San Luis Obispo City Map Poster

About San Luis Obispo

The city is the site of the oldest Catholic mission in California, Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolà expedition led by Gaspar de Portolà reached San Luis Obispo Creek on September 1, 1769. The party traveled north along San Luis Creek (today's Salinas River) to Morro Bay and returned to Monterey via Cañada del Toro (now Big Sur). Franciscan missionary Juan Crespi kept a diary of his trip from Monterey to Carmel; it was later translated into English as "A Voyage of Discovery To The Coast Of California". A member of this expedition was Father Junípero Serra who founded several missions in Alta California including Mission Santa Barbara and Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo just south at Carmel-by-the-Sea where he established a school for Native Americans called La Misión Indianola.