|  San Diego Mission Church--the 1st of 21 Spanish misions founded along the California Coast
Photo courtesy of Donald Laird, www.calandmarks.com | Colombus' voyages to the "New World" were just the beginning of the intermingling of peoples and cultures that formed our nation; this rich and varied history is reflected in the prehistoric and historic sites, buildings, structures, objects and districts found throughout the land. The National Register of Historic Places can guide you through our history with Discover Our Shared Heritage--a series of travel itineraries that explore our country's past through visiting places listed in the National Register of Historic Places which reflect major aspects of American history, such as exploration and settlement and cultural diversity. The first explorers and settlers of Coastal California were American Indians. The most expansive European colonizations efforts were made by the Spanish. On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and his crew entered San Diego Bay--the first Europeans to visit California. The land they named "Alta California" was occupied by diverse groups of native people who had inhabited the land for thousands of years. Spanish colonization of "Alta California" began when the Presidio at San Diego, the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast, was established in 1769. With the expedition was Father Junipero Serra, a Franciscan Father who would have a tremendous influence in the colonization of California through the establishment of missions. At San Diego, Serra founded the first of 21 Spanish missions that extend along the California coast. In October of the same year, a detachment of the expedition saw San Francisco Bay. Presidio of San Francisco in the foreground
National Park Service photo |
| The missions were an important aspect of Spanish colonization. At the missions, Native Americans were converted to Christianity and taught various skills. The Spanish divided California into four military districts, each under the jurisdiction of a military establishment or presidio, which protected several missions and vast areas of land. The presidios also served to reinforce Spanish control over the native people. Presidios were established at San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey, and San Francisco. In 1821 Mexico gained independence from Spain and "Alta California" became a Mexican province rather than a Spanish colony. A new era began in California as ranch life flourished and American trappers began to enter the territory. The Mexican government secularized the missions in 1834 and they were eventually abandoned. In June 1846 a party of settlers occupied Sonoma Plaza and proclaimed a Republic of California and raised the bear flag in rebellion. Known as the Bear Flag Revolt, this insurrection represented one of the first aggressive actions that divided California from Mexico. In 1848 gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill and dramatically altered the course of California's history as miners rushed into the area. On September 9, 1850, California became a state. The Gold Rush brought thousands of immigrants, both foreign and domestic, to California. This and later mass migrations, combined with the state's natural riches, assured Calfornia's success as it developed its diversified agriculture and industry, fisheries, forestry, and mining industries, aircraft plants and shipyards, tourism and recreation, the film industry, and the technological sector epitomized by Silicon Valley (highlighted in another National Register itinerary: Santa Clara County: California's Historic Silicon Valley).
| Old Pasadena Historic District
Photo courtesy of Old Pasadena Management District | This National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary links National Parks with places listed in the National Register that illustrate early periods of Coastal California's history. The 45 historic places highlighted in this itinerary can teach us about the contributions of the various people who settled in what became the United States of America. The itinerary includes a map showing the location of these historic places along with a brief description of their importance in our nation's past. Use this guide for locating interesting historic places in conjunction with your travel to Coastal California. Visitors may be intersted in Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, located along the California Coast. For more information on historic places in Coastal California contact: California Office of Historic Preservation
California Division of Tourism |
FAQs
Missions, Pueblos, and Ranchos
By 1821, Spain had established 21 missions up and down the California coast. While the missions were established to administer to, and often house, the Native population, pueblos (Spanish for ''town'') were established for Spanish and Mexican settlers that moved north.
How did the Spanish first learn about the coast of Alta California? ›
The first group was led by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. Setting out in three ships in June 1542, the men became the first Europeans to see San Diego Bay. The expedition continued beyond San Francisco without noticing its bay before turning around. They claimed the land that they had seen for the Spanish Empire.
What country was the first to explore and claim California in the 1500s? ›
The most expansive European colonizations efforts were made by the Spanish. On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and his crew entered San Diego Bay--the first Europeans to visit California.
Who was the first explorer of the California coast? ›
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo led the first European expedition that explored what is now the west coast of the United States. Cabrillo departed from the port of Navidad, Mexico on June 27, 1542. Three months later he arrived at "a very good enclosed port," which is known today as San Diego Bay.
What are 3 historical facts about California? ›
1821 - California becomes part of the country of Mexico. 1840s - Settlers begin to arrive from the east on the Oregon Trail and the California Trail. 1846 - California declares its independence from Mexico. 1848 - The United States gains control of California after the Mexican-American war.
What is the brief history of California? ›
The history of California can be divided into the Native American period (about 10,000 years ago until 1542), the European exploration period (1542–1769), the Spanish colonial period (1769–1821), the Mexican period (1821–1848), and United States statehood (September 9, 1850–present). California was one of the most ...
What was California originally called? ›
Most scholars agree that Montalvo's Las Sergas de Esplandián is the direct progenitor of the word California.
Who owned California before Mexico? ›
Coastal exploration by the Spanish began in the 16th century, with further European settlement along the coast and in the inland valleys following in the 18th century. California was part of New Spain until that kingdom dissolved in 1821, becoming part of Mexico until the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), when it was ...
What did California used to be called? ›
The Spaniards gave the name Las Californias to the peninsula of Baja California (in modern-day Mexico). As Spanish explorers and settlers moved north and inland, the region known as California, or Las Californias, grew.
Why did Mexico give up California? ›
A border skirmish along the Rio Grande that started off the fighting was followed by a series of U.S. victories. When the dust cleared, Mexico had lost about one-third of its territory, including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.
This treaty, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war between the United States and Mexico. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming.
How did Spain lose California? ›
The Spanish colony of Mexico embarked on a war for independence in 1821. Following a successful revolt later that year, the Colony won its freedom from Spain. Alta California, which encompasses present-day California, passed quietly into Mexican control.
Why did the Spanish establish communities in California? ›
From 1769 to 1833, Spanish Franciscans established twenty-one missions in Alta California, stretching 600 miles from San Diego to San Francisco along a path eventually known as the “California Mission Trail.” The goal of these settlements was twofold: to protect Spanish colonial interests in the new world and to “ ...
What was the first mission built by the Spanish on the California coast? ›
San Diego de Alcala, 1st mission
The mission trail in California began here on July 16, 1769, when Fathers Serra, Palou and Parron dug a hole eight feet into the beachhead near the mouth of the San Diego River and planted a large cross.
When were the Spanish missions established in California? ›
The Spanish missions in California (Spanish: Misiones españolas en California) formed a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California.
San Diego Mission Church--the 1st of 21 Spanish misions founded along the California Coast
Presidio of San Francisco in the foreground 
Old Pasadena Historic District