History of California, Volume I, Part 27

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 852

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USA > California > History of California, Volume I > Part 27

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the country flying through the air and preaching Christian doctrines. Gomez, Lo que sabe, MS., 53-4, records the tradition that the ringing of the bells frightened away the natives; and that subsequently they refused to eat cheese believing it to be the brains of dead men. San Antonio de Pádua was born in Lisbon in 1195, died at Pádua in 1231, and was canonized in 1232. He was a famous preacher, his sermons affecting even the fishes, and a zealous propa- gator of the Franciscan order. His day, as celebrated by the church, is June 13th.

21 P. Serra in his Representacion, MS., of May 21, 1773, says the work of building was hurried to get ready for farming, and that it was hindered by Fages taking away the best soldiers. Eight mules were left at the mission. 22 Nov. 12, 1770, Viceroy Croix writes to Fages that San Carlos mission is to be established on the Rio Carmelo with a sufficient guard of soldiers. Prov .. St. Pap., MS., i. 70.

HIST. CAL. VOL. I. 12

178

OCCUPATION OF MONTEREY.

ance. Back from San Antonio in August he again went over to Carmelo to hasten the movements of the workmen, who were proceeding very leisurely; but it was several months before the palisade square enclosing wooden chapel, dwelling, storehouse, guard- house, and corrals could be completed; and it was the end of December when the formal transfer took place, the exact date being unknown. The two ministers took up their permanent residence in their new home, Juncosa and Cavaller assisting temporarily both at mission and presidio.23

Events at San Diego during the year 1771 were by no means exciting or important. Beyond the baptism of a very few natives, the exact number being un- known, no progress in mission work is recorded; but Rivera with his force of fourteen men, in addition to Ortega's regular mission guard of eight, would seem to have passed the time comfortably so far as work is concerned. In April, when the San Antonio touched at this port with her load of friars, the two ministers were both disabled by scurvy, and Gomez went up to Monterey, while Dumetz took his place. On July 14th the vessel returned with six padres besides Gomez, who had leave of absence and was on his way to Mexico. Parron retired at about the same time, overland, to the missions of the peninsula. Captain, Perez sailed the 21st.2+ Fages came down with the priests, and the intention was to establish San Gabriel at once; but local troubles caused delay. The day after the vessel's departure nine soldiers and a mule- teer deserted. Padre Paterna was induced by Fages to go with a few soldiers and a pardon signed in blank to bring them back. His mission was successful, and

23 Vallejo and Alvarado, as I have already noted, insist on regarding this as the veritable founding of the mission. Taylor, in Cal. Farmer, Apr. 20, 1860, says the transfer was in 1772-and that the mission became known as San Carlos Borromeo del Carmelo de Monterey.

2+ Serra, San Diego, Lib. de Mision, MS., 7, says however that Parron went, apparently by land, to Baja California; and Palou, Vida, 129, says he went with a party by land, of which party nothing further is known.

179

FOUNDING OF SAN GABRIEL.

after having availed themselves of the ' church asylum' the deserters returned to duty. Again, the 6th of August, a corporal and five soldiers deserted, return- ing on the 24th to steal cattle from the mission. This time Fages went out to bring them in by force, but found them strongly fortified and resolved to die rather than yield, and again, to save life, persuasion was employed, and Dumetz brought back the fugi- tives.25 Respecting the real or pretended grievances of the soldiers we know nothing, but it is evident that some misunderstanding already existed between Fages and the friars, and that Palou's record is intended to show the agency of the latter in its best light. Early in the autumn there arrived from Guaymas twelve Catalan volunteers.

Meanwhile on August 6th Somera and Cambon with a guard of ten soldiers and a supply-train of mules under four muleteers and four soldiers, who were to return, left San Diego to establish their new mission, following the old route northward. It had been the intention to place the mission on the River Santa Ana, or Jesus de los Temblores, but as no suit- able site was found there the party went farther and chose a fertile, well wooded and watered spot near the River San Miguel, so named on the return trip of the first expedition three years before,26 and since known as the River San Gabriel. At first a large force of natives presented themselves under two chieftains and attempted by hostile demonstrations to prevent the purpose of the Spaniards; but when one of the padres held up a painting of the virgin, the savages instantly threw down their arms and their two captains ran up to lay their necklaces at the feet of the beautiful queen, thus signifying their desire for peace.27

25 In a letter of Gov. Barri to Fages, dated Oct. 2, 1771, he advises the commandant not to grieve over the desertion of two soldiers. Prov. St. Pap., MS., i. 72.

