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Show "ESGALANTE IN Oil AND MMk STRIP" Interesting Booklet Issued by University Uni-versity of California Historian. i "Escalante in Dixie and the Ari-I Ari-I zena Strip" is the title of a booklet book-let published by Dr. Herbert Eugene Eu-gene Bolton, Ph. D., historian of the University of California. Dr. Bolton is recognized as one of the foremost historians in the coun-j coun-j try and during the past few years I has taken an especial interest in j the explorations of Father Esca-I Esca-I lante, the Spaniard, who traveled through this section in the fall j of 177C, just three months alter j the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Bolton has followed Esca-lante's Esca-lante's trail, foot by foot from Santa Pe through Colorado, Utah, and part of Arizona and this book deals principally with the route followed by the padre's party after af-ter leaving the Cedar Valley which was named by the Sp;n-iards Sp;n-iards the Valley of Senor San Jose, over the Buckskin mountains. moun-tains. Coming down the west side of Cedar valley almost to where New Harmony now is, Escalante topped the Black ridge, followed Ash creek to a point above Toquer-(Continued Toquer-(Continued on pre 4) ESCALANTE IN DIXIE AND THE ARIZONA STRIP (Continued from page 1) ville then turned south to the junction of the Virgin river and Ash and La Verkin creeks a few miles below Toquerville. Here he crossed the Virgin and ' swinging onto the low mesa, passed through what is now Hurricane, followed along the base of the Hurricane ridge into Arizona, crossed the Colorado . river at the Crossing of . the Fathers, and returned to Santa Fe, after traveling two thousand miles by horse. ' The booklet, which is very interesting, in-teresting, follows Escalante's itinerary itin-erary mile by mile through th; Dixie country. It was translated : from the original diary kept by the padre of his journey and is reprinted from the New Mexico Historical Review. With the permission per-mission of Dr. Bolton the work will be reprinted in this, paper in weekly installments. - , The first two installments deal with the trip as a whole after which Escalante's own' story o.! his route through the Dixie comv try is given. Foreword. Remarkable among explorations in North America in the latter eighteenth century that time of remarkable explorations in the southwest and on the Pacific slope , was the expedition made by Father Escalante in 1775. The friar's aim was two-fold. The government in Mexico desired to open direct communication between be-tween old Santa Fe and the newly new-ly founded Monterey in Upper California. Escalante had a vision of Indian missions in the west, beyond the Colorado river. Objectives Objec-tives coincided and forces were joined. The governor of Nero Mexico Mex-ico contributed provisions for the journey. Escalante furnished ideas and driving power. Nine men besides be-sides himself made up his little party. Father Dominguez, the other friar, was officially Escalante Esca-lante superior, and he provided riding horses, and pack mules, but actually he was a faithful follower. fol-lower. Don Pedro de Meira went as map maker. Two others in the party, Pedro Ciseros and Joaquin Lain, merited the title of Don, the rest were lesser castes half breeds or Indians. One who knew the Yuta tongue went as interpreter. This proved to be highly importer.!, impor-ter.!, for all the way through ; Colorado, Utah and Arizona, until ' they crossed the Colorado river on the homeward journey, all the natives encountered were Yuta stock, Miera made astronomical observations, and drafted a map of .curious interest. Escalante himself him-self kept the superb diary which gave the historic odyessey its place in history. The expedition was made, as Escalante Es-calante requested, "without noise of arms", and barter with the Indians for gain was forbidden. To the right and left as they marched along the eyes of the wayfarers beheld much of the impressive scenery of the great west. The journey covered some 2000 miles and lasted five months of almost continuous horseback travel. Its memory is one of the historical treasures of four states New Mfexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. The start was made at Santa Fe, then a city already as old as Pittsburgh is now. Mounts were fresh and riders exuberant with the prospect of adventure. Northwest North-west the travelers rode across the FJo Grande and up the Charrra; over the San Juan to the Doiores, down that stream through southwestern south-western Colorado, skirting the Mesa Verde wonderland. Doubt arose as t a choice of routes and lots were cast. Chance voted for a wide detour to visit the Sabuagannas, so east they turned over the Uncompahgre plateau and north down the Uncompahgre river to the Gunnison. Thus far they were in known country ; henceforward they were j pathbreakers. On they rode, east and north, over majestic Grand mesa. Here among the Sabua-gannas Sabua-gannas they picked up two young j Laguna Indians, so-called because fhey lived on the Laguna de los I Timpanogos (now Utah lake). Homeward bound these new 1 guides led the explorers on another an-other long detour. West they turned down Buzzard creek, northwest north-west by a dizzy path over Battlement Battle-ment plateau and across the Colorado Colo-rado river at Una; up Roan creek and its canyon-bound affluent, Can creek; by a fear-inspiring trail up the steep sides cf Roan mountain; north forty miles down the narrow gorge of Douglas creek past picture-decorated cliffs, to White river at Rangeley; still north over a desert plateau to the ford -df Green river above .Jensen, 'Utah. The crossing was made .only a -few hundred yards : from the now famous dinosaur j quarry, but of these mammoth relics of the remote past Escalante Esca-lante seems to have caught no ! inkling. West they turned again, up Duchesne river and over the Wasatch Wa-satch mountains to Lake Utah at Provo, where the Laguna guides lived. There, under the shadow of imposing snow-covered Timpanogos Timpan-ogos mountain they spent three days, the longest stop of the entire en-tire journey. Autumn was advancing, ad-vancing, and with new guides the Spaniards continued southwest two hundred miles ot more to Black Rock Springs. They were now near the supposed latitude of Monterey, and the plan was to strike west. But here, on October 5, snow fell, and hopes of crossing cross-ing the great Sierras to California Califor-nia vanished. So they set their faces toward home. Continuing south they discovered dis-covered and described the Sulphur Sul-phur hot springs at Thermo. Inclining In-clining slightly eastward they passed Iron springs and entered Cedar valley, naming it the Valley Val-ley of Senor de San Jose. South they traversed the vaiW its -western side. HesctnZ nt narra creek to Sjf climbing Black ridge thmT m down to the VirWn rf 0PM entered the summer ' mi , affectionately called Divi. n they could not stop to But autumn sunshine, so towm ,vU urged their footsore m0Unl htJ Skirting the base 0f Hurries ridge they continued south t,T five miles, across the ' '" . , Arizona boundary, into LoWer jj valley. Now they cltaZ, cliffs at Old Temple I(d rl the arid plateau, burning thirst, they swung east miles and southeast six, iw welcome draught at some tank? ' the edge of a cedar-cover They were at Cooper's Pock" ' Here the Indians warned thrn , the great chasm aheJfL f Grand Canyon of the ColoJ? So they swung sharply norlh northeast to find the crying o which the Indians had told tU A hard march of forty m?' carried them over Kanab ere near Fredonia. Forty more mil east and northeast took them one more across the Utah line to Z head of Buckskin gulch. (Continued next week) |