Chapter 6

Dear Captain:--During the four times that I made reconnaissance of this Port, and made its map, I found at the northeast and north-northeast what is shown on the map and I here describe. To the north-northeast of Angel Island, distant about a mile, there is a bay running in a direction north-northwest to south-southwest. The distance between the points forming said bay, is about two leagues, and the shore line is about two and a half leagues. To the northwest of the shore there are three small islands, forming between them and the shore a narrow passage of shallow water closed to the southwest. This bay is all surrounded with hills with few trees, which are mostly laurel and oak, but at a distance to the west-northwest, is visible a wood of what seems to be pines. In the middle of this bay is standing a high farallon with submerged rocks around it. On the northeast of it there is sufficient water for anchorage, as is shown on the map. There is no doubt of its being good anchorage for vessels, provided they have good cables and anchors, for they are subject to great stress because of the current, which at this point, cannot be less than four miles an hour[69].

North-northeast of said bay there is a mouth about two miles wide, where there are four small white rocks, the two north ones with the two south ones[70] form a channel of nine brazas depth. From this, one passes to another bay[71] more spacious, the diameter of which is about eight leagues, its shape a perfect isosceles triangle; its mouth is divided into two channels,--one, on the side of the southwest coast, turns to the northwest at about the distance of a mile and ends in two large harbors which are situated in the same shore at about four league's distance from the mouth that communicates with the first bay; from the northwest point of the furthest harbor to the north of it, distant about one and a half leagues, in turning a point to the west-northwest, a large body of water[72] is seen, which I did not examine because the channel which leads to it is extremely limited, its depth not having three codos[73] of water; from here to the east-northeast follows a low-lying island, just above the water level, ending in a division made by the hills[74]. The other channel, which is roomy and deep, runs directly in a northeast direction till it reaches the division of the hills through a canon that runs in the same direction.

All the bay, which is called the round bay (Bahia Redondo), though it is not shaped that way, is surrounded with steep hills, without trees, excepting two spots on the slopes fronting the two harbors to the southwest. The rest of it is arid, rugged, and of a melancholic aspect. Outside of the channels there is in this bay about five codos of water, and at low tide two and a half, and in some places it is dry. It is not difficult to enter this bay, but going out will be difficult on account of the wind from the southwest. After a careful examination of its shore, I did not find any fresh water or any signs of it. Standing in the canon, which is to the northeast, there is a channel[75] a mile and a half wide, deep and clear. East of its entrance there is a rancheria of about four hundred souls. I had dealings with them, but did not buy anything, though I presented them with beads, which you had given me for that purpose, and some old clothing of mine. Their acquaintance was useful to my men and to me, as they presented us with exquisite fishes (amongst them salmon), seeds, and pinole. I had opportunity of visiting them four times and found them always as friendly as the first time, noticing in them polite manners, and what is better, modesty and retirement in the women. They are not disposed to beg, but accept with good will what is given them, without being impertinent, as are many others I have seen during the conquest. This Indian village has some scows or canoes, made of tule, so well constructed and woven that they caused me great admiration. Four men get in them to go fishing, pushing with two-ended oars with such speed that I found they went faster than the launch. These were the only Indians with whom I had communication in this northern part.

Following said channel a distance to the west from its mouth, there is a harbor, so commodious, accessible, abundant in fresh water and wood, and sheltered from all winds, that I considered it one of the best inland ports that our Sovereign has for anchoring a fleet of vessels. I called it Puerto de la Asumpta, having examined it the day of the festivity of that saint[76].

