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104-669: The Salinas Dam is a dam built on the Salinas River in San Luis Obispo County, California. Designed by Raymond A. Hill, the gravity dam features an arched design with an open spillway. The War Department began construction on the dam in mid-1941, as World War II began to reach the Pacific. The original intent of the dam was to supply water to Camp San Luis Obispo , which the Army was considering expanding to meet military needs. However,

208-560: A "river watering a luxuriant plain" filled with fish weighing 8 to 10 pounds (3.6 to 4.5 kg). As of the end of 2016, the river had been transformed into little more than a dry bedded run-off feature for the majority of its length. Until 1989 the Salinas River had a continuous flow throughout the year, stretching back to at least 1941 when the United States Geological Survey (USGS) began complete monitoring records in

312-438: A different river, and that it should therefore be given a new name, however he appears to have been over-ruled by the other members of his party at the time. The first agreed upon name for the river, as it subsequently appeared on many Spanish and Mexican maps, was Rio de Monterey , presumably being named after the newly founded nearby town of Monterey , the capital of Alta California . The earliest recorded use of this name for

416-480: A dozen Indians from the interior – apparently Rumsen people  – visited, bringing pinole and seeds. The next day the party slaughtered a mule, but not everyone would eat it. The weather turned cold, and snow began to cover the hills. The exhausted men reached San Diego on January 24, 1770 "smelling frightfully of mules", but warmly welcomed by their fellow soldiers and friars. Apart from five men who had apparently deserted, every member of

520-561: A fast-flowing river. In rainfall-induced flood conditions, it can at times measure over a mile in width. During the 20th century, such flood conditions are reported to have generally occurred approximately once every 3–10 years. The last similar flooding event along the river was reported in 1998. The atypical drought-breaking rains of the winter of 2016–2017 restored the river's flow to its lower northern reaches in January ;2017. The current most typical dry or zero flow state of

624-415: A harbor with a ship laden with food supplies. Heading a party of scouts up and over Montara Mountain , Ortega reached the area now known as Devil's Slide . They found their northward advance blocked by the mouth of a vast bay they could not identify – known today as San Francisco Bay . Ortega and his scouts turned back south along the west shore of the bay, around the southern end and back up

728-428: A large wooden cross where passing ships could see it, with a letter describing the expedition's travels buried at its foot. Crespí quoted part of the letter: "The cross was planted on a hill on the edge of the beach of the little bay which lies to the south of Point Pinos (pine-covered headland)." Frustrated in their hunting and fishing efforts, men of the expedition had to eat seagulls and pelicans. On November 30, about

832-612: A lieutenant of the royal navy (whose diary survives ); the San Antonio , captained by Juan Pérez , a native of Palma de Majorca ; and the San José . All three ships, crossing the Gulf of California from San Blas, arrived leaking on the east coast of Baja, requiring repairs there. On the shore of La Paz on January 9, 1769, friar Junípero Serra blessed the flagship San Carlos and its chaplain, friar Fernando Parrón. José de Gálvez , addressing

936-518: A much more difficult undertaking because of the prevailing winds and ocean currents. After Vizcaíno, however, the Spanish Empire did little to protect or settle this region for the next 160 years, and accomplished almost no exploration by land. Affairs in Europe took precedence, keeping all of the maritime powers occupied. The little settlement that did occur included the establishment of several missions on

1040-548: A party of 74 men: lieutenant Pedro Fages with his Catalan volunteers ; leather-jacket soldiers; captain Fernando Rivera ; sergeant José Francisco Ortega leading the scouts; engineer and cartographer Miguel Costansó ; Baja California Christian Indians; and friars Juan Crespí and Francisco Gómez; the Franciscan missionary college of San Fernando had appointed Crespí official diarist of the expedition. On July 14, 1769, after

1144-436: A source of fresh water and helped by Indians they encountered, they found a suitable river about nine miles northeast. Moving their ships as close as possible, they set up a camp on the beach, surrounding it with an earthen parapet with two cannons mounted. From their ships' sails and awnings they made two large hospital tents, as well as tents for the officers and friars. Then they moved the sick men to shore and settled them into

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1248-589: A stock of supplies for the new mission in Monterey. Buffeted by unfavorable winds, the San Antonio retreated back south to Baja California , then swung as far north as the Farallon Islands , 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Monterey. Several sailors fell sick with scurvy . The San Antonio finally sailed into Monterey Bay on May 31, welcomed by the Portolà party which had arrived a week earlier. They returned to

1352-471: Is blocked by sand dunes except during winter high-water flows. The land owners altered the course of the river by filling in the river bed during the dry season. This allowed them to farm all of their land and use the water as they saw fit. The old stream bed went from the Old Salinas River, joining Elkhorn Slough on Monterey Bay near Moss Landing , to the present course where the main channel's mouth

