In 1776, the Spanish explorer, Juan Bautista de Anza, and his chaplain, Fr. Pedro Font scouted the San Francisco Bay Area for a site to establish a presidio and mission, and a hoped-for passage north across the Sacramento River. They had just completed a five month long journey leading 250 people across deserts and mountains from Tubac, AZ to Monterey, CA.
As with so many chapters of American history, this story serves as a Rorschach test for individual tellers: for historians this is a tale of the discovery of an overland route between Arizona and the California coast, for those of Californio descent, it is a source of ethnic pride, while people of native descent regard it as a sad story of territorial invasion.
In this book, anthropologist and award-winning photographer, Nina Egert, Ph.D., combines her stunning images of the trail today with excerpts for the explorers’ diaries to relay a different sort of story about Anza’s and Font’s insights and struggles as they negotiate the landscape before them.
Schedule of upcoming talks by author:
Sat., March 28, Orinda Books, 1pm
Thurs., April 2, Black Oak Books, 7pm
Sat., April 4, Dublin Library, 1pm
Mon., April 6, San Pablo Senior Center, 10:30am
Mon. April 27, Lompoc Museum, 7pm
Wed. May 27, Santa Barbara Presidio Trust, 10am
Thurs. May 28, San Diego History Museum, noon
Sat. June 6, Lakeview Branch, Oakland Public Library, 2pm
NOW AVAILABLE IN THESE STORES:
A Great Good Place for Books 6120 La Salle Ave. Oakland, CA
Anza-Borrego Desert Nat Hist. Asc. 652 Palm Canyon Dr. Borrego Springs
Black Oak Books 1491 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, CA
Book Alley 1252 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA
DeAnza College Bookstore 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, CA
Diesel Book Store 5433 College Ave. Oakland, CA
Lompoc Museum 200 S. H St. Lompoc, CA
Mission San Gabriel 4285 S. Mission Dr. San Gabriel, CA
Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum 37417 Niles Blvd. Fremont, CA
Orinda Books 276 Village Square Orinda, CA
Pendragon Books 5560 College Ave. Oakland, CA
Riverside Mission Inn Museum 3696 Main St. Riverside, CA
Santa Barbara Presidio 123 East Perdido Canon Santa Barbara, CA
Tecolote Books 1470 East Valley Rd. Montecito, CA
TJ’s Tortuga Books 19 Tubac Rd. Tubac, AZ
Towne Center Books 555 Main St. Pleasanton, CA
Western National Parks Assoc. 12880 N. Vistoso Valley Dr. Tucson, AZ
“In all my travels I’ve never seen such a glorious land. I think that if this could become populated as in Europe, there would be no more beautiful spot in the world…”
Fr. Pedro Font, March 28, 1776