To the southeast of this port[77] the canon continues, until it joins the channel of the Indian village. Following a distance of three leagues in an east-northeast direction, it enters another bay[78] with a depth of thirteen brazas, diminishing to four where some rivers[79] empty and take the saltiness of the water which there becomes sweet, the same as in a lake. The rivers come, one from the east-northeast (this is the largest, about two hundred and fifty yards wide), the other, which has many branches, comes from the northeast through tulares and swamps in very low land, the channels not over two brazas with sandy bars at their mouths, where I found in sounding the water not more than a half braza. This made me think they were not navigable, especially as on the second occasion I entered them, I touched bottom both in the channels and on the bars. The bay where these rivers empty, is another port larger than the Asumpta, where any vessel may enter, but it would be difficult to obtain wood, which is far from the shore. All the eastern coast is covered with trees; that to the west is arid, dry, full of grasshoppers, and impossible of settlement. This is all I have reconnoitered to the north of Angel Island. To the southeast of said island following the estero is as follows:

To the east of this island, at a distance of about two leagues, there is another, steep and barren, without any shelter, which divides the mouth of the channel in two[80], through which the sea enters to a distance of about twelve leagues. The width of this channel is in some parts, one, two, and three leagues; its depth is not over four brazas, its width ample, but a pistol shot outside of the channel; its depth is not over two brazas. The extreme end of this sound, eastward, forms with a point, a pocket, which, at low tide is nearly dry[81]. In every part there are seen poles driven in (the mud), with black feathers, bunches of tule, and little shells, which I believe are buoys for fishing, since they are in the water. I think it will be impossible to anchor for three leagues inside of this slough, because it is so exposed to the weather that strong cables and good anchorage are needed to hold against the strong current from the north.

The northeast part of this slough is surrounded by high hills, and has in its mouth a thick wood of oaks, and at the other end groves of thick redwood trees. At the southwest of the coast is a small slough, navigable only by launches[82], and on the coast two harbors[83] where vessels can anchor. On the more eastern one there is an Indian village, rough, like the ones in Monterey. This part seems to have better places for missions, though I did not examine it except from a distance.

All the above stated in this report is what I observed, saw, surveyed, and sounded, during the days, in which by your orders, I went to the reconnoitering of this Port of San Francisco in its interior; and as proof of it, I sign it in this new Port of San Francisco, at the shelter of Angel Island, on September 7th, 1775.

Jose de Canizares.

Index of Places

Acapulco Alcatraz Island Almejas, El Rincon de las Almejas, Punta del Angel Island Angel Point Ano Nuevo, Punta de Arroyo de San Francisco Arroyo Seco Baker's Beach Barranca Ballenas Bay Bonita, Point Brazas California, Baja California, Gulf of Canada Canada do los Osos Canada do San Andres Carmelo, Pt Carmelo, bay Carmelo, Rio del Carquines, strait Cerralbo, Bay of Codo Columbia river Concepcion, Laguna de la Concepcion, Point Dieguenos Drake's Bay El Buchon El Oso Flaco Ensenada Farallones de San Francisco Farallones, Gulf of Florida Fort Point Golden Gate Golden Gate, strait Guadalupe, lake Islais creek Jesus de los Temblores, Rio de La Paz, Bay of La Paz, port of Lime Point Lobos creek Loreto, presidio of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, river Napa slough Mare Island Mendocino, Cape Mescaltitan Mission bay Montara mountains Monterey, Bay of Monterey, Port of Monterey, presidio and mission of Muertos, Punta de los Navidad, Puerto de Oakland Flats Pajaro, Rio del Pedernales, Point Philippine Islands Pilar Point Pinos, Punta de Porciuncula, Indulgence Puerto Dulce Punta del Angel de la Guarda Presidio anchorage Rancheria Reyes, Punta de los Reyes, Rio de los Richardson's bay Red Rock Ross, Fort San Blas San Buenaventura, mission of San Carlos, Point San Clemente, island San Corpoforo, canon San Diego San Diego, bay San Diego, Founding of mission San Diego, presidio of San Elizario, Rio de San Fernando, valley San Francisco, Bahia o Puerto de San Francisco, Bay of San Francisco, Port of San Francisco, creek San Gabriel, valley San Joaquin river San Jose, Point San Juan Capistrano, mission of San Lorenzo, Rio de San Luis Obispo San Luis Rey, mission of San Miguel (island) San Nicolas, Isla de San Pablo bay San Pedro bay San Pedro Point San Pedro valley Santa Ana, Rio de Santa Barbara Channel Santa Barbara Isla de Santa Barbara presidio of Santa Catalina, island Santa Clara, river Santa Inez, river Santa Lucia, Sierra de Santa Maria, mission of Santa Rosa, river Santa Susana, Sierra de Sacramento, river Sal, Point Salines, river Santiago, Point Seal Rocks Suisun bay Tamalpais, mountain The Brothers (rocks) The Sisters (rocks) Tomales bay Velicata Yerba Buena cove

