Alcatraz_ A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years - Michael Esslinger [13]
The first overland expedition failed to locate the Port at Monterey. It is suspected that Vizcaíno’s romanticized description may have been misleading and caused the frontiersmen to press too far northward in search of a site for their future mission. By the time the crew arrived in the area that is today known as Berkeley, they had already realized that they had overshot their destination. Many of the men had fallen ill during the exhausting expedition, with several documented as having severe diarrhea, and others stricken with scurvy. Portolá himself was described as being ill with “sickness of the intestines, ” and with rations low, the expedition settled for a brief period to allow the men time to rest.
On Tuesday October 31, 1769, Portolá’s party made the first official references to the discovery of San Francisco. In excerpts from the logs of Portolá and Miguel Costansó, the expedition’s engineer and cosmographer, the historic moment is described:
“We traveled two hours of very bad road up over a very high mountain. We stopped upon the height and the sergeant with eight soldiers were dispatched to explore, as some farallones, and a point of land, and a bight had been seen. Here we stayed for four days to explore. The pioneers set out, and we afterward followed along with the packtrain and the rest of the people at eleven o’clock in the forenoon. From the summit we descended a large bay lying to the northwest under a point of land reaching far out to sea, over which there had been much disputing the evening before whether it was an island or no, it having been impossible then, because of some horizon-mist covering it, to make it out as clearly as we did now. Out beyond, about to the west-northwest with respect to our position, and a bit to the southwest from the point could be seen seven white farallones of differing sizes and looking back along the north side of the bay there were abrupt white bluffs made out more toward the north, while turning around toward the northeast, the mouth of the inlet was discovered that seemed to reach inland. At the sight of these marks we turned to the Cabrera Bueno’s sailing directions, and it seemed to us out of all doubt that we were looking upon was the Harbor of San Francisco, and so persuaded that Monterrey Harbor lay behind us.”
Father Crespi who was present on the expedition wrote:
“All Saint’s day and All Soul’s day. The two of us said mass here, and on All Saint’s day after Mass by the governor’s order Sergeant Ortega set out with eight soldiers to scout for three days’ march, wherefore we remained here until the 3rd, when they arrived back at night from scouting. At this place there are limitless very lush brambles, many rose patches, and all kinds of lush plants, very plentiful. Shortly after we here there came over to the camp a good sized village of very well behaved friendly natives (Indians), most of them well bearded and brought us a great many large dark-colored tamales, very rich, which the soldiers say are very good and would go well in a pipiánfricassee. There must be many villages all about this rich harbor, for we have seen many smoke [columns] from here; mussels are also very plentiful here, and very large, and the soldiers have brought back a great deal of them. Many deer have been seen upon the hills here. Bear tracks and droppings have been seen here. Our sick men have been improving everyday and are now all riding on horseback, thank the Lord Who has granted them this relief.”
On November 2, 1769, Portolá’s party climbed the eastern