OCR Text |
Show THE CITIZEN 14 CALIFORNIA IN THE DAYS tion of Don Jose de Galvez saved the day for Spain. from (Continued Page 3) In seventeen sixty-ninacting unCabrillo discovered the port of San der the direction of Galvez, the San Miguel sometimes identified as the Carlos, Vila in command, with Fages present San Diego; other times as San and a company of volunteers on board, Pedro. To him goes the honor of being set sail from La Paz, followed by the first white man to set foot in Alta the San Antonio, Perez in command. California. He died in California, after Two expeditions went overland, one in charging his expedition that they charge of Rivera; the other commandshould not give up the discovery, as ed by the Governor of the Californias, far as possible of all the coast. Portola, with Padre Presidente Serra Drake sailed up the coast in fifteen a member. The padre was lame, but Galli came down from that did not deter him. The Baja Caliseventy-nine- . fornia missions had contributed liberthe Philippines, by way of Japan, passed, on his voyage from ally to the expeditions, in horses, catManila. tle, food and implements. The San Antonio arrived first at In sixteen hundred two, Vizcaino sailed from Acapulco. He came to San Diego. The San Carlos came later. anchor in the harbor that is now San Scurvy had broken out in both crews. There was some thirty deaths. To the Diego, giving it that name. The voyIndians, the food of the whites was age continued, he sailed into the harbor of Monterrey, naming it, a port responsible. The two land expeditions, that Cermenho may have seen some which arrived after a march of two months, sustained no casualties at all. years before. With disease and death infesting the A suitable harbor for the refitting of the crews, conversion of the of Manila galleons was one of the camps Indians became difficult. The divine objects of this expedition, for interof the white man had received est in Philippine trade then ran high. origin a rude shock. But, Padre Serras zeal Some of the explorers may have knew no bounds. Serras arrival at come near the harbor of San FranSan Diego marked the beginning of cisco, but none of them is known to the first and only energetic attempt have explored it. at founding missions in Alta CaliEpeditions proved unremunerative, fornia. and now began a lull in exploration Governor Portola now led an exthat was to last for a century and a pedition by land to Monterey. Padre half. Serra remained at San Diego, with a JESUIT MISSIONS. contingent of soldiers and sailors, the founding there the first mission in When, in seventeen sixty-seveJesuits were expelled from New Spain, Alta California Mission San Diego they left with the establishment ol de Alcala. Portolas party crossed the site of several missions in Baja California to their credit. Franciscans were placed Los Angeles, where they received the in charge of them, and Fray Junipero Grand Pardon of Assisi, the 'great Serra was appointed padre presidente. Franciscan indulgence, Nuestra. Sen-or- a de los Angeles de Porciuncula. The Came then Don Jose de Galvez, with extraordinary powers from the King. village later established at this point He is, says Bancroft, entitled to came to be known: El Pueblo de Nuethe first place among the pioneers of stra Senora la Reina de los Angeles. California, though he never set foot Grown to a cosmopolitan city, the like of which could hardly have been in the country. But for him, Spains opportunity in California might have then imagined, it is now known simbecome Russias. The Sacred Expedi- - ply as Los Angeles. San Francisco Bay. Pressing northward, in seventeen ODONNELL & CO. sixty-ninthe Portola expedition MORTICIANS missed Monterey but accidentally Wasatch 6461 came upon San Francisco Bay! Proof Salt Lakes Finest Funeral may yet come to light that Cermenho Home discovered the bay, but, for the lack 32 South Fourth East of it, history gives Portola that honor. According to Indian tradition, two CONTAINING UTAHS hundred years before there was no ONLY MAUSOLEUM sheet of water, but a valley, fertile e, Cer-men- ho n, e, United States Smelting, Refining & Mining Co. Buyers of MATTE, FURNACE PRODUCTS and FLOTATION LEAD ZINC ORE NEWHOUSE BLDG. SALT LAKE, UTAH and beautiful. Then came an earthquake, the valley sunk and the sea rushed in. Tired and weary, many of the members ill, the Portola expedition returned to San Diego, eating their mules on the way. Serra greeted Portola: You come from Rome without having seen the Pope. The purpose of the friars undoubtedly was to convert the Indians to the Christian religion, but behind it lay another: the major purpose of the Crown to occupy Alta California, and thus to keep Russia and other foreign nations out. Neither soldiers nor ships being abundant enough for a strictly military or naval occupation, missions