Diary of Captain Gaspar de Portolá

Portola Expedition, 1769-1770

10/1/1769 -- The 1st of October, we proceeded for an hour, which brought us near the mouth of the river. Here the expedition remained for five days to explore the circuit made by the mountains. We all agreed that, undoubtedly, we would find the Port of Monterey.

10/7/1769 -- The 7th, we proceeded for two hours and a half through marshes and swamps. Here was held the council called by the commander of the expedition, [the report of] which is enclosed.

10/8/1769 -- The 8th, we proceeded for four hours, constantly avoiding the marshes and swamps. Here there was an Indian village, according to the report of the pioneers; but, when the entire expedition reached the place, the inhabitants fled. We rested the 9th.

10/10/1769 -- The 10th, we travelled for about an hour and a half because the sick had become worse and it was necessary to administer the sacraments to them. Here we remained for four days.

10/15/1769 -- The 15th, we proceeded for an hour and a half because of the sick and halted in a swamp where there was much water and pasture.

10/16/1769 -- The 16th, we proceeded for two hours, and halted on the bank of a river where there was very little pasture.

10/17/1769 -- The 17th, we travelled for two hours and a half; part of the way was through a canyon between mountains and the remainder on a good road. We found many watering-places and two rivers. We halted beside one of these rivers, close to the sea, where the pioneers declared that it would be possible for small ships to lie sheltered to northward.

10/18/1769 -- The 18th, we proceeded for four hours, skirting the ocean. On this day's march, we passed several watering-places. We halted on the bank of a gully which forms a lagoon where it flows into the sea; as the stream was swollen we were detained, for higher up the banks were precipitous and thickly wooded. At this place, there was a cove for small vessels, sheltered to northward.

10/19/1769 -- The 19th, we travelled for four hours and a half, close to the sea; we had to cross several gorges that had been washed out by the rains. We halted beside a small river that flows into the sea. There was a village which, on our arrival, we found deserted.

10/20/1769 -- The 20th, we travelled for three hours and a half near the shore and halted in a gully where there was much water and pasture. Here we rested for two days on account of the rain.

10/23/1769 -- The 23rd, we travelled for two hours and a half. We halted in a gully where there was much water and pasture, and a village of two hundred natives.

10/24/1769 -- The 24th, we travelled for seven hours on a bad road. We halted in a gully where there was sufficient water and a village of eighty natives. Here we remained for two days.

10/27/1769 -- The 27th, we travelled for two hours and a half on a bad road. We halted in a gully where there was plenty of water and pasture.

10/28/1769 -- The 28th, we travelled for two hours near the ocean. We halted in a gully where there was sufficient water and pasture. Here we had to remain for one day on account of the rain.

10/30/1769 -- The 30th, we travelled for two hours and a half; on the road it was necessary to cross several gullies and to make two bridges. We halted on the shore, having sufficient water but no fire-wood.

10/31/1769 -- The 31st, we travelled for two hours on a very bad road up the slopes of a very high mountain. We halted on the summit where twenty-five natives came [to our camp] and the sergeant with eight soldiers was sent . . . to explore. Having seen some small islands, a point of land, and a bay, [we decided that] we were in the neighborhood of the Port of San Francisco as described in the account of Cabrera Bueno. Here we remained for four days.