26 Palou, Not., i. 477. The same author in his Vida, 129-30, implies that the site selected was on the Rio de los Temblores.

27 It is only in his Vida, 129-30, that Palou tells this story.

180

OCCUPATION OF MONTEREY.

The raising of the cross and regular ceremonial routine which constituted the formal founding of San Gabriel Arcángel2 took place on September 8th, and the natives cheerfully assisted in the work of bringing timber and constructing the stockade enclos- ure with its tule-roofed buildings of wood, continuing in the mean time their offerings of pine-nuts and acorns to the image of Our Lady.29 Though friendly as yet, the natives crowded into the camp in such num- bers that ten soldiers were not deemed a sufficient guard; and Padre Somera went down to San Diego the Ist of October, returning on the 9th with a reën- forcement of two men. Next day a crowd of natives attacked two soldiers who were guarding the horses. The chief discharged an arrow at one of the soldiers, who stopped it with his shield, and killed the chief- tain with a musket-ball. Terrified by the destructive effects of the gun the savages fled, and the soldiers, cutting off the fallen warrior's head, set it on a pole

28 The Archangel Gabriel has a place in several religions. To the Israel- ites he was the angel of death; according to the Talmud he was the prince of fire and ruled the thunder. He set fire to the temple of Jerusalem; appeared to Daniel and Zacharias; announced to Mary the birth of Christ; and dictated the Koran to Mahomet. The last-named prophet describes him very fully, mentioning among other things 500 pairs of wings, the distance from one wing to another being 500 years' journey. His day in the church calendar is March 18th. The mission was often called San Gabriel de los Temblores, the latter word like Carmelo with San Carlos indicating simply locality. It had been intended to mean San Gabriel on the River Temblores, but when another site was selected the name was retained meaning 'San Gabriel in the region of Earthquakes,' as 'San Gabriel de San Miguel' would have been awkward. See Serra, in Prov. St. Pap., MS., i. 118; S. Gabriel Lib. de Mision, MS. The author of Los Angeles Ilist., 5, is in error when he says that the San Gabriel River was called Temblores. The mission was not moved to its present site until several years later. Arch. Santa Bárbara, MS., i. 131; Reid, Los Angeles C'o., Ind., No. 17. San Gabriel was the only mission at the founding of which Serra had not assisted, and this was because Fages failed to notify him, as he had promised. Serra, Repres., 21 de Mayo, MS., 118.

29 According to Hugo Reid, Los Angeles Co. Ind., No. 16, who derived his information from traditions, the natives were greatly terrified at the first sight of the Spaniards; women hid; men put out the fires. They thought the stran- gers gods when they saw them strike fire from a flint, but seeing them kill a bird, they put them down as human beings 'of a nasty white color with ugly blue eyes ;' and later, as no violence was done, they called them chichinabros, or 'reasonable beings.' Women used by the soldiers were obliged to undergo a long purification, and for a long time every child with white blood in its veins was strangled. Food given by the white men was buried in the woods. Brown sugar was long regarded as the excrement of the new-comers.

181

TROUBLE AT SAN GABRIEL.

before the presidio gates. The fugitive assailants came back after a few days to beg for their leader's head; but it was only very gradually that they were induced to resume friendly relations with the friars, and frequent the mission as before. There is little doubt that their sudden hostility arose from outrages by the soldiers on the native women.30

A few days after this affair Fages arrived from San Diego with two friars, sixteen soldiers,31 and four muleteers in charge of a mule train, the force intended for the establishing of San Buenaventura. In conse- quence of the recent hostilities Fages decided to add six men to the guard of San Gabriel, and to postpone for the present the founding of a new mission. Pa- terna and Cruzado also remained at San Gabriel where they became the following year the regular ministers on the retirement of Somera and Cambon by reason of ill-health. Mission progress was extremely slow, the first baptism having been that of a child on November 27th, and the whole number during the first two years only seventy-three. This want of prosperity is attributed by Serra largely to the con- duct of the soldiers, who refused to work, paid no attention to the orders of their worthless corporal, drove away the natives by their insolence, and even pursued them to their rancherías, where they lassoed

30 Palou, Not., i. 478-9, says a soldier bad outraged a woman in one of the rancherías. The same author in Vida, 130-2, tells us that the woman was the wife of the slain chieftain and the guilty soldier the one attacked. Serra in his Representacion, MS., of May 21, 1773, says that the first grievance of the natives was an order from Fages that only 5 or 6 of them should be admitted within the stockade at a time, followed by a secret order not to allow any gentiles at all to enter. Serra says decidedly that if he had been there he would have ordered the padres to abandon the mission; for if they could have no intercourse with gentiles for what were they in the country at all? One day the souliers went out to look for cattle, or more likely for women, and the chief captain was killed, his head being brought to the mission. In Serra's eyes all misfortunes were chargeable to Fages.

