The Portolá Expedition in Orange County

The Portolá Expedition was the first Spanish overland expedition through what is now Orange County in 1769. It marked a turning point in the history of California and provides us with our first written descriptions of the area and its native inhabitants. "The Portolá Expedition in Orange County" includes brief biographies of Capt. Gaspar de Portolá and the other leaders of the march, a new interpretation of their route through Orange County, a new translation of the diary of Lt. Miguel Costansó, the expedition's military engineer, and details on the expedition's encounters with the Indians, local place names, and lasting influence of the expedition.