... before delivering it took the spawn from the stomach and an
intestine like a pocket, and right there on the spot they ate
the spawn raw and put what was left over in the intestine. They
then went to eat the other fish, which they dispatched quickly.
Making a little fire they put it in, and in a short time, almost
before it was hot, like brutes they ate it as it was, almost
raw.
Some war equipment was seen. Near the camp on Walnut Creek at Pacheco,
the party was visited by local Indians with whom there was a little
trouble.
Some of them came to see us, carrying bows and arrows, for all
had very good ones and well made, the bow of good wood, small
and wound with tendons like those we saw on the Channel, and the
arrows of little reeds, very smooth, well made, and with flints,
transparent and very sharp. One came with a scalp hanging from a
pole. This did not please me, for it suggested war.
Near the camp there were two villages: one, says Anza (A, p. 143),
"which we left behind" and another, "which we have immediately ahead."
Between the large rancheria of Tormey and the two just mentioned there
appear to have been no Indian settlements whatever.
The day of Wednesday, April 3, was spent in crossing the low hills east
of Concord and in traveling along the southern shore of Suisun Bay as
far as Antioch Bridge. Neither Anza nor Font has particular comment
concerning the one and one-half leagues, which brought them to the
summit of Willow Pass, overlooking the area of Pittsburg. Beyond this
point the explorers entered the northwest corner of the San Joaquin
Valley, or the western tip of the delta. They probably had just left
Costanoan territory, although, to be sure, the exact tribal boundaries
are unknown. At any rate it is preferable to limit the present
discussion to the region west and south of the low hills which extend
from Port Chicago southeast to the vicinity of Byron. The rancherias
which were seen near Antioch would therefore be more profitably
considered in a survey of the valley tribes than in one of the East Bay
and adjacent coast ranges.
Thursday, April 4, was spent in the famous attempt to cross the great
tule swamps. In the course of this effort the party bore southeastward
along the margin of the tules as far as the latitude of Bethany (Bolton,
1930, III: 148n). Thence they turned inland over Patterson Pass and, if
Bolton's reconstruction is correct, followed up the ridge to the east of
Arroyo Mocho. No trees or water were encountered until a point was
reached not far southeast of Livermore. In the meantime, no Indians were
seen and no traces of villages observed along the line of march.
The journey of Friday, April 5, took the party into the rough country
due east of Mt. Hamilton as far as the southeastern edge of San Antonio
Valley at the head of the east fork of Coyote Creek. The terrain was
extremely hilly and was covered with oak and coniferous trees, probably
principally digger pine, although Font says he saw "spruce." Great
stretches of chamise (_Adenostema fasciculatum_), which Anza calls
"Mattal," were observed. The descriptions make it clear that the type of
vegetation and the general appearance of the country were essentially as
they are today.
Only a few streams are mentioned: Arroyo Mocho is described merely as an
"arroyo in a canyon." There were several small watercourses near the
upper end of San Antonio Valley, and water in pools was found at the
lower end near the night's camp. These streams may have been Sulphur
Spring Creek and San Antonio Creek.
The area was destitute of natives. The only mention of Indians is by
Font (F2, p. 414).
In the course of the valley [San Antonio Valley] we saw some
ruinous and abandoned little huts, but the only Indian seen was
at a distance and running, for as soon as he saw us he fled for
the brush of the Sierra like a deer.
Also, referring to the fruit of "a plant like a fig tree" which appears
to be the buckeye, he says that "the heathen eat it, judging from the
piles of its shells which we saw in the abandoned huts." A reasonable
inference from Font's account is that in this area there were no
permanent Indian settlements but in places there were temporary camp
sites, used in the time of maturity of the local tree-crops (buckeye and
perhaps acorns).
On April 6 and the first part of April 7 the party descended Coyote
Creek, through Gilroy Hot Springs to the valley of the Pajaro River. The
country throughout this stretch is described as hilly and rough, but
little further description is given.
In all this journey we did not see a single Indian, although we
found some tracks of them, and in places a few signs and traces
of ruined huts and small villages; for it is known that at times
they go to the sierra and camp, especially during the seasons of
the pinon and the acorn.
From the Font-Anza diaries, together with that of Crespi, certain
tentative conclusions may be reached.
1. The distribution of vegetation in 1775 was substantially the same as
described by the American settlers of 1850 and thereafter and, allowing
for the devastating influence of the white man, more or less as it is
today. The exceptions are the removal of forests, such as the redwood
stand on the Oakland hills, and the spread of introduced plants which
has possibly occurred on the southern shore of Carquinez Strait. In the
relatively untouched interior ranges there has been no significant
alteration.
2. There is some question with regard to water supply. In his trip of
1772, between Milpitas and Pinole, Crespi mentions seeing or crossing 31
arroyos, all with running water. The date was from March 25 to 29. Anza
and Font went at almost the same time of year (March 31-April 1, 1776)
from Warm Springs to Rodeo, and report 20 or 21 arroyos. Of these only 2
or 3 contained abundant water; approximately 10 had only a small amount.
