Event

Portolá expedition

1769–1770 · 18th century

The Portolá expedition was a Spanish overland expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá in 1769–1770 to occupy Alta California, prompted by fears of Russian and British advances on the Pacific coast. Accompanied by the Franciscan Junípero Serra, it founded San Diego, and its scouts became the first Europeans known to see San Francisco Bay. In 1770 Portolá established the presidio of Monterey.

Portolá expedition
Image: Cristiano Tomás · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Alta California

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Portolá expedition. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/portola-expedition
MLA
“Portolá expedition.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/portola-expedition. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Portolá expedition.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/portola-expedition.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Portolá expedition’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/portola-expedition (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