Colorado, at the mouth of the Mohave River; the Yuma, or Cuchans, at
the mouth of the Gila; the Cocopa near the mouth of the Colorado;
and the Coco-Maricopa, or Maricopa, along the southern bank of the
Gila--are the principal members of the Yuman family, the three latter
being originally united in a confederacy. They were generally hostile
to Americans, and Forts Yuma and Mohave were erected to keep them
in subjection. Early travellers frequently commented upon their
physical beauty, but contact with the whites rapidly pauperized and
debauched them. At present some fifteen hundred Mohave are located
at the Colorado River and San Carlos reservations, in Arizona; the
Yuma, to the number of about a thousand, are at the Mission Agency of
California, and at San Carlos; and about three hundred Maricopa are
living on the Pima reservation, in Arizona.--ED.
[66] This is now known as Bill Williams's Fork. It is composed of
two main branches, the Santa Maria and the Big Sandy, and drains
west-central Arizona, uniting with the Colorado at the present Aubrey
City. The villages just passed were probably those of the Coconino
(properly Havasupai), a distinct Indian family, although speaking a
Yuman dialect. See Bandelier, _op. cit._, iv, pp. 381-833.--ED.
[67] Pattie reaches at this point the fort of Black Cañon, and
traverses the southern bank of the cañons of the Colorado for their
entire length, a distance which he accurately estimates at three
hundred miles. Apparently the beauty and wonder of the great chasm did
not appeal to the weary traveller. The cañons of the Colorado were
first visited by Garcia Lopez de Cardenas, of Coronado's party, in
1540. Again, in 1583, Antonio de Espejo reports his visit thither. It
was two centuries before another white traveller is recorded as seeing
the Grand Cañon of the Colorado; and Pattie is apparently the first
known American to traverse its banks. In 1857 Lieutenant Ives ascended
in a steamer as far as Black Cañon, and then proceeded overland to
Grand Cañon; twelve years later Major J. W. Powell descended the entire
gorge in boats; see Dellenbaugh, _Romance of the Colorado River_ (New
York, 1902). The cañons are now much frequented by tourists. See for
example, Monroe, "Grand Cañon of the Colorado," in _Atlantic Monthly_,
1900.--ED.
[68] For the Shoshoni Indians, see Bradbury's _Travels_, our volume
v, p. 227, note 123. The river up which they trapped for two days
was probably the Little Colorado, which comes in from the southeast.
Pattie's "north" is a misprint for "south."--ED.
[69] This was San Juan River, which heads in northwest New Mexico;
entering southeastern Utah, it passes around the base of Mount Navaho,
and unites with the Colorado in Kane County. It formed the northern
boundary of the Navaho territory; see _ante_, note 41.--ED.
[70] As they held possession of the mountains of Colorado, these
were probably Paiutes. The numerous tribes of Ute are of Shoshonean
stock; they extended along the Colorado River from California to its
sources, and occupied nearly all of the present states of Utah and
Nevada.--ED.
[71] Pattie is not sufficiently definite for us to determine whether
or not he crossed the divide by the now famous South Pass, which
was already known to Rocky Mountain trappers. According to Coues
(_Henry-Thompson Journals_, ii, p. 884), Stuart, Crooks, and four other
Astorians discovered it on an overland journey from Astoria in 1812.
The fur-trader Andrew Henry passed through it in 1823, but it was first
made known to the world at large by John C. Frémont (1842), and is in
consequence most often associated with his name.--ED.
[72] For further information concerning Long's Peak, see James's
_Long's Expedition_, volume xv of our series, p. 271, note
126.--ED.
[73] The Bighorn is one of the three largest tributaries of the
Yellowstone. It rises in the Shoshone and Wind River Mountains, in
Wyoming, and following a northerly course enters the Yellowstone at
about 46° 15' north latitude. At its mouth, Manuel Lisa established
the first trading post on the Yellowstone (1807). One of its branches
has become famous as the scene of the Custer massacre.--ED.
[74] For the Yellowstone River, see Bradbury's _Travels_, volume v of
our series, p. 100, note 68.--ED.
[75] A brief account of the Flathead Indians may be found in
Franchère's _Narrative_, in our volume vi, p. 340, note 145. For the
method of compressing the children's heads, consult illustration in
Thwaites,_ Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition_,
iv.--ED.
