Editing Duarte, California (section)

===Spanish era===
Duarte's history with Europeans dates back to 1769, when all land in California was claimed by the [[Spanish monarchy|king of Spain]]. The first Europeans visited the San Gabriel Valley during a 1769 expedition from [[San Diego]] to [[Monterey Bay]] commanded by [[Gaspar de Portolà|Don Gaspar de Portolà]]. Accompanying Portolà was a [[Franciscan]] priest from [[Junípero Serra]]'s order in [[Mexico]], [[Juan Crespí]], who served as the diarist of the expedition. Much of what is known of early California is known only from the detailed descriptions recorded by Crespi.

On September 8, 1771, the Franciscans established the [[Mission San Gabriel Arcangel]] in the San Gabriel Valley.<ref>{{cite news|title=More than fifty years| url=http://www.chamberorganizer.com/duartechamber/docs/View_Pgs-3-07_for_pdf.pdf|access-date=December 15, 2016|work=Duarte View|page=1}}</ref> The mission was a resting point for early California travelers and gathered most of the native Tongva into an agricultural lifestyle. Following [[Mexican War of Independence|Mexican independence]] in 1821, the mission lands were nationalized.