1456-454: Is built at an angle to allow overflow in the event that the lake level surpasses a safe height or capacity. The dam is 135 feet (41 m) high, and is built to withstand a maximum theoretical capacity of 26,000 acre-feet (32,000,000 m) of water, and a maximum water level of 1,300.74 feet (396.47 m). The intake system of the dam is composed of three separate intakes. Two of the three intakes are flexible 15-foot (4.6 m) snorkels, and

1560-559: Is directly on the Pacific Ocean . The old Salinas River channel that diverts north behind the sand dunes along the ocean, acts as an overflow channel during the rainy season. Commencing from Hill Town running south along the western banks of the Salinas River to Gonzales is River Road. This road also falls along the edge of the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA , giving rise to its designation as River Road Wine Trail . Before

1664-574: Is especially known as one of the principal regions for lettuce and artichokes in the United States. The river is shallow above ground, periodically dry, with much of its flow underground. The underground flow results from numerous aquifers, which are recharged by water from the Salinas, especially from the Nacimiento and San Antonio lakes during the dry months. In the 18th and early 19th centuries,

1768-417: Is in contrast to some areas of the country where various water authorities both monitor and regulate water use for agriculture. The previous ecosystem of the Salinas River, which once included steelhead trout, and numerous other species throughout the full length of a once year-round flowing river, has clearly been drastically impacted in recent years by the expanding heavy demands of agricultural water use in

1872-423: Is the port of Monterey without the slightest doubt." The three men then walked along the rocky coast south to Carmel Bay . Several Indians approached them, and the two groups exchanged gifts. Meanwhile, on April 16, the San Antonio , captained by Juan Pérez , set sail from San Diego to Monterey. On board were friar Junípero Serra , cartographer Miguel Costansó , and doctor Pedro Prat – along with

1976-631: The Baja California peninsula by Spanish Jesuit missionaries. Then, in 1767, Charles III of Spain expelled the Jesuit order from the Spanish kingdom. Gaspar de Portolà , a Catalan military officer and colonial administrator, was appointed governor of the new province of Las Californias and sent to dispossess the Jesuits and replace them with Franciscans , who would set up their own network of missions in

2080-549: The Franciscan missionary team into Alta California, joined the Portolà party as chaplain and diarist. The 55-year-old Serra suffered a chronic infection of his left foot and leg, which Portolà believed had now become cancerous. He tried to dissuade Serra from joining the expedition, but Serra refused to withdraw; he told Portolà to go ahead, saying he would follow and meet up with Portolà on the frontier. Meanwhile, Serra assigned friar Miguel de la Campa from Mission San Ignacio to join

2184-628: The Las Tablas Creek tributary of the Nacimiento River, and Jack Creek, a tributary of Paso Robles Creek west of Templeton . In regards to the area's historical beaver population, after a period of depletion by 19th-century fur trappers, California golden beaver ( Castor canadensis subauratus ) populations rebounded and expanded their range from the Salinas River mouth to the San Antonio River tributary below its reservoir and beyond to

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2288-453: The Monterey peninsula , then just south to a hill by the beach where their party had planted a large cross the previous December. They found the cross surrounded by feathers and broken arrows driven into the ground, with fresh sardines and meat laid out before the cross. No Indians were in sight. In the bay waters, hundreds of seals and sea otters splashed and basked in the sun. Crespí wrote: "This

2392-485: The Rio Salinas , most probably so renamed after the nearby American-founded town of Salinas , which in turn appears to have first been named in 1854 after the old Rancho Las Salinas land grant, parts of which included the city. The river begins in southern San Luis Obispo County , approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of the summit point of Pine Ridge, at a point just off of Agua Escondido Road, coming down off of

2496-490: The San Carlos headed south down the Gulf of California to round Cabo San Lucas and then head north along the Pacific coast. On February 15, Gálvez dispatched the San Antonio , captained by Juan Pérez , from Cabo San Lucas; Franciscan friars Juan Vizcaíno and Francisco Gómez served as chaplains. With sailors plus cooks, carpenters and blacksmiths, the San Antonio carried a total of around 30 men. These ships left ahead of

2600-617: The Sea of Cortez in western Mexico . The Salinas River is also thought to have been, about 700,000 years ago, the outlet for prehistoric Lake Corcoran . Lake Corcoran once filled much of what is now California's Central Valley , prior to the lake's developing an outlet via the Carquinez Strait , to empty through the present San Francisco Bay . People first appeared along the California coast approximately 13,000 years ago, during

2704-585: The de Anza Expedition in March ;1776: ... there are obtained also many good salmon which enter the river to spawn. Since they are fond of fresh water they ascend the streams so far that I am assured that even at the mission of San Antonio some of the fish which ascend the Rio de Monterey have been caught. Of this fish we ate almost every day while we were here. If Father Font was describing salmon (and not steelhead), then his records suggest that salmon once traversed