[76] On the return journey of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Clark
passed from the Bitterroot fork of Clark's branch of the Columbia,
across the continental divide, through Gibbon's Pass, thence by way
of Bozeman Pass and Jefferson and Gallatin rivers to the Yellowstone,
reaching the latter near the present site of Livingston, Montana, about
forty-five miles north of Yellowstone Park. See Thwaites, _Original
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition_, v, p. 262.
There is at this point some strange mistake or hiatus in Pattie's
journal. Clark's Fork of the Columbia takes its rise in the Bitterroot
Mountains, and does not flow within a thousand miles of Long's Peak;
nor would the time allowed--less than three weeks--have admitted of so
extensive a journey. The trappers must have become confused among the
northern rivers, and returned on their steps up the North Fork of the
Platte.--ED.
[77] For the Blackfeet Indians, see Bradbury's _Travels_, volume v of
our series, p. 225, note 120.--ED.
[78] The province of Biscay was, properly speaking, Nueva Vizcaya.
Originally extensive, and including Sonora, it by this time comprised
only the present states of Chihuahua and Durango. Hanas is doubtless
Janos (named for an Indian tribe), one of the fortified towns of
Chihuahua, situated on the Casas Grandes River.--ED.
[79] The mountains crossed were the Sierra Madre. Bavispe (Barbisca)
was a presidio in the northeastern part of Sonora; it is situated on
the river of the same name, one of the main forks of the Yaqui, the
largest Sonoran river, which follows a southwest course and falls into
the Gulf of California below Port-Guaymas. The village was destroyed by
an earthquake in May, 1887.--ED.
[80] The Yaquis Indians, living along the Yaqui River, have been
difficult to keep in subjection; they revolted in 1740, and again in
1825. At present constituting the laboring class of Sonora, although
living apart from whites, in their own villages, they are much employed
in the gold mines, in which Sonora abounds, being one of the richest
mining districts in the world. The mine described by Pattie was
evidently near the present village of Tepache, northeast of the centre
of the state, which is still strewn with abandoned shafts.--ED.
[81] Sonora has had several capitals, and it is uncertain to which
Pattie here refers. The present executive town is Hermosillo, on the
Sonora River. Its earlier rival was Ures, some miles up the same
river.--ED.
[82] Pattie sees here the Gulf of California, whose principal port
is still Guaymas, with a population of about five thousand five
hundred.--ED.
[83] The Mexican revolt against Spain began with the rising of Hidalgo
in 1810, and was carried on with varying success until apparently
quelled in 1817. But the Spanish revolution of 1820 was the signal
for a new and successful outbreak, and Mexico became independent the
following year.--ED.
[84] These were probably the mines of Cosihuiriachi, located in the
Sierra de Metates, about ninety miles west of the capital of Chihuahua.
Accidentally discovered at the end of the eighteenth century, they
became highly profitable, the number of persons living there in Spanish
times being estimated at ten thousand. As in the case of the copper
mines, the plundering of the Apache caused a decline, and by 1850 most
of them had been abandoned. For further details, see Wislizenus, "A
Tour to Northern Mexico" (_Senate Misc._, 30 Cong., 1 sess., 26, pp.
51-53).--ED.
[85] Chihuahua, the capital of the state of that name, is attractively
situated in a valley of the Sierra Madre Mountains, about a hundred
miles west of the Rio Grande River. It was settled about 1691, the
population being considerably greater in Spanish than in Mexican
times. The most noteworthy building is the cathedral, perhaps the
richest and most beautiful in Mexico. A second large church was begun
by the Jesuits, but never completed; it served as a prison for the
patriot Hidalgo before his execution. See Wislizenus, _op. cit._, pp.
60-63.--ED.
[86] San Buenaventura was originally a Franciscan mission about a
hundred and eighty miles northeast of Chihuahua. It was frequently
disturbed by Apache attacks, and about 1775 was moved a short distance
and made one of the frontier presidios.--ED.
[87] From its location this river would seem to be the Santa Maria, a
small stream which rises in the mountains south of San Buenaventura,
and flowing northward loses itself in a lake not far from El
Paso.--ED.
[88] Casas Grandes is a short distance south of Janos (see _ante_,
note 78). Near the Mexican village are the famous ruins of large,
several-storied dwellings built by an Indian tribe that has passed
away. Evidence of a canal which conveyed the water supply is also to
be seen, and at some distance from the cluster of buildings is a kind
of watch-tower. Similar ruins have been discovered in Arizona, all the
work of Pueblo Indians, although of a tribe having attained a somewhat
higher culture than those of to-day. See Bandelier, "Final Report," iv,
pp. 544-575.--ED.
