This trail commemorates the route taken by the Spanish commander Juan Bautista de Anza when he led a group of 30 soldiers and their families to found a presidio (fortress) near San Francisco Bay. de Anza led the group from Sonora Mexico all the way to San Francisco in an attempt to help Spain gain control of Pacific coast against British and Russian incursions. The 240 individuals on this expedition set out on October 23, 1775 and arrived at Monterey on March 10th 1776. The cultures and traditions of the families Anza escorted had a large impact on the shaping of the unique culture of the southwest and California. The trail is about 1,200 miles long and was established by Congress as a National Historic trail in 1990.