In 1769, the Spanish exploration party led by Don Gaspar de Portolà camped by the creek for five nights, November 6-11, after their momentous discovery of San Francisco Bay.
In 1774 Father Francisco Palou, on Captain Rivera's expedition, erected a cross near the giant creekside redwood they called "El Palo Alto", to mark the site of a proposed mission (later changed to Mission Santa Clara).