[89] The town of El Paso dates from about 1680, when the Spanish were
driven out of Santa Fé by the great Pueblo revolt. For Indian, trapper,
trader, and miner it has been a gateway between the Atlantic and
Pacific river systems. Its name arose from the fact that there the Rio
del Norte emerges from the mountains to the plains. The modern El Paso,
Texas, is across the river from the old town.--ED.
[90] This is not the Pacos (Pecos), previously mentioned by Pattie (see
_ante_, note 49), but the Puerco, a western tributary of the Rio del
Norte. Puerco was also a common, though mistaken name, for the Pecos,
hence the confusion. The Puerco is a narrow, shallow stream, about
seventy-five miles in length, which, rising in the mountains west of
Santa Fé and flowing southward, unites with the Rio del Norte a few
miles above Socorro.--ED.
[91] The Mescalero were among the most treacherous and murderous tribes
of the Apache. Their favorite haunts were the mountains bordering the
Rio del Norte on the east. Some five hundred of them are now on the
Mescalero reservation in New Mexico.--ED.
[92] The Mimbres River flows between Mimbres Mountain and the copper
mines, being but a short distance from the latter.--ED.
[93] This is probably Andrew Henry, a pioneer trader on the Missouri,
for whom see our volume xv, p. 246, note 107.--ED.
[94] See _ante_, note 65.--ED.
[95] The jaguar (_Felis onca_) most resembles the leopard of the
old world. It inhabits the wooded parts of America, from Texas to
Paraguay.--ED.
[96] For the Cocopa Indians, see _ante_, note 65. The Pipi were
probably Pimi, a distinct linguistic family, occupying southern Arizona
and northern Mexico. They lived a settled life in villages, and were
generally well-disposed toward the whites.--ED.
[97] Santa Catalina was the last mission founded in Lower California.
It was established by the Dominicans (1797) in the mountains, back from
the coast, about latitude 31° 20', on the headwaters of River St.
Quentin.--ED.
[98] The mission of Santo Tomás de Aquino was founded by the Dominicans
in 1790. It is situated about fifty miles northwest of Santa Catalina,
on a river to which it gives a name, Rio Santo Tomas.--ED.
[99] San Miguel, established in 1782, is about thirty miles south of
San Diego.--ED.
[100] A presidio was established at San Diego in 1769, and troops
stationed there. Although not the capital at the time of Pattie's
imprisonment, Governor Echeandia preferred its climate to that of
Monterey, and made it his permanent residence. The present city of San
Diego dates only from 1867, and is five or six miles distant from the
old site.--ED.
[101] This account of Captain Bradshaw and the "Franklin" does not
agree in chronology with the evidence presented by Bancroft from
official sources (_History of California_, iii, pp. 133, 134).
The "Franklin" escaped on July 16, Bradshaw having been warned by
a French captain that the governor intended to place a guard on
board the vessel. Pattie wrote from memory, some time after the
occurrences, but except in the matter of time his evidence tallies
with that of the Mexican manuscripts, wherein his name is mentioned as
interpreter.--ED.
[102] The names of Pattie's companions appear in the archives, and
are given by Bancroft, _California_, iii, p. 163, as Nathaniel Pryor,
Richard Laughlin, William Pope, Isaac Slover, Jesse Ferguson, James
Puter. Of these, the first is the name of one of the sergeants in the
Lewis and Clark expedition, for whose earlier career see Wheeler, _On
the Trail of Lewis and Clark_ (New York, 1904), i, pp. 92-95. See also
Bancroft, iv, p. 785; and Vallejo, "Ranch and Mission Days in Alta
California," in _Century Magazine_, xix, p. 190. Most of them became
residents of California; William Pope gave his name to Pope Valley,
Napa County, where he lived and died.--ED.
[103] Pattie elsewhere gives the name of this young woman who
befriended him, as Miss Peaks. Bancroft conjectures (_California_, ii,
p. 165) that she was Señorita Pico, sister of a sergeant by that name,
figuring in the records of the time.--ED.
[104] For the career of Charles (not James) Lang, see Bancroft, _op.
cit._, iii, pp. 139, 140.--ED.
