Portolá, Gaspar de (1723?-1786), a Spanish noble, became the first governor to preside over Alta California (upper California, now the U.S. state of California ). He helped to establish Spanish missions and presidios (military settlements) in the region, including in what are now Monterey and San Diego .
Gaspar de Portolá was born in Balaguer, in northeastern Spain , around 1723. Portolá served in the military, rising to captain of dragoons (mounted soldiers) in the España Regiment in 1764. For his service, King Charles III named Portolá governor of the Californias in 1767. Soon after, Charles decreed an expulsion of Jesuits from Spain and its territories. Portolá was given responsibility for leading the expulsion of Jesuits from Baja California (lower California, now part of Mexico).
Portolá commanded an expedition in which the first missions were established in Alta California. Later called the Portolá Expedition, it also began Spain’s colonization of the state. In early 1769, two ships sailed north from Baja California. A few months later, Portolá and a fellow commander, Captain Fernando Rivera y Moncada, led two groups by land. Portolá was accompanied by the Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra . The two groups journeyed about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from as far south as San Fernando Velicatá to Monterey.
The groups reached San Diego in May and June of 1769. Portolá took 40 men, many of whom were afflicted by the disease scurvy , and marched about 400 miles (640 kilometers) north. They set out to find the harbor of Monterey and to scout locations to establish missions. They passed Monterey without realizing it and explored the San Francisco Bay area. They returned to San Diego in January 1770. That spring, Portolá returned and located Monterey, claimed possession of it, and, with Serra, established Mission San Carlos and a presidio there.
Portolá returned to Baja California and continued to serve as governor. In 1776, he became governor of Puebla , Mexico. Likely around this time, he published his journal of the Portolá expedition, Diario histórico. It is known as the first book entirely about California. He served as governor of Puebla until retiring in 1784. He then returned to Spain. Portolá died in 1786.