2808-424: The "port of San Francisco" by previous European explorers, while what is today known as "San Francisco Bay" was still undiscovered. The sight convinced some, but not all of them that they had indeed bypassed the port of Monterey. Sergeant Ortega , contacting a group of Indians, thought they were trying to notify him of a ship anchored somewhere up north; for weeks, the men of the expedition had sought desperately for

2912-437: The 7 July 1846 invasion by American warships, commanded by Admiral J.D. Sloat . When Americans first arrived, the river approached Monterey Bay near Mulligan Hill just north of Marina . It turned north to flow parallel to the bay, separated by sand dunes, before flowing into Elkhorn Slough and finally entering the bay north of Moss Landing . Possibly because of flooding and human activity sometime between 1908 and 1910,

3016-481: The Aleutian Islands before returning to the spawning grounds in the tributaries of the Salinas River. As noted, the trout life-cycle which requires an annual migration to the sea and then back, was broken during the dry-river conditions of the years 2013–2016, and the current fate of the river's steelhead trout remains uncertain at best. Father Pedro Font described salmon in the Salinas River ( Rio de Monterey ) on

3120-777: The Cuesta tunnel, through the Cuesta tunnel, and another additional mile before gravity can again be used to transport the water the rest of the way to the water treatment plant. The dam was originally owned by the United States Army, but was transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers in April 1947. Several months later, in July 1947, the Army Corps of Engineers and the County of San Luis Obispo Flood Control and Water Conservation District made an agreement that

3224-552: The District would assume the operation and maintenance of the dam and related operations. In 1988, the County Water District made an additional agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers to established a water quality monitoring program. San Luis Obispo now holds water rights up to 45,000 acre-feet from the reservoir; nearly the theoretical capacity of the dam with a flood gate installed. The city of San Luis Obispo investigated

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3328-490: The Native Americans, indicating that they were committed to creating peaceful relationships with the native people. The long-term goal was to create settlements, introduce farming, and convert the inhabitants to Christianity, so peaceful coexistence was important during the expedition. The Portolà expedition was the first land-based exploration by Europeans of what is now California. The expedition's most notable discovery

3432-403: The Portolà party left San Diego. Following the same route they had taken the year before, they traveled five weeks with only two days of rest, arriving at Monterey Bay on May 24. They did not lose a single man or suffer any illnesses, except for an eye infection that afflicted Fages and Crespí. That afternoon, Portolà, Crespí and a guard walked over the hills to Point Pinos on the northern tip of

3536-497: The Portolà party. The party, driving a supply train and food animals, included 25 leather-jacket soldiers under sergeant José Francisco Ortega ; muleteers; artisans; and 44 Christian Indians from Baja California, acting as servants and interpreters to communicate with Indians along the way. This group traveled slower than the Rivera party. Serra, trekking much of the way on a broken-down mule, finally caught up with Portolà, De la Campa and

3640-566: The Portolà/Serra party arrived in San Diego in good health, with 163 mules loaded with supplies. Desiring to push the sea expedition north to Monterey – as Gálvez had instructed – Portolá offered captain Vicente Vila of the San Carlos 16 of his own men to work the ship on its voyage to Monterey. But Vila had lost all his ship's officers, his boatswain , coxswain of

3744-414: The Salinas River main stem and up its San Antonio River tributary to Mission San Antonio near what is now Jolon . This may support other historical observer records primarily in the form of oral histories taken and compiled by H.A. Franklin that placed Chinook salmon in the mainstem as far south as Atascadero where Highway 41 crosses, as well as southern tributaries of the Salinas River, including

3848-550: The Salinas River that supported steelhead trout once included Paso Robles Creek, Jack Creek, Atascadero Creek, Santa Margarita Creek and Trout Creek in the upper reaches of the River. It once took over ten days for the steelhead from the upper part of the watershed to migrate to the Pacific Ocean near the City of Marina on Monterey Bay. From there, the steelhead would migrate to the area west of

3952-416: The Salinas River watershed. At one time it was also an important middle link for salmon migrating from the Salinas River to Tassajara Creek and other tributaries. Estrella River also remains undammed. A 2015 assessment of the survivability of the river's steelhead trout indicated that such a survival may be unlikely, due to the river's recent tendency to run dry for most of the year. Other tributaries of

4056-478: The Salinas River. The long and deep submarine Monterey Canyon dwarfs all other such canyons along the Pacific coast of North America. However, the known flow-rates and drainage area of the Salinas River in no way indicate the river as it presently stands was ever capable of creating such a large submarine outflow canyon . The current hypothesis is that, at one point in the Miocene epoch , many millions of years ago,

