Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820Cook, Sherburne Friend
History
Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820
Cook, Sherburne Friend
California -- Discovery and exploration; California -- History -- To 1846 -- Sources; Central Valley (Calif.)
[10] Probably 3 or 4 mi. north or northeast of Gustine, in the open
treeless plain. From this point it is close to 21 mi. (10 leagues) to
San Luis Gonzaga.
[11] Here, as in the previous account, Viader uses a league of
approximately 2.1 mi. From Mission San José to the river near Bethany
is just about 32 mi., a distance Viader calls 15 leagues.
[12] Two villages of the Bolbones were concerned, one on the west bank
of Old River, the other on the opposite bank, on Union I. The frankly
military and aggressive character of this expedition is readily
apparent.
[13] These elevations were of two types: (1) small, scattered mounds
formed of residual calcareous sand (the so-called "sand mounds") on
the summits of which the Indians established their villages; (2) true
habitation mounds, perhaps originally situated on a slight elevation,
but built up by midden deposit to a height of several feet.
[14] The itinerary of the 22nd and 23rd seems fairly clear. The party
kept closer to the river than the expedition of August and thus
apparently saw Jusmites and Tugites (or Fugites), which were not
mentioned by name in the account of the previous trip. According to
the present diary, Mayem was 9 leagues from Pescadero, as compared
with the estimated 8 1/2 leagues in August.
Two leagues beyond Mayem in August the village under the chief Bozenats
was encountered. The present record gives the name of the village, or
tribe, Taualames. The identity is clear.
[15] From the crossing of the San Joaquin the distances and directions
cannot be reconciled with the apparent locations. Thus the village
of the Taualames would appear to lie on the east bank between the
Stanislaus and the Tuolumne (Dolores), and Schenck so places it. Yet
Viader says the Tuolumne R. was 2 or 3 leagues north of the village and
the Merced about 6 leagues southeast. Elsewhere (on the 25th) he says
that Taualames is 2 leagues below the mouth of Orestimba Cr. If so, it
would be 8 or more leagues south of Mayem.
The most probable route would follow up the west bank of the San Joaquin
to the vicinity of the Tuolumne, then across and up the east bank to the
Merced. Having crossed the Merced and back to the west bank of the San
Joaquin, the group retraced their steps downstream, past Orestimba Cr.
to the starting point opposite Taualames.
[16] Turning west the expedition crossed three leagues of plain
and came upon Arroyo Corpus Christi, at present Del Puerto Cr. This
identification is additional evidence that Taualames was about 3 leagues
south of the Tuolumne R., as Viader implies. On the 26th and 27th the
trail led up Del Puerto Cr. to its headwaters, past San Antonio V., and
through the hills northeast of Mt. Hamilton to Mission San José. The
total distance is given as 23 leagues, or about 48 mi. according to
Viader's reckoning. This is reasonably close to the actual airline
distance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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