Union City in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Signs of Change

Anza Expedition of 1776

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, June 4, 2020

1. Signs of Change Marker

Inscription. Íyyanu ja sultáawukma mak ínnutka (Chocheño, the local Ohlone dialect)
Literal English translation: There come the white people on our trails.
Translation by Catherine Callaghan, Ph.D. (linguist)

Near this site on March 31, 1776, Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza, Father Pedro Font, and a small group of settlers and soldiers passed through on their way to investigate the place now known as the San Francisco Delta. These men had recently left the Presidio in Monterey, California, where Anza brought 240 people 1,800 miles from Sonora, Mexico to colonize the Bay Area. By 1777 the newcomers had helped establish three Spanish-controlled settlements in San Francisco, Santa Clara, and San Jose.

On March 31, Anza and his men encountered several Indians. Some fled, others waited for them, one offered food. At Alameda Creek, they heard an unfamiliar language. At San Lorenzo Creek, they surprised and terrified a lone man. For local tribal peoples, these encounters led to decades of disruption, dislocation, suffering, and change; first under Spanish rule, then under the Mexican and American governments.

Welcome to the homeland of the Tuibun, an Ohlone-speaking people.

Erected by East Bay Regional Park District.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Native Americans. 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° 36.464′ N, 122° 1.07′ W. Marker is in Union City, California, in Alameda County. Marker can be reached from May Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 May Road, Union City CA 94587, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A Land of Many Tribes - We Are Still Here (here, next to this marker); Honcharenko’s Sanctuary (approx. 1½ miles away); Ukrania (approx. 2.3 miles away); a different marker also named Ukrania (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Garden Store (approx. 2½ miles away); Boxed Tree Forest and Fruit Tree Orchard (approx. 2½ miles away); Buildings & Structures (approx. 2½ miles away); Gardens, Orchards & Plants (approx. 2½ miles away).

More about this marker. The marker is located at the Dry Creek Staging Area, between May Road and the parking lot, next to the trail as it heads east towards the hills.

Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, April 2, 2022

2. Signs of Change Marker

Signs of Change Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, June 4, 2020

3. Signs of Change Marker - wide view

The Signs of Change marker is the leftmost of the two.

Marker detail: linguistic map of the area showing native languages spoken by area image. Click for full size.

Photographed By David Drueckhammer, Randy Milliken (courtesy of East Bay Regional Parks District), 2000

4. Marker detail: linguistic map of the area showing native languages spoken by area

Credits. This page was last revised on April 4, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 1, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 176 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 1, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2. submitted on April 3, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 3, 4. submitted on August 1, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.