became quite advisable, if not necessary. The plan of occupation contemplated at each point a mission, a presidio and a pueblo. The mission was separated from the rest of the colony, to leave the padres greater freedom in dealing with the Indians, to remove bad examples in conduct on the part of Spaniards. In its main aspect, therefore, the occupation of Alta California was an occupation under the cross, with the sword behind it. At San Diego the San Carlos was still tied to her moorings. The San Antonio, which had left for Mexico, had not returned. An expected supply ship, the San Jose, failed to put in her appearance. Portola took note. Supplies were running low. Responsibility weighed heavily upon him. He set a return date for the expedition, but Serra vowed to remain. Then came the San Antonio, in the nick of time. Perez had been instructed to sail for Monterey direct, and not to stop at San Diego, but, coming ashore near Santa Barbara to replenish his water casks, the channel Indians informed him of the return of the Portola expedition from the north, which, with the loss of an anchor, induced him to steer the San Antonio into the port of San Diego. Disobedience of orders in this instance turned out to be a benefic thing. It saved the expedition. THE FIRST CAPITAL. The San Antonio now sailed for Monterey, with Padre Serra aboard. Portola led another expedition by land. Both expeditions made their goal, the one by land arriving first. The Presidio of Monterey was the first in Alta California, there being at San Diego only a small guard at the mission. Monterey became the first capital. Here also was founded Mission San Carlos de Borromeo. Portola, his purpose accomplished, returned on the San Antonio, leaving Fages in command. Great was the rejoicing at Mexico City. Galvez directed an account of the expedition to be printed, and Portola --was promoted. Fages next led an expedition up the eastern side of San Francisco Bay. In seventeen seventy-fou- r, Russian and English explorations along the California coast influenced the Viceroy to despatch the Anza expedition, overland across the Gila and Colorado rivers. It reached Monterey, its des- tination. Rivera, who had become lieutenant governor, then led an expedition up the peninsula, to the Golden Gate. A year later, the San Carlos, Ayala in command, set sail from Monterey for San Francisco Bay. The fourth of August saw the ship outside the gate. The day following she entered the long sought harbor. Other expeditions came, including a second led by Anza, which explored the peninsula to the mouth of San Francisco Bay. For the second time the San Carlos cast anchor in the bay. The seventeenth of September, seventeen seventy-sithe Presidio of San Francisco was dedicated by Lieutenant Moraga; a little later, Mission San Francisco de Asis. Monterey became the capital of both the Calif orn- ias, and, for the first time, a ship-th- e Santiago made the voyage direct from San Bias to San Francisco. The first Manila galleon called at Monx, terey. THE OTTER In seventeen ninety-sithe Otter entered Monterey harbor, the first American vessel to anchor in a port of Alta California. All had not gone well with the Mission at San Diego. The Indians, it is said, liked the picture of the Holy Mary, but were horrified at that of the Lost Soul. Their women, too, were molested. One night a thousand attacked the mission. From eighteen hundred to eighteen ten was the golden age of missions in Alta California. In that time they increased and flourished as never before. Pueblos also appeared, but the population of none of them exceeded three figures. Colonization, as the Anglo Saxon understands it, had not set in when the Spanish empire struck the pace of swift decline. Spain, indeed, sought unearned wealth, and from that standpoint her expeditions into Alta California were failures. That lands vast mineral wealth remained to the Spaniards a hidden treasure, although here and there Indians traded them a few gold nuggets. The empire had become a cumbersome affair. One expedition officially reported the sight of a hard of elk. It took five years for the communication to pass the rounds of officialdom, from Monterey to Mexico City, Madrid and back. Finally the answer came, duly signed, stamped and sealed, the papers probably tied together neatly with a red ribbon. It contained a royal command from the King to x, catch the elk! At last, Mexico gained her independence. The young republic was too occupied, however, with more pressing problems to give California much at- tention. Quiet now reigned, but not for long. Another and a greater day was in the process of dawning. So long as a candidate must depend contributions from a few men and a few great corporwealthy ations just that long will political corruption exist. Senator Nye (Rep.) of North Dakota. upon |