On Wednesday, April 15, 2026, Monterey State Historic Park will host a free talk by David Rickman titled “Outfitting the Expedition: The Dress and Equipment of the Anza Party 1775-1776.” This presentation will be held at 6:00 pm at California’s First Theater in Monterey, CA. Between 1775 and 1776, Juan Bautista de Anza led an expedition of 240 settlers including women and children from New Spain, which is now Mexico, into California and up to San Francisco to establish a mission and a presidio. On March 10, 1776, the Anza Expedition arrived in Monterey on horseback, mule and foot before heading north. The whole 1,200-mile journey opened California up for Spanish colonization and is now commemorated by the National Park Service’s Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. The talk will take a close look at what the expedition members wore, what they carried, and how they rode, based on original documents and images from the time. For more information, go to https://www.oldmonterey.org/event/2026/04/free-talk-outfitting-anza-expedition-1775-76