José Francisco Ortega facts for kids

José Francisco Ortega (born 1734, died February 1798) was an important soldier and one of the first settlers in Alta California (which is now California). He was an indigenous person from the Californio community. Ortega joined the army when he was 21. By 1769, he was a sergeant and part of the famous Portolá expedition. After his time in the military, he received land near Santa Barbara. He named this land Rancho Nuestra Senora del Refugio.

Early Life and Military Start

José Francisco Ortega was born in 1734 in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico. He worked as a clerk in a warehouse. Not much is known about his early life, except that he was of indigenous background.

In October 1755, Ortega joined the military. He started as a private soldier at the Royal Presidio (a type of fort) in Misión Nuestra Señora de Loreto in Baja California. He quickly moved up the ranks. By August 1756, he became a corporal. In February 1759, he was promoted to sergeant.

In 1759, Ortega married María Antonia Victoria Carrillo. She was also the daughter of a soldier. They married in Loreto. Ortega rejoined the army in 1768. He was asked by California Governor Gaspar de Portolá to join an important trip. This trip was to explore and settle Alta California.

Exploring Alta California

In the 1760s, Spain wanted to use Alta California as a "buffer zone." This meant it would be a protective area. King Carlos III wanted to keep control of this land. He was worried about Russians who were hunting seals off the California coast.

Spain's main goals were:

• To protect their lands from the Russians.
• To build new missions north of San Diego.
• To get more Spanish settlers to live between San Diego and Monterey.

The Spanish leaders in Mexico also had goals for the missions. They wanted to find native people to work. They also needed enough land and water for farming.

Pedro Fages, another Spanish soldier on the Portola expedition, wrote about the native people they met. These Indigenous Peoples helped the expedition. They showed them which paths to take and where to find water. They even gave them food like fish and nuts. The expedition noted that in the San Diego area, Indigenous Peoples lived in houses and belonged to villages.

The Portola Expedition's Discoveries

After setting up a base in San Diego on July 14, 1769, the expedition traveled north. They camped in San Pedro Valley. On November 1, 1769, Portola made Ortega the chief scout. He sent Ortega and other men north to find San Francisco Bay.

The very next day, November 2, some soldiers were hunting deer. They found a huge body of water, which was San Francisco Bay! They quickly told Ortega about their discovery. On November 3, they reported back to Portola.

Before reaching San Francisco Bay, Ortega had another important sighting. In October 1769, while standing on what is now Berkeley Hills, he saw a small island in a body of water. He reported this to General Portola. This island turned out to be Angel Island.

The Portola expedition, including Ortega, returned to San Diego in 1770. But they soon headed north again. This time, they tried to find Monterey Bay. This trip was very hard. The soldiers struggled with hunger and even ate their mules. They also suffered from scurvy (a sickness from not having enough vitamin C) and tiredness. Ortega went ahead and met native people who showed him the way to Monterey Bay.

Building Forts in California

Because of the expedition's hard work, the Spanish built four important forts, called presidios, in Alta California:

• San Diego (1769)
• Monterey (1770)
• San Francisco (1776)
• Santa Barbara (1782)

These presidios had several jobs. They protected the friars (religious leaders), workers, and soldiers. They also helped start small towns for settlers. And they showed the Spanish flag to warn any other countries who might try to invade.

Ortega's Leadership Roles

Because of his achievements and with support from Father Junípero Serra, Ortega was promoted to Lieutenant. He became the leader, or Commandant, of the Presidio of San Diego. He held this position from 1773 to 1781. Before that, he was Acting Commandant starting in July 1771, when Pedro Fages was away.

As Commandant, Ortega went with Fray Fermín Lasuén and soldiers to explore the site for Mission San Juan Capistrano. Junipero Serra even wanted Ortega to become the governor of the Californias, but this did not happen.

Ortega was not very good at managing money. Because of this, he was moved from the Santa Barbara Presidio. He was replaced by Felipe de Goyocoechea. Ortega then served as Commandant of the Presidio of Monterey from 1787 to 1791. After that, he was Commandant of the Presidio of Loreto from 1792 to 1795.

Retirement and Later Life

In 1795, José Francisco Ortega retired from the military. He had served for 40 years and was given the rank of brevet captain.

In 1795, Governor Diego Borica gave Ortega a special land grant. Ortega named this land Rancho Nuestra Senora del Refugio (often called Rancho Refugio). It was located in Gaviota and was quite large. This land was near Point Conception and a Chumash village called Qasil.

Ortega had built up a lot of debt over his life. He argued that he needed to keep this land to earn money and pay off his debts. However, Fray Tapis argued that the land should belong to the Chumash people and the Santa Barbara Mission.

Ortega died in February 1798 at the age of 65. He passed away after falling from his horse. He was buried at the Mission of Santa Barbara.

Family Life

After José Francisco Ortega's death, his sons, Josef Maria Ortega and Jose Francisco Maria Ortega, took control of Rancho Nuestra Senora del Refugio.

In 1804, Josef Maria wanted to make the rancho even bigger. He asked Governor Jose de Arrillaga if he could take over Rancho Dos Pueblos. The governor then sent this request to the mission friars, Fray Tapis and Fray Juan Cortes. They said that the land was held in trust and should be given back to the indigenous people.

Ortega's granddaughter, Maria de Guadalupe, married Joseph John Chapman. Chapman was one of the first Anglo-Americans to visit Los Angeles. He had been arrested before for being a pirate. However, he was also a very skilled craftsman. He worked as a blacksmith and a carpenter. To marry Maria de Guadalupe, he converted to Catholicism.

See also

In Spanish: José Francisco Ortega para niños