Cupertino in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

De Anza Expedition 1775 - 1776

De Anza Expedition 1776 - 1976 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Alice Mansell, September 6, 2026

1. De Anza Expedition 1776 - 1976 Marker

Inscription. Lt. Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza and party crossed this area in March 1776, enroute to select sites for the Presidio and Mission of San Francisco

Erected 1976 by De Anza Community College.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Exploration • Hispanic 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 25, 1776.

Location. 37° 19.215′ N, 122° 2.743′ W. Marker is in Cupertino, California, in Santa Clara County. It can be reached from Stevens Creek Boulevard. Located on the north side of the Administration Building on the plinth of the flag pole next to the Fountain Courtyard. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cupertino CA 95014, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area,

in Silicon Valley,

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the

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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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Arroyo de San Joseph Cupertino (approx. ¾ mile away); Captain Elisha Stephens (approx. 0.8 miles away); Collins-Scott Winery (approx. 1.9 miles away); Stevens Creek Dam & Reservoir (approx. 2.3 miles away); Briggs-Stelling Mansion (approx. 2½ miles away); William Wright Ranch (approx. 2½ miles away); St. Joseph’s College (approx. 2.6 miles away); Charles Clifton Spalding House (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cupertino.

Also see . . . Juan Bautista De Anza Expedition (Cupertino Historical Society and Museum). Full title: Celebrating 250 Years: Juan Bautista De Anza Expedition and United States Semiquintennial Excerpt:

Encampment at Cupertino & Scouting San Francisco - On March 25, 1776, De Anza encamped on the banks of Stevens Creek, which Font named the Arroyo de San Joseph Cupertino — the name that would give our city its name over a century
Photographed by Alice Mansell, September 6, 2026

2. De Anza College Administration Building behind the marker on the flagpole plinth
later. On March 27, the party reached Fort Point, where De Anza looked out on the Golden Gate and erected a cross marking the future Presidio of San Francisco. On the 29th, a mission site was chosen at the Arroyo de los Dolores. The following day, Font measured a massive tree — 5.5 yards in circumference and 50 yards tall — that would come to be known as El Palo Alto, giving its name to the city of Palo Alto and featured on the Stanford University logo. It still stands today.

(Submitted on September 10, 2026.)

View from marker towards A. Robert Dehart Library image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Alice Mansell, September 6, 2026

3. View from marker towards A. Robert Dehart Library

De Anza Community College Groundbreaking plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Alice Mansell, September 6, 2026

4. De Anza Community College Groundbreaking plaque

A plaque about the groundbreaking of DeAnza Community College shares this Anza marker’s plinth

Photographed by Alice Mansell, September 6, 2026

5. De Anza College's first logo

Here is De Anza (1736 - 1788) wearing a Spanish Conquistador’s steel helmet in the style of the 16th Century not the felted tricorn or a brimmed hat for a frontier Spanish Army officer from the 18th Century.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2026, by Alice Mansell of Los Altos, California. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 8, 2026, by Alice Mansell of Los Altos, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.