and the expected natural harbor of Monterey was not visible. So they could form the coast, which had described Vizcaíno, can not find, although they marched off the beach several times. Believing to have missed this port they marched further north, where they came to San Francisco Bay. They named many places to the south of what is now known as Golden Gate Strait. Then they return to San Diego, where they arrived on 24 January 1770.

After Portolà had been persuaded by one of his officers that he had actually found Monterey, he presented again together an expedition group. In April 1770, the San Antonio sailed northward again, Junípero Serra ran. Portolà himself headed a group again to country.

The expedition followed the same path they were already in the previous winter, when returning to San Diego, followed. After thirty-six days he reached the place of which he had been expecting the year before, to see the port of Monterey, but now he realized on a beautiful day as the description on the old maps fit. To celebrate the discovery of a mass was held and the country officially annexed to Spain. They laid the foundations for the Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, the second of the Spanish missions in California, and for the Presidio of Monterey.

Portolàs task was completed. He left Captain Pedro Fages the command and sailed to San Blas from. 1776 Portolà was appointed governor of Puebla. 1784 his successor was appointed and he returned to Spain. About his life nothing is known.

Obituary

In Pacifica is a 2.7 meter high statue of Gaspar de Portolà, which was the California State given by the Catalan government in 1988. Portola, California Portola Valley, as well as various institutions and schools bear his name.