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ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS
ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS
Vol. 16, No. 6 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS Editors (Berkeley): J. H. Rowe, R. F. Heizer, R. F. Murphy, E. Norbeck Volume 16, No. 6, pp. 239-292 Submitted by editors June 18, 1958 Issued May 27, 1960 Price, $1.50 University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles California Cambridge University Press London, England Manufactured in the United States of America...
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The general anthropology and history of the California natives has been exhaustively studied, in particular their archaeology and ethnography. Much is also known concerning the vicissitudes of their existence since the coming of the white man. The mission experience has been thoroughly explored and is admirably documented. The period of the Mexican War and the gold rush has been the subject of hundreds of books and articles. Students interested in problems of human biology, ecology, and sociolog
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EXCERPTS FROM OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE
EXCERPTS FROM OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE
A number of letters in the official correspondence of the late eighteenth century refer to fugitive deserters. Of these several may be quoted, primarily by way of illustration since a complete presentation of such data would be very difficult. Documents cited are all in the Bancroft Library, Berkeley, unless otherwise stated. It should be noted that the style in a great many of the transcripts is indirect. The copyist made a paraphrase of the original letter and prefaced his statement with the w
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HERMENEGILDO SAL’S EXPEDITION, 1796
HERMENEGILDO SAL’S EXPEDITION, 1796
The first formally organized exploration, subsequent to Anza and Fages, was apparently carried out by an army officer, Hermenegildo Sal, in 1796. He was a lieutenant in command of the Monterey garrison and conducted a party into the Stockton area. He left no personal diary but did write a letter to the Governor. It is the transcript, or rather paraphrase, of the letter by one of Bancroft’s workers which is here presented. Report of Hermenegildo Sal San Francisco, January 31, 1796 (Cal. Arch., Pr
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FATHER MARTIN’S VISIT TO CHOLAM, 1804
FATHER MARTIN’S VISIT TO CHOLAM, 1804
Father Martin’s trip to Cholam did not actually reach the valley, but attained its borders. It is worth recording as showing the type of activity characteristic of the period. José de la Guerra, Commandant, to Governor Arrillaga Monterey, January 29, 1804 (Prov. St. Pap., Benicia, Military, XXXIV: 266-267) Communicates that Father Juan Martin, minister of San Miguel, protected by one soldier, went to a village called Cholam and asked the chief of all the villages thereabouts, named Guchapa, to g
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FATHER MARTIN’S VISIT TO BUBAL, 1805
FATHER MARTIN’S VISIT TO BUBAL, 1805
Fray Juan Martin to P. P. Fray José Señan San Miguel, April 26, 1815 (Santa Barbara Arch., VI: 85-89) My venerated Father President Fray José Señan: good health! Under date of 4 April, this year, the Reverend Father Prefect requested us to inform Your Reverence concerning the state of the heathen Indians near this mission, particularly as pertains to their inclination to receive Holy Baptism. In complying with my orders I will state with candor that the desire of the neighboring heathens is grea
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EXPEDITION OF SECOND LIEUTENANT LUÍS ARGÜELLO, 1805
EXPEDITION OF SECOND LIEUTENANT LUÍS ARGÜELLO, 1805
José Argüello, Commandant, to Governor Arrillaga San Francisco, June 25, 1805 (Prov. St. Pap., Benicia, Military, XXXIII: 251-252) This letter is accompanied by the report of the expedition, a report made by Second Lieutenant Luís Argüello. The latter on his mission, which occupied him thirty-two days, traversed “all the ranges of San José and Santa Clara as far as opposite the sheep ranch, scouting all the rivers, plains and tule swamps without having found any sign of wild Indians....” 4 Secon