Index of Persons

Aguilar, Martin Aguirre, Juan B. Alvarado, Juan Bautista Amador, Pedro Anza, Juan Bautista de Arriaga, Julian de Ayala, Juan Manuel Bancroft, H. H. Bodega y Quadra, Juan de la Bolanos, Francisco Bucareli, Antonio Maria Bueno, Cabrera Cabrillo, Juan Rodrigues Canizares, Jose Carrillo, Jose Raimundo Cermenon, Sebastian Coronado, Francisco Vasquez Cortes, Hernando Corvan, Toribio Gomez de Costanso, Miguel Cota, Pablo de Crespi, Juan Davidson, George De Gali, Francisco De Soto, Hernando Drake, Francis Estorace, Jorge Fages, Pedro Ferrelo, Bartolome Figueroa, Rodriga de Fletcher, Francis Galvez, Jose de Gomez, Fray Francisco Griffin, George Butler Heceta, Bruno de Jiminez (Fortun) Laut, Agnes C. Legaspi, Miguel Lopez de Lummis, Chas. F. Maldonado, Gabriel Manrique, Miguel Mendoza, Antonio de Monterey, Conde de Morgana, Juan de Oliveros, Jose Ignacio Ortega, Jose Francisco Palou, Fray Francisco Perez, Juan Parron, Fray Fernando Pino, Miguel del Portola, Gaspar de Prat, Pedro Rivera y Moncada, Fernando de Salcedo, Felipe Serra, Fray Junipero Soberanes, Jose Maria Vancouver, Captain George Velasco, Luis de Vila, Vicente Vizcaino, Fray Juan Vizcaino, Sebastian Yorba, Jose Antonio Zuniga y Asevedo, Gaspar de

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: Sierra de Santa Lucia.]

[Footnote 2: Audiencia, the highest judicial body.]

[Footnote 3: The system of encomienda conferred feudal rights upon the discoverers. The Indians became vassals of Spanish lords.]

[Footnote 4: Vizcaino says he set out on the discovery of the coast of the South Sea with two ships, a lancha, and a barcoluengo. A lancha was a small vessel having no deck and but one mast, and propelled by sweeps. Vanegas calls the vessel a fragata. A barcoluengo, or barcolongo, was a long open boat.]

[Footnote 5: The second voyage of Vizcaino is of particular interest to Californians for the reason that the names given by him to the various geographical features of the coast still remain. The particulars of the first voyage are taken largely from the publications of the Southern California Historical Society of documents in the Sutro collection.]

[Footnote 6: Sutro Col. Pub. Southern California Hist. Socy.]

[Footnote 7: Prof. George Davidson identifies the Rio de los Reyes as Rogue River in 42 deg. 25'.]

[Footnote 8: About Cape San Quintin, the latitude of their northernmost mission.]

[Footnote 9: Instruccion qua ha de observer el Teniente de Infanteria. Dn Pedro Pages, 5 enero de 1769. Provincial State Papers; i, 38.9, Ms. Spanish Archives of California.]

[Footnote 10: So-called from the cuera, a leathern jacket worn by them as a defensive armor.]

[Footnote 11: Out West. March-July, 1902.]

[Footnote 12: Pancakes.]