4160-506: The Salinas Valley, and the resulting most typical dry-river conditions. Despite regularly running dry, the Salinas River has at the same time had occasional notable floods. Among these were the flood of 1964 and the flood of 1995. The geological history of the ancient Salinas River is currently held by tectonic plate theory to likely be rather unique among the many rivers of the western North American seaboard: The shifting position of

4264-442: The Salinas area. Most probably primarily due to recent increases in agricultural water demand in the Salinas Valley, and the resultant lowering of water tables, the lower reaches of the Salinas river (north of King City) remained entirely dry during the three years 2013–2016. Nonetheless, with sufficiently heavy rains, and on rare occasions, this now normally dry runoff feature is still capable of quickly transforming itself back into

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4368-513: The San Diego River, building the new camp on a hill now known as Old Town . They erected a stockade and mounted a cannon on land that later became the Presidio of San Diego . The commanding officers prepared to dispatch the San Antonio back to Lower California New Spain, to report to viceroy de Croix and visitador Gálvez about the expedition. On July 1, just as the ship was about to sail,

4472-679: The U.S. State of California . All three of the Salinas Valley missions remain intact to this day, the Soledad mission having evolved into the City of Soledad , and the San ;Miguel mission having evolved into the unincorporated village of San Miguel . The San Antonio mission is now embedded in Fort Hunter Liggett (a U.S. Army garrison). The mission period ended with the Mexican revolution and

4576-418: The added pressure. On May 21, 1941, the Army awarded a contract to two engineers to design and build the dam. The engineers forecasted that the dam would take a year to complete, but the Army would only allow six months for completion. Planning, surveying, and construction were accelerated, and the dam was completed within the allotted timeframe, in early January 1942. The Salinas Dam project included not only

4680-417: The agricultural sector, and the damming of the river and its tributaries may be contributing factors causing the now mostly-dry condition of the riverbed. The Monterey County Water Resources Agency currently operates a water use monitoring program which requires that all agricultural water users self-report annually on the estimated amount of groundwater pumped from the shrinking Salinas Valley aquifer. This

4784-513: The area for Spain and determine whether the bay would make a good port. The first leg of the expedition consisted of five groups all departing from Baja California and heading north for San Diego. Three groups traveled by sea while two others traveled by land in mule trains. Three galleons , hastily built in San Blas , set sail for San Diego in early 1769: the San Carlos , captained by Vicente Vila,

4888-477: The arrival of Hispanic and American settlers in the area, the Salinas River was once home to abundant fish and beaver populations. Regarding historical fish populations, the Arroyo Seco is the only major Salinas River tributary which has remained undammed and as of 2015, still supported a small remnant population of the threatened Central Coast Steelhead trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) that once spawned throughout in

4992-622: The banks of the Salinas river were the Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad established in 1791, and the Mission San Miguel Arcángel , established in 1797. The Mission San Antonio de Padua was established during this same time period in the Salinas Valley, but not on the river itself. These three missions were a part of the chain of 21 missions , then commissioned by the Spanish government in Alta California , now

5096-421: The camp. The number of men engaged in those arduous labors diminished daily due to illness. Nearly all medicines and stored food had been consumed on the long voyages. Doctor Pedro Prat – himself weakened by scurvy – gathered medicinal herbs in the fields and desperately tried to cure the ill men. Heat scorched them by day, cold stung them by night. Two or three men died every day, until

5200-499: The camp’s wells ultimately provided sufficient water to the camp, and the reservoir water was never required or used by the military. Today, the dam operations are leased by the city of San Luis Obispo , to supply water to the city and surrounding agricultural areas. The reservoir created by the dam is known as the Santa Margarita Lake, or Santa Margarita Reservoir. The Salinas Dam is a gravity dam with an arched design. The dam

5304-405: The coastline so that he could create a buffer zone to protect Spain's territories from the threat of invasion. Upon hearing about the king's desire to explore Alta California , New Spain's visitador (inspector general) José de Gálvez organized an exploratory expedition and placed Governor Portolà in overall command. The plan called for a joint land-sea movement up the Pacific coast. The job of

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5408-511: The colony. Gaspar came from a military background and had served as a captain of the dragoons of the Regiment of Spain immediately before being appointed governor. When he first sailed to Baja California as the new governor he brought with him 25 dragoons and 25 infantrymen in order to help him with his expulsion of the Jesuits and, eventually, the further exploration of the rest of California. His military background would prove very helpful during

5512-476: The combined sea expedition – which had started with over 90 men – had shrunk to eight soldiers and eight sailors. Captain Rivera 's column arrived on May 14, having trekked 300 miles (480 km) in 50 days from Velicatá without losing a single man or having a sick one – although with their food rations drastically reduced. Rivera's men moved the camp slightly inland near