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FATHER ZALVIDEA’S EXPEDITION, 1806
FATHER ZALVIDEA’S EXPEDITION, 1806
Report of an expedition to the interior by Father José Maria de Zalvidea From 19 July to 14 August of 1806 (Santa Barbara Arch., IV: 49-68) Saturday, July 19, 1806 . The expedition left Santa Barbara in order to carry out the orders of the Governor contained in his official letter of the 10th of this month. On the morning of this day we left Santa Barbara and in the afternoon arrived at the mission of Santa Ynez. July 20 . This day, after Mass, we left Santa Ynez, going toward the north. At thre
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LIEUTENANT GABRIEL MORAGA’S EXPEDITION, 1806
LIEUTENANT GABRIEL MORAGA’S EXPEDITION, 1806
The Moraga expedition of 1806 was recorded by Father Fray Pedro Muñoz, who accompanied it as chaplain. His diary, or report, is translated below. Concerning the background of and preparation for the expedition there is a great deal of correspondence, a full exposition of which will be found in Cutter’s thesis (MS, chap. IV). Since the political and military details are irrelevant here, they are omitted. Diary of Father Pedro Muñoz Diary of the expedition made by Don Gabriel Moraga, Second Lieute
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REMINISCENCES OF MEXICAN PIONEERS
REMINISCENCES OF MEXICAN PIONEERS
The two following selections are taken from reminiscences of old Mexican pioneers, obtained by Alexander S. Taylor in the early 1860’s. The first was published in an unidentified newspaper; the second is handwritten. Both purport to relate experiences of expeditions carried out in 1806 or 1807 (except the Ortega sortie of 1815 described by Olivera). The Olivera account follows the report of Moraga’s 1806 expedition in a general way but departs from the diary of Muñoz in many details. It is likel
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IV. JOSÉ PALOMARES’ EXPEDITION TO THE TULARES, 1808
IV. JOSÉ PALOMARES’ EXPEDITION TO THE TULARES, 1808
In 1808 there are two accounts of significance, Moraga’s trip to the Sacramento Valley (Cutter, 1957) and José Palomares’ expedition through the southern tip of the San Joaquin Valley, probably in the same year. Report on the Expedition to the Tulares (Cal. Arch., Prov. St. Pap., Mis. and Col., I: 229-239) On the 25th [of October] 1 I left the Presidio with six men, and, taking another one from San Buenaventura, I went as far as Simi, 2 where we spent the night. On the following day I went with
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FATHER VIADER’S FIRST TRIP
FATHER VIADER’S FIRST TRIP
Viva Jesus . Report or account of the trip which has just been made by order of the Governor and Father President with the purpose of searching for places or sites where missions might be established, from 15 to 28 August, 1810. 15 August 1810 . At five-thirty o’clock in the afternoon of this day I departed from Mission San José with Second Lieutenant Gabriel Moraga, Cadet Raymundo Estrada, one corporal, three soldiers, and four neophytes of Mission Santa Clara. Having traveled about six leagues
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FATHER VIADER’S SECOND TRIP
FATHER VIADER’S SECOND TRIP
Report of Father José Viader From 19 to 27 October, 1810 Mission San José, October 19, 1810 Viva Jesus . My esteemed Father President, I inform you that at about two o’clock this afternoon I left this mission in the company of Lieutenant Gabriel Moraga, 23 other soldiers, and about 50 armed Christian Indians. After going some six leagues to the northeast we halted to pass the night in the valley of San José near a willow grove which contains good water. 20th day . From the valley to Pescadero, o
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FATHER RAMÓN ABELLA’S EXPEDITION, 1811
FATHER RAMÓN ABELLA’S EXPEDITION, 1811
This manuscript of twenty-seven pages is entitled: “Diario de un registro de los ríos grandes, October 15-31, 1811.” The title page bears the note: A copy in the handwriting of and signed by Gervasio Argüello. Exploration of the Eastern Shores of upper San Francisco Bay, San Pablo and Suisun Bays and of the lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The authorship of this document is something of a mystery. The copy in the Bancroft Library has the title given above but is in the handwriting of, an
