Gaspar de Portolá
Gaspar de Portolá was the leader of a Spanish expedition tasked with exploring and establishing Spanish presence in Alta California, which was then part of New Spain. The expedition included both land and sea parties.
Portolá's sighting of San Francisco Bay is believed to have occurred in late October or early November of 1769. He led a land expedition overland from San Diego, California, and was searching for the Monterey Bay. At the same time, a sea party, led by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and later Sebastián Vizcaíno, was exploring the California coast by ship.
The land expedition led by Portolá initially missed Monterey Bay due to navigational errors. They continued northward and eventually reached the vicinity of San Francisco Bay. While they didn't fully recognize the bay as it was often shrouded in fog, they did see the northern entrance of the bay, which we now know as the Golden Gate. Portolá's men recorded in their diaries that they saw what they described as "a large estuary."
Portolá's sighting of the bay laid the groundwork for future Spanish exploration and eventual colonization of the region. It's worth noting that the full significance of the bay and its potential as a major port and harbor wasn't fully recognized at the time. However, Portolá's journey and subsequent expeditions contributed to the Spanish presence in California and the eventual establishment of missions and settlements in the area.
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