5616-504: The construction of the dam itself, but also the construction of a one mile (1.6 km) long tunnel through the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, and an additional 9.2 miles (14.8 km) of 24-inch (610 mm) reinforced concrete pipe to route the water. The one mile (1.6 km) tunnel, known as the Cuesta tunnel, was cement lined and approximately six feet (1.8 m) wide by eight feet (2.4 m) tall. The tunnel would allow

5720-497: The dam likely not maintain structural integrity. It was also found that, even at the lower historic water capacity, the dam could possibly fail during a prolonged earthquake, but was within acceptable ranges. Ultimately, the expansion did not come to fruition, and the ownership of the dam stayed in the hands of the Army Corps of Engineers. It took only six months to build the dam, including planning, streambed surveying, and construction. The expedited construction has made many question

5824-465: The dam’s structural integrity, including the engineers involved in its construction. The dam was actually found to leak where the supports contacted the canyon walls, and concrete was later pumped into the canyon walls to help reduce the leakage. Salinas River (California) In 1769, when the river was first discovered by non-Native peoples via the Portola expedition , it was reported by them as being

5928-464: The east side. However, they only got as far as present-day Hayward before turning back – because their allotted three days were up. When the scouts returned and described what they had seen, Portolà led the entire party up into the hills, to a place where the entire San Francisco Bay was visible . Only friar Crespí seemed to grasp the importance of the bay, describing it in his diary as "a very large and fine harbor, such that not only all

6032-439: The effects of scurvy . Portolà and his men continued north along the coast, hoping to find the great port they had now left behind. On October 30, they reached the headlands near today's Moss Beach . Looking into the Pacific Ocean, they could see the Farallon Islands due west – and Drakes Bay curving broadly to Point Reyes across 40 miles (65 km) of open water to the northwest. Drake's Bay had been named

6136-456: The event that the reservoir's surface water level meets or exceeds 1267 feet of elevation, water can flow by gravity to a booster station near the Santa Lucia mountain range. However, when the surface level of the reservoir falls below this amount, it must be pumped to the booster station. Either way, once the water reaches the mountains, it must be pumped for the additional mile to the entrance of

6240-572: The expedition. By the late 1760s, the Spanish king and a handful of other European rulers began to realize the importance the Pacific coast of North America would have in maritime trade and activity. The Russians had been advancing south from their strongholds in present-day Alaska , and the British had been pushing west in Canada and were approaching the Pacific coast. In order to secure Spain's claims in California, Charles III wanted to explore and settle

6344-403: The feasibility of expanding the dam as a part of its 2013 Salinas Reservoir Expansion Study. This study explored the option of installing a spillway gate on the dam, and transferring the dam ownership completely from the Army Corps of Engineers to an unspecified “local” entity. Seismic simulation tests were conducted as part of this study, and it was found that at the proposed increased water level,

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6448-422: The flash-flood prone Arroyo Seco , its fourth major tributary (in wet years). It flows 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the city of Salinas before cutting through Fort Ord and flows into central Monterey Bay approximately 3 miles west of Castroville . The final stretch of the river forms a lagoon protected by the 367-acre (1.49 km ) Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge and its outflow to Monterey Bay

6552-433: The four groups had reunited in San Diego, friars Juan Vizcaíno and Fernando Parrón stayed there with Junípero Serra to head the new mission San Diego . Friars Juan Crespí and Francisco Gómez continued north with Portolà. Serra's group aimed to establish Catholic missions to convert the natives of Alta California to Christianity. Crespí was the only one who traveled with the land expedition throughout its travels, so he became

6656-621: The friars held a Mass in honor of saint Joseph  – patron saint of the Portolá expedition – the Portolá party pulled out of San Diego. Serra stayed behind, as did captain Vicente Vila and the few sailors who remained on the San Carlos . Serra founded mission San Diego in a humble building just two days after the expedition's departure. While Portolà moved north, more men died in San Diego: Eight soldiers, four sailors, eight Christian Indians, and one servant perished by

6760-590: The future pueblo of Los Angeles . They continued moving northwest along a route that would become El Camino Real (royal path or road) in New Spain. On September 30, as the party camped by a river just south of today's Salinas , scouts ranged west to the coast. They reached Monterey Bay but failed to recognize it as the port described by Vizcaíno 167 years earlier. The rest of the party reached Monterey Bay on October 1 – but still failed to recognize it as their destination, because it did not seem to match

6864-444: The grand scale described by Vizcaíno. Also, Portolà and his hungry men had hoped to find the supply ship San José waiting for them at anchor in their destination harbor of Monterey. They never saw the San José , apparently lost at sea. Its morale waning, the party resumed its march on October 7, reaching the area of Espinosa Lake east of today's Castroville . By then, at least ten of the party were being carried on litters , due to

