“March 1, Friday (1775) I said Mass. We set out from La Graciosa Lake at eight o’clock in the morning, and at a quarter past five in the afternoon, we halted in the spot called El Buchón village, having traveled ten leagues. This is a spot having very fine water and a great deal of firewood that served us very well. A point of land goes out to seaward from here, having a good many mountains which are spurs of the Santa Lucia Range.” From the Journal of Pedro Font, O.F.M.

Where is El Buchón Village? The site of the Chumash village of El Buchón was located in Price Canyon, and it was at this village that camp was made on March 1 by the Anza Expedition of 1775-1776. It is now the location of the Price Historic Park, an area designated by the National Park Service as part of the Anza Trail. In the 1700’s, Spain owned the land now known as Mexico and California. Spain did have several military and religious outposts in Alta California, near what we now know as Monterey. The soldiers and priests there struggled because of the isolation from New Spain. Any communication took 4 to 6 months to arrive, and the only access at the time was via long voyages, sea routes that were very dangerous.

In the 1700’s, Spain owned the land now known as Mexico and California. Spain did have several military and religious outposts in Alta California, near what we now know as Monterey. The soldiers and priests there struggled because of the isolation from New Spain. Any communication took 4 to 6 months to arrive, and the only access at the time was via long voyages, sea routes that were very dangerous. 

Spain came to fear the Russians, who were trying to colonize Alta California from the north, as well as the British who were attacking the Spanish galleons at sea. In an effort to stop this encroachment on their territory, Juan Baptista de Anza was appointed to find an overland route and establish a colony in the San Francisco area.

Juan Bautista de Anza, part of the Spanish military, put together an expedition with 200 men, women, and children interested in moving to new land, along with 1000 head of livestock, military escorts, priests, cowboys, and Indian guides. Starting on October 23, 1875, they traveled 1200 miles from what is now Nogales, Arizona and found their way to the San Francisco Bay Area, arriving on June 27, 1876. This Anza Expedition changed the course of California history.