1772 — Remembering the First Europeans Who Came to Bay Point

The Bay Point Historical Society, with its emphasis on the land and people between Concord and Pittsburg, will be holding its 9th Annual Luncheon on September 17, 2011. This well attended annual event will take you on a ride on the “way back” machine that will interest anyone with connections to Bay Point, West Pittsburg, Port Chicago, Nichols and Clyde. Touching briefly on an item or two from each community, we will quickly get to the FIRST European exploration of the land that became these communities. This exploration by the Spanish to the “contra costa” led by Father Juan Crespi and Captain Pedro Fages occurred four years before the more famous de Anza expedition.

Local historian and author Dean McLeod will tell the story from the actual words of these two men during the few days that they marched through what is now Contra Costa County. With maps, charts and illustrations on screen, we’ll learn details of their encounters with the native Chupcans (part of the Bay Miwok language group) who preceded the Spanish in Diablo Valley by thousands of years. This brief meeting was the point of the spear that led to the near complete destruction of native culture in Contra Costa.

No monument to the historic Crespi/Fages visit to Contra Costa County exists where they stood and overlooked East County, the Delta and the mountains beyond. There will be some discussion of rectifying this significant oversight by the historical community. This will be a meeting not to be missed.

BAY POINT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Annual Luncheon
Please save this important date!

When: Sat. September 17, 2011 at 12 noon
Where: Ambrose Community Center
3105 Willow Pass Road
Bay Point, CA 94565

Contact:
Bay Point Historical Society
P.O. Box 5386 – Bay Point, CA 94565
Barb Middleton, 925 458-4487