The rest were either not described or were without water. Since there
can have been no profound alteration in climate or geography in the few
years between the two expeditions, the difference must be accounted for
on the basis of relative precipitation during the preceding winters.
Such a theory is supported by Font's statement (F2, p. 418) regarding
the marshes and lagoons in Gilroy Valley: "Since it had not rained much
this year it was quite dry...."
Examination of the modern maps is instructive. The U. S. Geological
Survey quadrangles for the Bay Area were mapped in the decade 1895 to
1905, with subsequent re-editing. Thus the picture presented antedates
the disruption of natural conditions caused by the population expansion
of this century. The USGS sheets now show 20 streams between Milpitas
and Rodeo which were named on the maps, or whose names are otherwise
well recognized. These are, from south to north: Arroyo Coches Creek,
Calera Creek, Scott Creek, Toroges Creek, Agua Fria Creek, Agua Caliente
Creek, Mission Creek, Alameda Creek, San Lorenzo Creek, San Leandro
Creek, the creek flowing past Mills College, the creek flowing out of
Diamond Canyon through Fruitvale, Indian Gulch, Claremont Creek,
Strawberry Creek, Codornices Creek, Wildcat Creek, San Pablo Creek,
Pinole Creek, and Rodeo Creek. In addition there are approximately 12
unnamed creeks or arroyos descending the front slope of the hills onto
the plain. The total, 32, conforms very closely with the descriptions
left by the Spaniards in 1772 and 1776.
It is further to be noted that the government surveys of the period of
1900 showed all these streams as intermittent and therefore dependent
for their flow upon the winter rainfall. Thus it is quite probable that
in late March the amount of water might be copious (as in 1772) or
relatively scanty (as in 1776). The conclusion seems warranted that,
apart from dessication induced by such factors as soil damage,
overgrazing, and diversion for minor irrigation projects, the local
water supplies have not diminished since 1770. It then follows that
under primitive conditions the natives had substantially the same
quantity of water at their disposal as is available in the same area
today.
3. The distribution of Indian population was quite clearly marked.
Crespi (see above) encountered 5 villages from Milpitas to San Lorenzo.
Anza mentions 6 villages in the same distance, most of which were north
of Irvington. Both Crespi and Anza describe seeing no further villages
until they reached Wildcat Creek. Thereafter they saw a village on each
of San Pablo, Pinole, and Rodeo Creeks. Crespi puts 5 villages between
Pinole and Crockett. Anza refers to only one, in addition to the one on
Rodeo Creek, viz., the large village at Tormey. All accounts agree that
there were no settlements between Crockett and Concord Valley, where 2
villages were found by both parties. On the return journey, Crespi
traversed the valley from Walnut Creek to Dublin, Pleasanton, and near
Niles, and noted a scattering of rancherias at least as far as
Pleasanton. The Anza expedition, after leaving the delta, crossed the
hills back of Mt. Hamilton and emerged near Gilroy, all without noting a
permanent habitation site. From these accounts it is clear that the
heavy concentration of population was along the Bay shore, locally
centering on the large arroyos and avoiding the strip where Oakland and
Berkeley now stand. Secondary centers were in the broader and lower
interior valleys, west and north of Mt. Diablo. The narrow canyons and
the brush-covered belts of the main axis of the Coast Range were
destitute of inhabitants.
4. The numerical value of the population was estimated from the Crespi
diary as 2,400. We may assay a comparable estimate from Font and Anza.
The six villages seen on the way from Warm Springs to San Lorenzo were
largely abandoned by the inhabitants, who had fled in terror. Hence no
population estimate is given. However an average of 100 persons each
would be a reasonable assumption.
North of Berkeley an abandoned village was seen, probably on Wildcat
Creek (possibly Strawberry Creek). Then a village of 100 persons was
found on San Pablo Creek and another "fair sized" village probably on
Pinole Creek. At Rodeo Creek was a village larger than the other two.
Allowing 100 persons each for the abandoned village and the "fair sized"
village and 150 for the one on Rodeo Creek, the four sites may be
considered to represent at least 450 inhabitants. The village at Tormey
had a population of 400, according to Font, and 500, according to Anza.
No others are mentioned except the two in Concord Valley to which may be
ascribed 100 persons each. If we use Font's estimate of 400 for the
largest town, the total from Warm Springs to Concord Valley is 1,650.
This is reasonably close to the value of 1,900 derived from Crespi.
For the remainder of the Northern Costanoan territory, since Anza found
no inhabitants south of the Livermore Valley, we have to use the figures
derived from Crespi: approximately 500 for the interior valleys. The
total, then is 2,150 as compared with the 2,400 based upon Crespi's
account alone. In any case, the present estimate is purely tentative and
must be considered in the light of the Mission baptism records which are
subsequently described.