[105] The mission of San Diego de Alcala was the first of the
Franciscan establishments begun by Father Junipero Serra in 1769. In
1774 it was removed inland three miles from the presidio of the same
name; and at the time of Pattie's visit, it had attained the height
of its prosperity. Six years after it was founded (1775), an Indian
revolt occurred, in which there was bloodshed on both sides, and the
church was burned and pillaged. It was re-established in 1777, and
six years later was built the church, of which little yet remains
but the façade. Remains of an aqueduct may also be traced, to whose
use in irrigating Pattie refers. On the entire subject of mission
history, consult in addition to Bancroft, and the standard histories,
Victor, "Studies of the California Missions" in _The Californian_, v,
vi; Helen Hunt Jackson, "Father Junipero and his Work," in _Century_,
iv, pp. 3-18, 199-215; Doyle, "Missions of Alta California," _ibid._,
xix, pp. 389-402; Jackson, _Glimpses of California and the Missions_
(Boston, 1902); Carter, _Missions of Nueva California_ (San Francisco,
1900), and Clinch, _California and its Missions_, (San Francisco,
1904).--ED.
[106] The mission of San Luis Rey de Francia, situated on the coast,
about eighty-five miles southeast from Los Angeles, was founded in
1798, and named in honor of Louis IX of France. The church, the largest
among the missions, was completed in 1802. At the time of Pattie's
visit, it was the most prosperous mission in California, possessing
twenty-five thousand sheep and over two hundred thousand acres of
land, on which were annually raised twelve thousand bushels of grain.
The founder, Padre Antonio Peyri, was still in charge, and to his
fine character and administrative ability was due the success of the
enterprise. The old church, the finest among the missions, was recently
repaired and occupied by the Franciscans, the dedication (1893) of the
re-established mission taking place with much ceremony.--ED.
[107] This should be San Juan Capistrano; San Juan Bautista was
further north, see note 119, below. This mission was founded with
much difficulty, the Indians being hostile, and upon the news of the
revolt at San Diego (1775) the first attempt was abandoned. The second
(1776) was more successful, but the mission made but slow progress. Its
beautiful stone church was begun in 1797, and dedicated in 1806, only
to be partially destroyed by the earthquake, to which Pattie refers,
in 1812. The ruins of San Juan Capistrano are among the most beautiful
of all the California missions; they are situated near a small town
of that name, on the Southern California Railroad, fifty-eight miles
southeast of Los Angeles.
San Gabriel was the fourth mission founded on the southern coast by
the Franciscans. It was established in 1771, near San Pedro Bay, where
had been recorded a miracle upon the unfurling of a banner bearing a
painting of the Virgin. Somewhat later the mission was removed to the
foothills, and being on the road from Monterey to San Diego, attained
considerable wealth and importance. In 1832 the Spanish government
secured from this mission a forced loan of $120,000 in gold. The
existing church of the mission is much visited, being but nine miles
east of Los Angeles.
San Pedro was the port both of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel mission.
The bay was named by Viscaino (1602), and next to the four presidial
ports it was the most important on the coast, and the spot where
much smuggling took place. In 1846, during the American conquest of
the province, a battle was fought not far from San Pedro, between
Californians and Americans; the latter under Captain William Mervine,
were defeated.--ED.
[108] Los Angeles was the second pueblo (municipality) founded by the
Spaniards in Upper California. A colony of forty-six persons came
overland from Mexico in 1781, and established itself at this point
(September 4). By Pattie's time the town had about eighty houses and
seven hundred inhabitants. The ancient Spanish church, facing the plaza
in this city, dates from 1822, eleven years being occupied in its
building.--ED.
[109] The Franciscans proposed to establish a chain of missions some
distance inland from the coast. As part of this plan, was founded
(1797) the mission of San Fernando, twenty miles north of Los Angeles,
named in honor of King Ferdinand III of Spain (1217-1251). During
the years 1820-30, it was in a flourishing condition, the warehouse
containing merchandise to the value of $50,000. The mission was sold
(1846) to Eulogio Celis to help defray the expenses of the war with the
United States, but the title was not sustained by the American courts.
San Fernando has suffered little from the hands of the restorer, the
buildings belonging still to a ranch, and affording a good picture of
the general aspect of a Franciscan mission.--ED.
[110] Soon after the founding of San Diego, Serra had wished to erect
a mission in honor of San Buenaventura. But various reasons hindered
his purpose, which was not accomplished until 1782; it was the last
mission erected during his lifetime. The church, the only building now
standing, was begun in 1797; it was much damaged by the earthquake of
1812, but later being repaired, now stands in the midst of the busy
American city of Ventura. The two friars who fled from this mission
in January, 1828, were Ripoll and Altmira, who went on board the
"Harbinger" at Santa Barbara, and never returned. It is believed they
ultimately reached Spain.--ED.
