Media Release

February 13, 2019

November of 2019 will mark the 250th Anniversary of the accidental “discovery” of the San Francisco Bay by the Portolà Expedition in 1769 from atop Sweeney Ridge in Pacifica. To mark the anniversary of this event, planning, led by the County of San Mateo Ohlone-Portola Heritage Trail Project Committee, is underway to tell the story of the expedition and of the indigenous people who greeted the Spanish warmly and whose lives and culture were nearly eradicated within a few years. Work is being done to designate a 90-mile trail that traces the steps of the Spanish expedition and highlights the native people they encountered to include National Historic Trail designation and the County, State and Federal levels.

To complete this trail, segments of the California Coastal Trail and Juan Bautista de Anza Trail along the route will be implemented as part of this project. Research is underway to understand the region's Native American stories of their homeland, to secure necessary funds and to inspire public, and private support.

A group including City staff and committee members, as well as interested members of the public and local organizations has been working on identifying and creating Pacifica-specific Ohlone-Portolà Heritage Trail (OPHT) related tasks, direction and achievable goals, including building momentum towards the 2019 event.

In order to assist in this effort, the City of Pacifica has created an OPHT project page on its website to provide information on the project, highlight City and County events, and link to partner organization activities. This page will be updated throughout the year to reflect and OPHT related activities as information becomes available.

Pacifica's Ohlone-Portolà Heritage Trail project page can be found at https://www.cityofpacifica.org/OPHT

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