[Footnote 13: Dead Men's Point. The name has disappeared from the modern maps, but is found on all of the old ones. It is the foot of H street where the cars for the Coronado ferry turn on to the wharf.]

[Footnote 14: I am well aware that this claim will be disputed by one whose study of original documents and power of analysis make him perhaps the greatest authority on early California History; but I am nevertheless prepared to maintain my position.]

[Footnote 15: Carga, 275 lbs.]

[Footnote 16: Hence the presidial soldiers were called Soldados de Cuera and so distinguished from soldiers of the regular army.]

[Footnote 17: Diario Historico de los viages de Mar y de tierra hichos al norte de la California. Ms. Original in Sutro Library.]

[Footnote 18: The league is the Spanish league of 5,000 varas. 2.63 miles.]

[Footnote 19: They also gave it the name of Santa Ana, whose day, July 26th, they had just observed.]

[Footnote 20: Sometimes called the Grand Pardon of Assisi--the great indulgence of the Franciscans. Originally granted to St. Francis for the Church of Our Lady of the Angeles of Porciuncula, it was, by apostolic indult, expanded to accompany the child of St. Francis wherever he may be. It is enough for him to erect an altar and that altar will be to him St. Mary of the Angels, and he will there find the Porciuncula of the revelations. Whoso confesses and receives the sacrament in the church of Porciuncula is granted plenary remission of his sins in this world and the next. This indulgence is only for August 2nd--that is, from the afternoon of August 1st until sunset of August 2nd.]

[Footnote 21: It is to this incident that the city of Los Angeles owes its name. The full baptismal name of the city is Nuestra Senora La Reina de los Angeles--Our Lady the Queen of the Angels. It was founded in 1781, by royal order, the second pueblo established in California.]

[Footnote 22: Rancheria is the name given to an Indian village or town.]

[Footnote 23: The Valley of the Bears.]

[Footnote 24: The diarists applied the word canada to either a canon or an open valley.]

[Footnote 25: The word ensenada, much used by the Spanish explorers, means a bight or open roadstead, not an enclosed and protected bay.]

[Footnote 26: "Transportar en Xamus al Modo que cominan las mujeres en Andalucia," Crespi: Palou's Noticias de la Nueva California, ii. 181.]

[Footnote 27: The names given on this portion of the route have all disappeared, but are here given as a suggestion to the Ocean Shore Railroad.]

[Footnote 28: The Fleas.]

[Footnote 29: It must be borne in mind that what they called the Bay or Port of San Francisco was that stretch of water reaching from Point Reyes to Point San Pedro and later known as the Gulf of the Farallones.]

[Footnote 30: Professor George Davidson says that what was seen by Portola from the Montara mountains was the break in the Ballenos cliffs, a deep narrow valley which runs straight from Ballenos bay to Tomales bay, fourteen miles.]

[Footnote 31: The Golden Gate and Bay of San Francisco.]

[Footnote 32: The Bay of San Francisco continued to be called the "Estero," until some time after Colonel Anza established the presidio and mission of San Francisco in 1776.]

[Footnote 33: The present name, Canada de San Andres, was given by Rivera, Nov. 30, 1714.]

[Footnote 34: On November, 1774, Rivera came up the peninsula on an exploring expedition and on the spot where he had camped with the first expedition in 1769, he planted a cross to mark the place for a mission. In March, 1776, Col. Juan Bautista de Anza, coming to select sites for the Presidio and Mission of San Francisco, notes this cross on the bank of the Arroyo de San Francisco (now San Francisquito creek), about one hundred paces above the great redwood tree, and says the plan for a mission there was abandoned because the creek was dry in summer. I note this explanation because an excellent authority has located Portola's camp on Redwood creek.]

[Footnote 35: I give to Ortega the credit of discovering the Golden Gate and the Straits of Carquinez. The testimony seems sufficient to me.]

