<P> While the Spanish had dominated development on the west coast of North America for over 200 years since the early 16th century, beginning in the mid-18th century, this period saw the advent of British and Russian rivals, and the establishment of the California missions, followed by the independence of Mexico and the Central American countries . Much later in this period, the United States started on its path to become the dominant power on the west coast of North America . </P> <P> In the 1760s, a decision was made to create a harbor at San Blas (in today's Mexican state of Nayarit), for the purpose of building ships, supplying them, and being the expeditionary base for voyages north along the west coast of North America, from Baja California to Alaska . Today it remains unclear exactly why the Viceroy of New Spain decided to create an entirely new shipbuilding port along the west coast of Mexico, when the port at Acapulco already existed . It has been speculated that the reasons San Blas was chosen included that it was a week's sailing closer than Acapulco to the intended destination sites in California, that it was not far from the capital of New Spain, and perhaps more importantly, it had ready access to tropical hardwoods that would be needed to build the ships for the strenuous voyages as far north as today's Alaska . San Blas built the ships and was the home port for these exploration and supply voyages beginning in 1769 and continuing to 1820 . </P> <P> It was not until 1769 that the first missions were established in today's California (then called Las Californias), including the first mission, at San Diego in 1769, the mission at Monterey in 1770, and the mission at San Francisco in 1776 . These missions eventually stretched from the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula to Sonoma, California, north of San Francisco . The purpose of the missions, which typically had an accompanying pueblo (town) and presidio (military outpost), was to solidify the 250 - year - old Spanish claim to the region . This need became more urgent as the Russians and British were encroaching on the far northern part of the west coast of North America . In addition, there continued the long - standing interest in creating a safe anchorage for seaworn Manila Galleons on their return to Acapulco . </P> <P> Explorers and fur trappers from the Russian Empire (beginning with the Vitus Bering expedition of 1741) arrived on the Pacific coast of today's Alaska, and after establishing settlements there (beginning in 1784), expanded hunting and trading down the west coast of North America . In the early 19th century, fur trappers of the Russian Empire explored the west coast of North America, hunting for sea otter pelts as far south as San Diego . In 1812, the Russian - American Company set up a fortified trading post at Fort Ross, located north of present - day Bodega Bay some sixty miles north of San Francisco, with the never - materialized hope of using that area to develop a source of agricultural products needed for their settlements in Alaska . </P>

Who founded missions on the west coast of america