31 Palou, Not., i. 479, says distinctly that he had 26 soldiers, 12 volunteers who had lately arrived from Baja California and 14 soldiers de cuera; but I think the last item should be 4 instead of 14, which agrees exactly with the available force at San Diego. Otherwise 10 cuera soldiers must have arrived from the south of which there is no record, or Fages must have brought 10 with him from Monterey, which seems unlikely. A total of 16 also allows San Buenaventura 10 men, the same guard as that sent originally to S. Gabriel.

182

OCCUPATION OF MONTEREY.

women for their lust and killed such males as dared to interfere.32 Fages, probably with ten Catalan volun- teers, continued his march to Monterey at the end of 1771. Rivera y Moncada does not appear at all in the annals of this period. He probably remained but a short time at San Diego before retiring to the penin- sula. It is not unlikely that he was already preparing the way by correspondence for the removal of Fages in his own favor. 33

32 Representacion de 21 de Mayo 1773, MS. Reform seems to have dated from a change of corporals, which probably took place late in 1772.

33 In May 1771 he was at Santa Gertrudis. St. Pap. Mis. and Col., MS., i. 52. On thic period covered by this chapter see Palou, Not., i. 98-107, 120-3, 424-80; Id., Vida, 88-134.

CHAPTER VIII. PROGRESS OF THE NEW ESTABLISHMENTS.

1772-1773.

EVENTS OF 1772-SEARCH FOR THE PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO-CRESPI'S DIARY- FIRST EXPLORATION OF SANTA CLARA, ALAMEDA, AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES-FAGES DISCOVERS SAN PABLO BAY, CARQUINES STRAIT, AND SAN JOAQUIN RIVER-RELIEF SENT SOUTH-HARD TIMES AT MONTEREY- LIVING ON BEAR-MEAT-FAGES AND SERRA GO SOUTH-FOUNDING OF SAN LUIS OBISPO-EVENTS AT SAN DIEGO-A QUARREL BETWEEN COMMANDANT AND PRESIDENT-SERRA GOES TO MEXICO-CESSION OF LOWER CALIFOR- NIAN MISSIONS TO DOMINICANS-NEW PADRES FOR THE NORTHERN ESTAB- LISHMENTS-PALOU'S JOURNEY TO SAN DIEGO AND MONTEREY IN 1773.

THE year 1772 was marked by an important explo- ration of new territory in the north. It added a mis- sion to the four already founded, brought three friars to reënforce Serra's band of workers, and saw arrange- ments completed for a larger reënforcement through the yielding-up of the peninsular missions to the exclu- sive control of the Dominican order. Yet it was a year of little progress and of much hardship; it was a year of tardy supply-vessels, of unfortunate disagree- ments between the Franciscans and the military chief- disagreements which carried the president in person to Mexico to plead for reforms before Viceroy Bucareli, who had succeeded Croix in the preceding autumn.

The San Antonio on her last trip had brought orders from the viceroy to Fages, requiring him to explore by sea or land the port of San Francisco, and, acting in accord with Serra, to establish a mission there, with a view to secure the harbor from foreign aggression.1

1 Dated Nov. 12, 1770, in Prov. St. Pap., MS., i. 70. It was received by Fages at Monterey in May 1771.

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PROGRESS OF THE NEW ESTABLISHMENTS.

After the spring rains had ceased, the commandant for the first time was able to obey the order as to exploration, but there were neither friars nor soldiers for a mission, though the supplies were lying at San Cárlos.2 Accordingly with Crespí, twelve soldiers, a muleteer, and an Indian, Fages started from Monterey on the 20th of March and crossed over to the river Santa Delfina, now the Salinas. As the first explo- ration by Europeans of a since important portion of California, the counties of Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa, this trip, fully described by Crespí,3 deserves to be followed somewhat closely.

The second day's march brings the party to the San Benito stream, still so called, near what is now Hollister; and on the 22d they cross San Pascual plain into San Bernardino Valley and encamp a little north of the present Gilroy. Thence they proceed north-westward and enter the great plain of the " Robles del Puerto de San Francisco," in which they have been before, in November 1769, that is, * the Santa Clara Valley. Their camp the 24th is near the south-eastern point of the great " brazo de mar," near the mouth of what they call Encarnacion Arroyo, now Penitencia Creek, on the boundary line between Santa Clara and Alameda counties. The peninsula to their left having been previously ex- plored, and the object being to pass round the great inlet and reach San Francisco under Point Reyes, Fages continues to the right along the foot-hills be- tween the shore and Coast Range.