6968-505: The land groups. The San Carlos and San Antonio were followed by an additional supply ship, the San José , which was named after the patron saint of the Portolà expedition, Saint Joseph . The San José never reached San Diego and was presumed lost at sea. Captain Fernando Rivera , moving north through Baja California, gathered horses and mules from the fragile chain of Catholic missions to supply his overland expedition. José de Gálvez had ordered Rivera to requisition horses and mules from

7072-614: The latter part of the Pleistocene epoch . Up until European settlement in Alta California , the indigenous people who lived along the Salinas River were the Rumsen in the northern Salinas Valley , and the Salinan in the southern Salinas Valley . The Chalon and Esselen peoples also lived in the general vicinity of the Salinas River. The Salinas river was first sighted by European settlers on 27 September 1769. This first European contact with

7176-461: The launch and storekeeper – and none of the men offered by Portolà had experience as sailors. Vila refused to sail under such conditions. So Portolà decided to place all available sailors aboard the San Antonio , which set out for San Blas on July 9, with a very small crew. Carrying important letters from Serra, Portolà and others, the San Antonio reached San Blas in just three weeks. On that voyage, several more sailors died. After

7280-460: The majority of the river may be more the result of human activity than of any recent changes in weather patterns. Rainfall patterns of recent years in the Salinas area have not significantly changed from historical average rainfall patterns; the 139-year average annual rainfall in Salinas is 13.26 inches (337 mm) per year, and the average annual rainfall since 2000 is 11.01 inches (280 mm) per year. Recent increases in water use, primarily in

7384-579: The men waiting to board, declared their final destination as Monterey and their mission to plant the holy cross among the Indians. Friar Parrón boarded the San Carlos along with captain Vicente Vila, followed by lieutenant Pedro Fages with his 25 Catalan volunteers ; cartographer Miguel Costansó , who made maps and drawings to describe the journey; surgeon Pedro Prat; and a crew of 23 sailors, plus two blacksmiths, two boys, four cooks, and mate Jorge Estorace – a crew of 62 in all. Weighing anchor,

7488-425: The missions without endangering their survival and to give the friars receipts for the number of animals taken; those missions would later get restocked with animals brought over from the Mexican mainland. Friar Juan Crespí , selected as chaplain for the Rivera party and diarist for the Franciscan missionaries, traveled for 24 days from Mission La Purísima , approximately 400 miles (640 km) north to Velicatá, then

7592-649: The most part, it was reported that interactions with Native American tribes in Alta California were peaceful without much conflict. Many were described as welcoming and helpful, as they offered guidance and supplies to the Spanish explorers. Friendly encounters with the native people had been a goal from the onset of the expedition, and the Spanish brought many items and trinkets with which they traded for supplies and used to create peaceful relations. They used valuable space to carry so many glass beads and other items, rather than food or more crucial supplies, in order to pacify

7696-530: The natural outflow of the Estrella River and the controlled outflows of the Nacimiento and San Antonio reservoirs through their respective river tributaries in southern Monterey County . The river passes through the active San Ardo Oil Field , and then into and through the Salinas Valley. It flows past many small towns in the valley, including King City , Greenfield , and Soledad , where it combines with

7800-410: The navy of our Most Catholic Majesty but those of all Europe could take shelter in it." On November 11, Portolà convened an officers' council, which agreed unanimously that 1) they must have passed Monterey, 2) it was time to turn around and retrace their steps back to San Diego , and 3) no one would be left behind hoping for a supply ship to arrive. The entire party headed back south. On November 28,

7904-488: The northern frontier of Spanish settlement in Baja California. There Crespí met up with the Rivera party, which set out from Velicatá on March 24. Their mule and horse train, tended by three muleteers , carried 25 leather-jacket soldiers and 42 Baja California Christian Indians (all men). Portolà himself led the second land group, which set out from Loreto on March 9. Junípero Serra , assigned by José de Gálvez to head

8008-402: The nuclei of permanent settlements, established a cattle ranching economy and converted thousands of Native Americans to Christianity. Three diaries written by members of the expedition survive, giving unusually complete insight into the daily movements and experiences: One by Portolà himself, a record by Miguel Costansó , and a diary by Juan Crespí which is the most complete and detailed of

8112-499: The official diarist for the missionaries (Portolà and Costansó also kept diaries). The Franciscans ultimately founded twenty-one missions at or near the Pacific Coast of what is now the state of California, in addition to one mission in Baja California. The string of California missions began at San Diego. After two weeks of recuperation, Portolà resumed the northward march to rediscover Vizcaíno 's port of Monterey by land, with

