Our Pick
Posted on @rawstates
Sweeney Ridge, where a lost expedition looked down and found San Francisco Bay
1769
San Bruno, California
Richard Wood · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gaspar de Portola marched north up the coast in 1769 hunting for Monterey Bay, missed it, and kept going. His scouts crossed this 1,200 foot ridge first, and on 4 November the main party stood on it and saw the whole inland bay that ships had sailed past for two centuries without noticing the entrance. Spain founded nothing here for another seven years. The ridge is now a National Historic Landmark inside the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, with the ocean on one side and the bay on the other.
That was 1 of the hidden places.
Location: approximate area
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