His camp on Wednesday the 25th is beside a large stream, called by him San Salvador de Horta, now

2 Palon, Vida, 134-5, says that Serra proposed the exploration and Fages consented. This is probably accurate enough in a certain sense; but the friars had a noticeable habit of claiming for themselves all the credit for each move- ment, and omitting any mention of secular orders and agencies-au omission that evidently did not always result from forgetfulness.

3 Crespi, Diario que se formó en el registro que se hizo del puerto de Ntro. P. San Francisco, in Palou, Not., i. 481-501. A brief résumé of the same exploration is given in Id., ii. 46. Among modern writers, Hittell, ilist. San Francisco, has given a brief and inaccurate account from Crespí's diary.

185

DISCOVERY OF ALAMEDA.

Alameda Creek, at a point near Vallejo's Mill. Next day deer and bears are plentiful, and traces are seen of animals which the friar imagines to be buffaloes, but which the soldiers pronounce burros, or "jackass deer," such as they had seen in New Mexico. Cross- ing five streams, two large ones, now San Lorenzo and San Leandro creeks, and two small ones, they reach the Arroyo del Bosque, on a branch of the bay which with another similar branch forms a peninsula, bearing a grove of oaks-the site of the modern town of Alameda. They are near the shore of San Lean- dro Bay, and probably on Brickyard Slough. On Friday's march they have to climb a series of low hills, Brooklyn, or East Oakland, in order to get round " an estuary which, skirting the grove, extends some four or five leagues inland until it heads in the sierra"- San Antonio Creek and Merritt Lake. Thence coming out into a great plain, they halt about three leagues from the starting-point, opposite the "mouth by which the two great estuaries com- municate with the Ensenada de los Farallones"- that is, they stop at Berkeley and look out through the Golden Gate, noting three islands in the bay.4 Continuing a league the Spaniards encamp on what is now Cerrito Creek, the boundary between Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

For the next two days they follow the general course of the bay coast, note "a round bay like a great lake"-San Pablo Bay-large enough for "all the armadas of Spain," where they see whales spout- ing. They are kindly received in what is now Pinole Valley, by a ranchería of gentiles, " bearded and of very light complexion." They attempt to pass round the bahia redonda, but are prevented by a narrow estuary, the Strait of Carquines. Journeying along the treeless hills that form its shores, they are hos- pitably treated at five large native villages, some even

4 One of them, Angel, was probably not known to be an island until the party saw it from a point farther north.

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PROGRESS OF THE NEW ESTABLISHMENTS.

coming across from the other shore in rafts, and finally they encamp on a stream near the shore, prob- ably the Arroyo del Hambre near Martinez.5 March 30th they advance two leagues to a large stream- Arroyo de las Nueces, near Pacheco; cross the fine valley of Santa Angela de Fulgino-Mt Diablo Creek; pass two rancherías of friendly natives; and enter a range of low hills-in the vicinity of Willow Pass. From the summit they look down on the two broad rivers and valleys, since so well known, with the various channels, sloughs, and islands about their junction-all very accurately described in the diary. Leaving the hills they pass on four or five leagues across the plain to a small stream on which they pitch their camp half a mile from the bank of the great river, "the largest that has been discovered in New Spain," which is named Rio de San Fran- cisco. They are on the San Joaquin, at or near An- tioch.6

To carry out the original purpose of "passing on to Point Reyes to examine the port of San Francisco" it is now necessary to cross the great rivers, for which they have no boats, or to "go round them" for which they lack men and supplies .? It is, accordingly, determined to return to Monterey, but by a shorter route than that along the bay shore. Recrossing on the last day of the month the range of hills and the Santa Angela plain, they turn south-eastward by a pleasant cañada- San Ramon Creek. During the first and second of April they pass through what are now known as San Ramon and Amador valleys into Suñol Valley, which they call Santa Coleta; thence through a pass to the

5 Crespí makes the journey of the two days 15 leagues, and leaves his courses vague, implying that he was travelling always north-west.

6 Hittell, in his History of San Francisco and incidentally of California, p. 45, tells us that the Spaniards on this trip crossed the strait and tra- versed the broad hills and valleys intervening until they reached Russian River!

" Palou, Vida, 134-5, says the exploration was not concluded on account of bad news from San Diego; but he ineans that this news prevented subsequent trips.