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JOSÉ ARGÜELLO’S ATTACK ON AN INDIAN VILLAGE, 1813
JOSÉ ARGÜELLO’S ATTACK ON AN INDIAN VILLAGE, 1813
In 1815 a joint expedition consisting of two or more parties traversed the valley. Two full accounts remain, those of Ortega and of Pico. In 1816 Father Luís Antonio Martinez circulated in the Tulare Lake region, some of his exploits generating a lively controversy with other friars. The delta was again visited in 1817 by Father Narciso Duran, who left an extensive diary. With him was Lieutenant Luís Argüello, who also submitted a report. All these documents are presented herewith. The last impo
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ORTEGA’S EXPEDITION TO KINGS RIVER AND TULARE LAKE, 1815
ORTEGA’S EXPEDITION TO KINGS RIVER AND TULARE LAKE, 1815
Juan Ortega’s Diary Copy, made by Sergeant Ortega at Mission San Juan Bautista with covering letter, of diary, November 4-15, 1815, of expedition from Mission San Miguel, accompanied by Father Juan Cabot and soldiers, in search of runaway Indians. Report on the lower Kings River and “Tulare Lake” area. Diary written by Master Sergeant Don Juan de Ortega with reference to the localities which, by order of the Governor, I was directed to survey, reckoning from November 4 up to the day when junctio
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FATHER MARTINEZ’ EXPEDITION
FATHER MARTINEZ’ EXPEDITION
The following five documents, all in the Bancroft Library, show clearly the confusion in the valley following the repeated expeditions of the preceding years, particularly those of 1815. The first, second, and third concern the Martinez sortie into the southern valley and include in full the original account by Father Martinez and the drastic criticism of his behavior by Father Cabot. The reader may form his own opinion with respect to the merits of the controversy. The last two excerpts relate
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MINOR SORTIES
MINOR SORTIES
Fr. Antonio Jaime to Governor Sola La Soledad, March 30, 1816 (Archbishop’s Archive, III (1): 190-191) ... telling him that last night Regidor Socio arrived from the Tulare Valley. 19 He brought back the missing Christians with the exception of three women and their husbands, one because she had just given birth to a child and the other two because their children were sick. Three others are still missing, named Marcos, Pastor, and Justo. These are at the village of Cuonam where there are numerou
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EXPEDITION TO THE DELTA, 1817
EXPEDITION TO THE DELTA, 1817
There follow herewith the two documents relating to the joint expedition to the delta in 1817. This was the final purely exploratory effort in the area. By 1820 most of the channels and landmarks were well known and river navigation offered few obstacles. By this time the Indians, except those along the eastern margin from Sacramento to Stockton, had been converted or driven out and little remained to interest the white man. Father Narciso Duran’s Diary. 1817 This manuscript of six pages is enti
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VII. MINOR RAIDS AND FORAYS, 1810-1820
VII. MINOR RAIDS AND FORAYS, 1810-1820
Apart from the records of major expeditions given in the previous chapters a few scattered items from the Bancroft Library documents are worth presenting. The first six below refer to various informal forays and raids and give an idea of the character of these in the period near 1820. The last two are excerpts from recollections of early Spanish and Mexican pioneers as recounted to Hubert Howe Bancroft’s assistants in 1877 or 1878. The historical accuracy of these last is low, since they refer t
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CHAPTER I (pp. 241-242)
CHAPTER I (pp. 241-242)
1 The Father—the missionary in charge of San Luis Obispo Mission. 2 “Capeador,” from “capear.” Literally “to steal the cape”—a bullfighting expression. By extension, to divert with lies and subterfuge. May be translated as “liar,” “cheat,” or a similar term. 3 According to the topography, the Río del Pescadero is Old River, in the delta area, Río de San Francisco Jabier is Middle River, and Río de San Miguel is the main channel of the San Joaquin. Río de la Pasión is the Calaveras. 4 The route t
