Pacifica Historical Society and NPS Ranger Host Portola Expedition Discovery of San Francisco Bay

The Pacifica Historical Society, the City of Pacifica, and the National Park Service commemorate the arrival of the Portola expedition from Mexico into what is now Pacifica, and their sighting of San Francisco Bay on November 2, 1769.

Why was this so important?

Find out at a talk given by a board member of the Historical Society, and a National Park Ranger, at 9:00 a.m. at the Pacifica Community Center.

This will be followed by a hike to the top of Sweeney Ridge at 10 a.m. starting at the end of Fassler Avenue.

The Portola Expedition was an important event in United States history, because its sighting of San Francisco Bay from the hills above present-day Pacifica had far-reaching consequences for Alta California and the native people who lived here.

This event led to others — the flow of immigrants and miners, the rise of San Francisco, statehood, and more.

Hear about this from a speaker from the Pacifica Historical Society and a National Park Service ranger.

Then take a moderate hike at 10:00am up to Sweeney Ridge, led by the ranger, to imagine what Portola must have seen in 1769.