8216-769: The other members of their party on May 5, just south of Velicatá. Following the trail blazed by the Rivera party, and less burdened by livestock, the Portolà party moved somewhat faster. Even so, they had an arduous trek over deserts and through ravines. The ships arrived in San Diego first: the San Antonio on April 11 and the San Carlos on April 29, 1769. Many crew members on both ships had fallen ill – especially from scurvy  – during their voyages. On May 1, lieutenant Pedro Fages , engineer Miguel Costansó , and mate Jorge Estorace came ashore from their anchorage in San Diego Bay , along with 25 soldiers and sailors still healthy enough to work. Searching for

8320-519: The party crossed the Monterey Peninsula south to Carmel Bay . A week later, while waiting for two Baja Christian Indians who got separated from Rivera 's group, the expedition leaders discussed their next moves. They still did not believe they had found Vizcaíno 's port of Monterey. On December 7, they decided to return to San Diego without waiting any longer for the missing men, or for a supply ship. On December 10, Portolà ordered his men to plant

8424-554: The party had survived their six-month journey. They told of large numbers of friendly Indians who lived along the coast, waiting to receive the Catholic gospel. In total they had traveled around 1,200 miles (1,900 km) and become the first Europeans to survey San Francisco Bay and many other important strategic locations. Yet friar Junípero Serra , who welcomed them back to San Diego, felt dismayed and incredulous that they had not found Monterey Bay. "You come from Rome without having seen

8528-552: The pope", Serra told Portolà. A second expedition to find Monterey Bay and establish a permanent settlement there took place in 1770. Portolà mustered a new overland party in San Diego, consisting of less than half the number of men he had taken on his first trip to find Monterey. The new party included Pedro Fages with twelve Catalan volunteers , seven leather-jacket soldiers, two muleteers , five Baja Christian Indians, Portolà's servant, and friar Crespí . Rivera had traveled back to Baja California to get supplies. On April 17,

8632-503: The privateer Francis Drake , who followed the trans-Pacific route from the Philippines established by the Manila galleons and reached the California coast near Cape Mendocino , from which he then sailed south along the coast at least as far as Point Reyes . In 1596, a Portuguese captain sailing for Spain, Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho (Spanish: Sebastián Rodríguez Cermeño) explored some of

8736-601: The raised section of the Pacific Plate that the river flows through was in ancient times aligned with the North American Plate at a point far south of its present location. The discovery of the Monterey Canyon , the remarkably deep submarine canyon extending into the Pacific from the mouth of the Salinas River, is the basis for the proposal of what is presently thought to be the most probable geological history of

8840-399: The replacement of missions with ranchos in the 1820s and 30s. Ranchos around the Salinas river included Rancho Las Salinas , Rancho Bolsa Nueva y Moro Cojo The Rancho period ended with the 1848 American seizure of California from Mexico. The City of Monterey , about 10 miles south of the mouth of the Salinas (at that time), was the capital city of Alta California , and the site of

8944-465: The river mouth changed by 5.5 miles (8.8 km) to a new channel by Mulligan Hill. The old river bed was converted to farmland. The historic increase in agriculture and settlement in the area, and the related increased water consumption demands have had a significant impact on the Salinas River. The river now typically remains dry or without flow for the majority of the year, and downstream (north) of King City remained fully dry or with zero flow during

9048-406: The river valley provided the route of El Camino Real , the principal overland route from southern to northern Alta California , used by Spanish explorers and missionaries and early Mexican settlers. Portola expedition The Portolá expedition was a Spanish voyage of exploration in 1769–1770 that was the first recorded European exploration of the interior of the present-day California. It

9152-500: The river was a reference made by Fr.  Pedro Font on 4 March 1776. This name continued in use as late as 1850. After the American annexation of the area, it was renamed the Salinas River . The river was apparently renamed as the "Salinas" river by an American cartographer in 1858, ten years after the 1848 American seizure of Alta California from Mexico . In 1858 the newer name "Salinas" first appeared on an American-made map as

9256-517: The river was probably located in the vicinity of what is now Los Angeles County , having been carried north to its present position due to tectonic plate drift at the same rate as currently. When the ancient Salinas river was in that southern location, it may have served as the mouth of a river that drained the catchment of the Colorado River , that currently flows from the Rocky Mountains into

9360-514: The river was recorded by the Spanish "colonizing expedition" of Gaspar de Portolà . As was the practice of the Spanish government in the New World at the time, soldiers and priests were then typically sent out together on such colonizing expeditions. The Portolá expedition included Franciscan priests, who soon thereafter established two missions along the banks of the Salinas river (then referred to as el Rio de Monterey .) The new missions built along

9464-507: The same coastline, leaving a description of coastal features. The Portolà expedition carried a copy of Soromenho's writings to guide them along the coast. Soromenho was followed in 1602 by Sebastián Vizcaíno , whose coastal explorations in 1602 surveyed several California locations for future colonization, including San Diego, the California Channel Islands and Monterey . Vizcaíno sailed north from Mexico (as Cabrillo had done),