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CHAPTER II (pp. 243-244)
CHAPTER II (pp. 243-244)
1 The account is incomplete and there are discrepancies. Evidently there was some untoward incident, since the expedition returned with only two Christians in addition to Guchapa and his son. Furthermore when did the “heroic struggle” occur? And why did an expedition to a not far distant point like Cholam consume twenty days? 2 This figure seems to establish Martin’s estimate of the population of the Tulare L. area. 3 This statement is important since it demonstrates the previous experience of t
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CHAPTER III (pp. 245-255)
CHAPTER III (pp. 245-255)
1 On July 20 the party went from Santa Ynez Mission north to Jonatas, at Las Olivas, then to Saca on Alamo Pintado Cr. The next village, Olomosong, was probably on the Sisquoc R. near the 120th meridian. After 4 leagues further travel they reached Gecp, apparently on the south slope of the Sierra Madre range, because after climbing a mountain they came out onto plains, no doubt the Cuyama V., in approximately T 10 N, R 28 W (San Bernardino base line). Two leagues to the east was Talihuilimit. 2
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CHAPTER IV (pp. 256-257)
CHAPTER IV (pp. 256-257)
1 Cutter (MS, p. 143) places this expedition in approximately 1808 and cites evidence to support the presumption. 2 A former Chumash village in the valley of Calleguas Cr., north of the Santa Susanna Mts. 3 According to Cutter, Muscupian was the same as Moscopiabit of Zalvidea, in the vicinity of Cajon Pass. Mavialla may have been as far east as the San Bernardino Mts. 4 Referring to some incident not recorded in the official documents. 5 Cutter (MS, p. 146) says that this was Antelope V. I see
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CHAPTER V (pp. 258-266)
CHAPTER V (pp. 258-266)
1 The route ran from Mission San José to Suñol, Dublin, Walnut Creek, and to the northeast edge of the plain between Martinez and Port Chicago. Viader’s leagues are short. By modern road—which follows very close to the old horse trail—the distance is close to 38 mi. Viader allows a total of 18 leagues for the two days, or an average of 2.1 mi. per league. 2 At or near Antioch, as is indicated by the 7 leagues covered before lunch. The large oak forest (inhabited by the Tulpunes—or rather Julpune
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CHAPTER VI (pp. 267-279)
CHAPTER VI (pp. 267-279)
1 Ortega gives no distances and the route appears to have been very devious. Hence it is possible to locate the expedition at those points only which are specifically named. Cholam is still a small village in the southwest corner of T 25 S, R 16 E. 2 The Yokuts subtribe Tachi occupied the area to the west of L. Tulare and its outlet sloughs as far as the coast ranges (see Kroeber, 1925, p. 484). However, since Ortega speaks of operating along the Kings R., the village he attacked must have been
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CHAPTER VII (pp. 280-281)
CHAPTER VII (pp. 280-281)
1 Bancroft, in his Pioneer Register (1884-1890, IV: 777), says that José Dolores Pico was sergeant of his company from 1811, and was wounded on an expedition in 1815. In the Pioneer Register (ibid., III: 752-753) he also says that Inocente García was born in 1791 and was a soldier from 1807-1813. Evidently, therefore, the events recounted here took place somewhere from 1810-1813....
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MANUSCRIPTS
MANUSCRIPTS
Unless otherwise stated, all manuscripts are in the Bancroft Library, Berkeley, California. Archives of California (Cal. Arch.) Provincial Records, Vols. II, IV Provincial State Papers, Vols. XIV, XVI Provincial State Papers..., Benicia, Military, Vols. XIV, XXXIII, XXXIV State Papers (Sacramento), Vol. II. Archivo del Arzobispado, San Francisco (Archbishop’s Arch.), Vol. III Archivo de la Misión de Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara Arch.), Vols. IV, VI De la Guerra Documentos Abella, Fr. Ramón Diari
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