Gaspar de Portola

It is only in recent years that a Spanish soldier named Gaspar de Portola has received the recognition he deserves as one of the most important figures in California history. Born in 1714, he chose a military career and went into the service of the Spanish crown. When Charles III began to receive reports that Russian fur traders wanted to claim land in California, Portola volunteered to lead an expedition to set up bases on the California coast in San Diego and Monterey. Perhaps because Portola left California immediately after the founding of Monterey, he did not become well known. In 1969 and 1970, when California celebrated its bicentennial, Portola was given greater recognition.