9568-431: The ships was to keep the land contingent supplied with provisions and to carry communications between them and New Spain. Portolà decided to travel by land. The expedition's original assignment was to travel to the "port of Monterey" described by Vizcaíno and establish a settlement there. After that, the explorers were to continue north to locate Soromenho's "Bay of San Francisco", chase away any Russians encountered, claim

9672-745: The slopes of the Los ;Machos Hills of the Los Padres National Forest . The only dam situated directly on the Salinas River (the Salinas Dam ) forms the small Santa Margarita Reservoir. The Salinas flows down the valley bounded on its southwestern side by the Santa Lucia Mountain Range , and bounded on its northeastern side by the Gabilan Mountain Range . It flows past Atascadero and Paso Robles (to Monterey). It receives

9776-433: The spillway remains as an open concrete ramp. This spillway is located at the north end of the dam and is 19 feet (5.8 m). With a gate installed to prevent the reservoir water from flowing over the spillway, it is estimated that the capacity of the reservoir could increase by 22,000 acre-feet (27,000,000 m), to a total of 46,000 acre-feet (57,000,000 m), provided the structure of the dam would be able to withstand

9880-524: The territory that is now California was claimed by the Spanish Empire in 1542 by right of discovery when Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo explored the Pacific coast . Cabrillo's exploration laid claim to the coastline as far north as forty-two degrees north latitude. This northern limit was later confirmed by the United States in the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty . A competing claim was established for England in 1579 by

9984-462: The third is a fixed type. The actual capacity of the dam due to natural settling of sediments is now 23,842.90 acre-feet. The dam is almost entirely constructed of concrete, and was originally designed to include a steel spillway gate. However, the steel gate was installed at the Friant Dam near Fresno, instead, due to concerns that the dam would not be capable of holding the additional water. To date,

10088-440: The three. When Portolà returned to New Spain in 1770, Pedro Fages (now promoted to captain) was appointed lieutenant governor of Alta California, with headquarters at the Presidio of Monterey . Fages led further exploratory trips to the east side of San Francisco Bay, and left his own diaries. California Historical Landmarks #2, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 92, 94, 375, 394, 655, 665, 727, 784, 1058, and 1059 are all related to

10192-536: The time the Portolà party returned six months later. On July 28, the Portolà party reached a major southern California river, which the soldiers called the Santa Ana River . That afternoon they felt a strong earthquake , with aftershocks jolting them over the next few days. On August 2 they traveled west out of San Gabriel Valley , through the hills to a river Crespí named El Río de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula  – site of

10296-500: The upper Salinas River watershed. More recent accounts suggested that beaver are no longer found along the northern reaches of the river, a recent comprehensive survey found beaver throughout the entire Salinas River mainstem and virtually all of its major tributaries, including the Estrella River. The use of the river for irrigation in the Salinas Valley makes it one of the most productive agricultural regions in California. It

10400-481: The water to flow, by gravity, to the water treatment plant for the city of San Luis Obispo. (without spillway gate) (without spillway gate) (without spillway gate) (with spillway gate) The watershed that feeds the Santa Margarita Reservoir is 112 square miles, with the dam collecting water from the Salinas River, as well as three of its tributaries: Alamo Creek, Salsipuedes Creek, and Toro Creek. In

10504-554: The wooden cross left on a hill the year before, and this time (perhaps on a clearer day) realized that the site did indeed overlook the place Vizcaíno had described. Portolà founded the Presidio of Monterey on that hill, and Serra founded the Mission San Carlos Borromeo (moved to Carmel the next year, a little ways to the south). On July 9, 1770, Portolà and Costansó boarded the San Antonio and sailed out of Monterey Bay, headed back to Baja California New Spain. For

10608-548: The years 2013–2016. During the Spanish / Mexican / Mission period, the river was named El Rio de Monterey . When first encountered by the Spanish Portola Expedition on 27 September 1769, the members of the expedition at first suspected that they had found the Carmel River , that had been discovered earlier by Vizcaíno . One of the party members, Father Crespi, then proposed that the [Salinas] river might be

10712-483: Was San Francisco Bay, but nearly every stop along the route was a first. It is also important in that it, along with the later de Anza expedition , established the overland route north to San Francisco which became the Camino Real . That route was integral to the settlement of Alta California by the Spanish Empire, and made it possible for the Franciscan friars to establish a string of twenty-one missions , which served as

10816-455: Was led by Gaspar de Portolá , governor of Las Californias , the Spanish colonial province that included California, Baja California , and other parts of present-day Mexico and the United States. The expedition led to the founding of Alta California and contributed to the solidification of Spanish territorial claims in the disputed and unexplored regions along the Pacific coast of North America. Although already inhabited by Native Americans,

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