[Footnote 36: Vizcaino to the King, May 23, 1603. Pub. Hist. Socy. of Southern California, Vol. ii, Part 1.]

[Footnote 37: On the day of the Holy Innocents it was not possible to say mass. We are sorry for it, because it is the only feast day in all the journey up to the present that we have been without mass. We are stuck in a mud hole and are unable to move from the place where we are all wet through, and it is not possible to make a journada to a plain that is dry for this is bubbling up water--Crespi, Diario.]

[Footnote 38: Crespi: Diario.]

[Footnote 39: Palou: Noticias de la Nueva California.]

[Footnote 40: Invernate--to winter.]

[Footnote 41: Manuel Orozco y Berra, Apuntes Airs. la Historia de la Geografia an Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Formento de la Republica Mexicana Tomo VI, p. 269. Documents in the Archives of the Indies, Seville.]

[Footnote 42: This is a summary of the document. A full translation would be too tedious for a work of this kind.]

[Footnote 43: On the Tres Marias Islands.]

[Footnote 44: Don Pedro Fages. Commandante of California, who had been recalled.]

[Footnote 45: Bancroft. Hist. of Cal., says Ayala sailed from Monterey, July 24th. That was to make the sailing fit the Bancroft theories.]

[Footnote 46: Braza--Fathom: Six feet.]

[Footnote 47: Ayala anchored inside Port Point--the Presidio anchorage.]

[Footnote 48: Richardson's Bay.]

[Footnote 49: Angel Island.]

[Footnote 50: Alcatraz--Pelican]

[Footnote 51: The Southern portion of the bay.]

[Footnote 52: Pt. San Pedro.]

[Footnote 53: That is: Pt. Almejas or Pt. San Pedro.]

[Footnote 54: Barranca: The dictionary definition is a ravine or gulch, but it also means a high bluff or cliff and in that sense is used by these explorers.]

[Footnote 55: i. e.: from Pt. Almejas.]

[Footnote 56: Cliff Rouse Rocks.]

[Footnote 57: Punta del Angel de la Guarda--Point Lobos.]

[Footnote 58: Seal Rocks.]

[Footnote 59: Bakers Beach.]

[Footnote 60: Lobos Creek.]

[Footnote 61: i. e.: Inside of Point San Jose--Fort Point.]

[Footnote 62: Tamalpais]

[Footnote 63: Point Bonita. The present name was given it in 1776.]

[Footnote 64: Golden Gate Strait.]

[Footnote 65: i. e.: The outer harbor; outside of the Golden Gate.]

[Footnote 66: Lime Point.]

[Footnote 67: Angel Island.]

[Footnote 68: The Presidio anchorage.]

[Footnote 69: This is the body of water between Pt. San Pedro, Pt. San Pablo, Pt. Richmond and Tiburon Peninsula. The high farallon is Red Rock.]

[Footnote 70: The rocks are The Sisters and The Brothers.]

[Footnote 71: San Pablo Bay.]

[Footnote 72: Napa Slough. The marsh was evidently under water, and island number one, with Mare Island, made one long island.]

[Footnote 73: Codo--1 1/2 feet.]

[Footnote 74: Mare Island. The division of the hills or canon is Carquines Strait.]

[Footnote 75: Carquines Straits.]

[Footnote 76: The Assumption of the Virgin--August 15th. It is Southampton bay.]

[Footnote 77: That is, from Puerto de la Asumpta.]

[Footnote 78: Suisun Bay.]

[Footnote 79: The Sacramento and San Joaquin. Suisun Bay was long known as Puerto Dulce--Freshwater Port.]

[Footnote 80: Yerba Buena or Goat Island. Canizaries marked it on the map (c) for isla do Alcatraces, but that evidently was a mistake, as a comparison of the entry in the Log under date of August 12, with the map will show.]

[Footnote 81: Oakland and Berkeley tide flats.]

[Footnote 82: Islais creek.]

[Footnote 83: Yerba Buena cove and Mission bay.]