187

TO THE MOUTH OF THE GREAT RIVERS.

vicinity of Mission San José, and to their former route, encamping one league beyond the Encarnacion Arroyo where they had been March 24th, on a stream called San Francisco de Paula, in the vicinity of Mil- pitas. From the third to the fourth they return by the former route to Monterey, whence Crespí goes over to San Carlos and delivers his diary to the presi- dent.

Then Padre Junípero, "seeing that it was impossi- ble to found at once the mission of our seraphic father San Francisco in his own port, since, as that port according to Cabrera Bueno was near Point Reyes, it was necessary to go to it by water, passing from Point Almejas to Point Reyes across the Ense- nada de los Farallones; or if by land, it was necessary to make a new exploration by ascending the great rivers in search of a ford; and since as it is not known if they extend far inland, or where they rise, a new expedition was necessary; therefore, his reverence determined in view of what had been discovered in this exploration to report to the viceroy" and await his instructions.

During the commander's absence Serra had received letters from San Diego and San Gabriel announcing great want of supplies, the departure of Cambon and Dumetz, and the illness of Somera. He therefore despatched Crespí south, and with him Fages sent an escort and some flour; but food was soon exhausted at Monterey and San Antonio, and, except for a very small quantity of vegetables and milk, the Spaniards were almost wholly dependent for sustenance on the natives.8 Late in May, when the last extremity was reached, and there was yet no news of the vessels, Fages with thirteen men spent some three months hunting bears in the Cañada de los Osos, thus supply- ing presidio and mission with meat until succor came.

8 Oct. 14, 1772, the viceroy acknowledges receipt of Fages' letter of June 26th, complaining of scarcity of food. Prov. St. Pap., MS., i. 75.

188

PROGRESS OF THE NEW ESTABLISHMENTS.

At last the two transports arrived on the coast; but by reason of adverse winds they could not reach Mon- terey and therefore returned to San Diego.º Fages and Serra now started for the south late in August to make arrangements for the transportation of supplies to San Carlos and San Antonio. Padre Cavaller went also, Juncosa and Pieras being left on duty at Monterey, until October or November, when Crespí and Dumetz returned overland. The San Antonio also came up with supplies, but there is no record of subsequent events in the north for nearly a year.

Vessels arriving promising relief from pressing needs, the president resolves on his way south to establish one of the new missions in the Cañada de los Osos. He therefore takes with him Padre Ca- valler, the mission guard, and the required vestments and utensils. A site, called by the natives Tixlini, being selected, half a league from the famous cañada but within sight of it, on the 1st of September Juni- pero raises the Christian symbol, says mass, and thus ushers in the mission of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.10 Cavaller is left to labor alone at first, with five sol- diers, and two Indians to work on the buildings. The natives are, however, well disposed, retaining as they do a grateful remembrance of Fages' recent services in ridding their country of troublesome bears. They are willing to work, offer their children for baptism, and even help with their seeds to eke out the friar's

9 Letter of Serra to Palou from Monterey, Aug. 18th, in Palou, Vida, 136-9. 10 Saint Louis, bishop of Toulouse, son of Charles II. of Naples, was born in 1275, became a Franciscan in 1294, died in 1298, and was canonized in 1317. His day is August 19th. San Luis Obispo, Lib. de Mision, MS. Fages calls the mission San Luis Obispo de los Tichos. Prov. St. Pap., MS., i. 86. Ac- cording to Arch. Obispado, MS., 83, the mission had at first only 50 lbs. of flour and 3 almudes of wheat, so that life had to be sustained by seeds ob- tained from the natives. Dec. 2, 1772, the viceroy writes to Fages approving the founding of the mission in a spot where there is much good land and plenty of game. Prov. St. Pap., MS. i. 76. Serra, in San Diego, Lib. de Mision, MS., strangely calls the mission which he founded at this time Sau Luis Rey. The traditional old Indian woman who aided in building the mis- sion church is not wanting at San Luis. According to newspaper items she was named Lilila and died Aug. 1, 1874.

189

FOUNDING OF SAN LUIS OBISPO.

scanty supply of food. Additional soldiers and pro- visions are to be left on the return of the train from San Diego, and the associate minister Juncosa is to come down at the end of the year. The day after founding the mission Serra and Fages continue their journey.11 It is the president's first trip overland and he is delighted with all he beholds, with the pros- pects at San Luis, with the natives of the channel coast,12 and with progress at San Gabriel, where he spends September 11th and 12th, and whence Father Paterna goes down to San Diego to return with the supply-train.

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History of California, Volume I, Part 27

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe Publication date: 1885 Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers Number of Pages: 852

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 852