San Pedro Creek - History

History

In 1769, the expedition embarked from San Diego to establish a base in the Port of Monterey, but not recognizing Monterey, they overshot and headed further northwards up the seacoast. California Historical Marker No. 24, located at the southeast corner of Crespi Drive and State Highway 1, states that "The Portolá Expedition of 1769 camped near the San Pedro Creek, where there was an Indian village, from October 31 to November 3. To that camp scouting parties brought news of a body of water to the east." That Indian village was the Ohlone village of Pruristac. Marching up the San Pedro Valley and crossing Sweeney Ridge, Portola was the first European explorer to discover San Francisco Bay as the entrance to the Bay is difficult to ascertain from sailing ships and had been missed by many earlier sailors. The San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia was established in 1786 at the site of Pruristac, as a "sub-mission" to Mission San Francisco de Asís because the sunny San Pedro Valley produced wheat, fruits, and vegetables which could not be grown in San Francisco. The site is located within the bounds of the historic Rancho San Pedro (home to the Sánchez Adobe) located at 1000 Linda Mar Boulevard, on the north bank of San Pedro Creek. Rancho San Pedro was one of the first California land grants, and the first to win a patent from the United States. More recently, the Middle Valley was used for grazing on its hillsides and commercial farming in the meadows, with crops of pumpkins and artichokes. The south fork of San Pedro Creek became a trout farm, operated by John Gay, until 1962, when storm rains washed out the entire operation. The south fork is a seasonal water source for the City of Pacifica.