Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820 — John Shaqi
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.)
They told us that there were six villages above them on the river but
they would not give us the names of either these villages or the chief
of their own village. Such was their fear or malice. They are poor and
very stupid. The village will contain about 200 souls, judging by the
number we repeatedly noticed among the rocks and along the paths which
run like balconies above the precipice.
From here we returned to the camp. The only incident was that we ran
onto one heathen, who came along with us, and some others, who escaped
in the river without being detected by the soldiers, whom they
misled.[24]
_14th day and 4 [October]._ On this day the expedition took a course
a little inclined toward the northwest and at about six leagues came
upon the bed of a big stream which, however, was dry. It was heavily
overgrown with ash trees and wild vines. It was named the San Francisco
because it was discovered on the day of that Saint. We kept on in the
same direction and after a matter of nine leagues from the Arroyo of
San Francisco we reached a river of great volume, already discovered
(according to reports) by an expedition which was searching for a route
by land to Bodega. We met on this river many very affectionate and
affable heathen. For lack of an interpreter no one was baptized, since
the language is totally different from the one we left behind us.
According to the few words they spoke which we could understand they
want a mission and want to become Christians. This river has excellent
land for agriculture and grazing and has a good oak forest. In the
mountains there is pine. The river is called La Pasión, a name given by
the first expedition to discover it. It has also much ash, willow,
torote, and wild vines.
From this river the expedition turned back to the Guadalupe River,
mentioned on the 12th day of the expedition (Oct. 2), where the camp was
situated.[25]
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