Richmond in Contra Costa County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play

Anza Expedition of 1776

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, March 1, 2020

1. Where the Deer and the Antelope Play Marker

Inscription. In 1775 and 1776, Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza, Father Pedro Font, along with 240 settlers, soldiers, and others traveled 1,800 miles from Sonora, Mexico to Monterey, California. Anza and Font, with a small group passed through by horseback close to this spot on March 31, 1776 on their way to explore what later became known as the San Frahcisco Delta. The animals and landscape they saw were vastly different from what you see today.

These hills in 1776 were covered with native bunchgrasses and streamside woodlands along canyon bottoms. In his diary, Font often recorded frequent sightings of tule elk and pronghorn antelope. He mentions the "large deer” (undoubtedly tule elk) whose swiftness allowed them to elude capture by the pursuing soldiers and their horses. Font also recorded sightings of grizzly bears and seeing "...Indians badly scarred by bites and scratches of these animals."

This panel funded in part by the National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program in partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District.

Welcome to the homeland of the Huchiun, an Ohlone-speaking tribe

This panel funded in part by the National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program in partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District.

Dates and stories taken from the diaries of Anza and Font, courtesy of the Center for Advanced Technology in Education, University of Oregon, www.anza.uoregon.edu.

Erected by East

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Bay Regional Park District, National Park Service.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Exploration. In addition, it is included in the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 31, 1776.

Location. 37° 57.123′ N, 122° 19.119′ W. Marker is in Richmond, California, in Contra Costa County. It can be reached from Park Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5845-5967 Park Avenue, Richmond CA 94805, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the San Francisco Bay Area

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Alvarado Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Alvarado Park (approx.

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, March 1, 2020

2. Where the Deer and the Antelope Play Marker - wide view

0.2 miles away); Native Peoples of the East Bay (approx. 0.2 miles away); California & Nevada Railroad (approx. 0.8 miles away); First Supermarket (approx. 0.9 miles away); Ranchos to Ranches (approx. 0.9 miles away); Park Theatre (approx. 0.9 miles away); Arrival of the Strip Mall (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

More about this marker. The marker is conveniently located outside the restroom at the Alvarado Staging Area section of Alvarado/Wildcat Canyon Park.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 10, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 351 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 1, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.