[111] The presidio of Santa Barbara, one of the four forts by which
the Spaniards held California, was founded in 1782. The mission itself
was not begun until four years later. It became one of the most
important of all the missions, and by 1800 was wealthy. The church
was so much damaged by the earthquake of 1812 that a new structure
was erected, which to-day is in a perfect state of preservation, and
one thoroughly typical of mission architecture. After secularization
(1834), the mission was neglected for twenty years; but the Franciscans
again took possession of the property, and established a religious
community therein, which is still maintained for the education of
novitiates.--ED.
[112] By "St. Enos," Pattie refers to the mission of Santa Inez,
the nineteenth to be established (1804), it being at first an
offshoot of Santa Barbara. Its first church was destroyed in the
earthquake of 1812; the present building is plain and uninteresting.
At Santa Inez was started the great Indian revolt of 1824. At the
time of secularization it was one of the smaller missions, valued
at only $56,000. Because of its inaccessibility within the Santa
Inez mountains, forty miles from Santa Barbara, it is now little
visited.--ED.
[113] Pattie here makes a mistake in his itinerary. Either he is
referring to La Purissima mission, established in 1787 (re-established
1812), on Santa Inez River, eighteen miles from the mission of that
name, or he has misplaced his visit to Santa Cruz mission (founded
1791), north of Monterey.--ED.
[114] San Luis Obispo was one of the early missions, being founded by
Serra in 1772, about midway between Monterey and Santa Barbara. Its
buildings were several times destroyed by fire, and its prosperity
was of slower growth than that of the more southern missions. The
present buildings, in the flourishing modern town of its name, retain
but little of the early mission architecture, having been completely
changed by frequent restorations.--ED.
[115] San Miguel mission (in honor of Michael the archangel) was
founded in 1797, in the valley of Salinas River. The present church was
begun in 1800, and is chiefly interesting for its interior decoration,
designed and executed by Indians. Pattie has here exaggerated the
number of neophytes (or else this is a misprint), the largest
enrollment in 1814 being 1,076.--ED.
[116] It is evident, from the context, that Pattie has transposed the
names of the two missions, San Juan Bautista (see note 119) and San
Antonio. It was the latter which he visited on the way to Monterey.
Situated in the beautiful valley of the San Antonio River, it was the
third of all the missions founded by Serra (1771). One of the most
flourishing of the early missions, at the time of secularization it was
valued at $90,000. The present church dates from about 1809. It is fast
falling into ruin, owing to isolation and neglect.--ED.
[117] La Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude), founded in 1791, was one
of the smaller missions, thus Pattie's numbers are incorrect. Its
buildings are now almost in ruins.
The mission of San Carlos was founded at the same time as the presidio
of Monterey; but the following year (1771) was removed several miles
into the country, upon the Carmelo River (named for the Carmelite
friar who visited this place in 1602); from its location, the mission
was usually spoken of as Carmel. It was the central mission, the home
of the president, and was important rather from this fact and its
neighborhood to Monterey than from the number of its neophytes. In 1784
Father Junipero Serra, founder of the missions, died, and was buried at
this place. Nearly a hundred years later his tomb was re-opened, and
found intact. The present church, easily visited from Monterey, was
dedicated in 1797; restored in 1882, it is still in good condition, and
service is held there monthly.--ED.
[118] The harbor of Monterey was discovered by the Spanish expedition
under Cabrillo, in 1542; but rediscovered and named by Viscaino,
in 1602. The first land expedition sent out from San Diego (1770)
failed to recognize the bay. The presidio was built in June of that
year, and made the capital of the new province. It consisted of a
stockaded enclosure, with cannon at the corners. By 1778 a stone wall
had been built, and the safety of the place ensured. Thenceforward,
the history of Monterey was the history of Alta California. After
the American conquest, it remained for many years a Mexican town.
See Stevenson, "Old Pacific Capital," in _Across the Plains_ (New
York, 1895), pp. 77-107. More recently, Monterey has become a seaside
resort.--ED.
[119] This was San Juan Bautista (see note 116), whose site, thirty
miles northeast of Monterey, was chosen in 1786. A mission was not
founded there until 1797, when was begun the chapel which was dedicated
in 1812; it still stands, although much altered from its first
appearance. Music was a feature of San Juan Bautista; there is still
to be seen within the building an old barrel organ which was made
in England in 1735. As this was a prosperous mission at the date of
Pattie's visit, no doubt his figures are correct. He omitted from his
tour the northern missions of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San José, San
Rafael Archangel, and Solano de Sonoma.--ED.