El Dorado County History

Historical Souvenir of El Dorado County California with Illustrations 
and Biographical Sketches of its Prominentmen and Pioneers. 
Oakland 1883. Paolo Sioli, Publisher. Compiled by P. Sioli.

Transcribed by Peggy Hooper, Oct 2009.

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CHAPTER I. 

EARLY DISCOVERIES AND EXPLORATION OF THE 
COAST AND LOWER CALIFORNIA. 
Vasco Numez de Balboa Discovers the Ocean Beyond America- 

Magellan Naming It the Pacific � Cortez's Account of An 
Island of Amazons � First Exploring Expedition in 1584, 
and Its Fate� Second Expedition in 1536, and Establishing 
the First Colony� The Name of California Mentioned for 
the First Time� Exploration on the Coast, Further North; 
Cape Mendocino, Farallone Islands� Francis Drake in 
Search of the Straits of Anian� First Landing and First 
Possessory Claim to the Country � Discovery of San Diego 
and Monterey Harbors in 1602� King Philip III, of Spain, 
Urging to New Explorations; Wants a Supply Station for 
the East India Galleons � Admiral Otondo's Expedition: 
Founding La Paz� Father Kino Studying the Indians and 
Teaching them the Catholic Faith � The Military 
Government Abandons All Efforts of Occupying California by 
Colonization� Father Kino's Scheme to Elevate the Indians 
by Religion and Industry � Gaining Assistance of Tierra
and Ugarte - The King's Warrant for the Conquest of 
Souls � Work Started and Possession Taken of Country 
October 25, 1697� Indian Troubles, and to Induce Them 
to Work � The Plan of Operation Proved to be a Success � 
The Jesuits Banished, the Franciscans Take Their Place, 
but Turn the Missions to the Dominicans � The Franciscans 
on the Missionary Conquest in Upper California � Expedition 
Fitted Up, Father Junipero Serra, President� Arrival 
of Expedition at San Diego. 

It was in the eventful year of 1769, when on the 
Atlantic side of this continent, Boon and Croghan 
and kindred frontiersmen were looking from the summits 
of the Alleghanies to the forbidden regions 
beyond J only a year after John Finley had reported 
that there was not a white man's cabin in all the 
enchanting wilderness of Kentucky; the same year 
when two great men, both military heroes in their 
future lives, were ushered into this world: Napoleon 
and Wellington, whose names and acts have filled the 
most important pages in the book of history; when 
the seed of liberty, planted among the granite hills of 
New England, commenced to show some hope for a 
fine sprouting, and father Time wrote upon one of the 
mile-posts of eternity, "1769, the commencement of 
a brighter day for children of men.' It was on the 
1st of July, 1769, that Father Junipero Serra, a 
Franciscan monk, and President of the expedition, sent by 
Spain from Mexico, for the purpose of re-exploring 
and colonizing the territory of Upper California, after 
a journey of forty-six days overland, arrived at San 
Diego, and starting immediately to establish the first 
mission at San Diego as a permanent settlement of white 
men, did the first step to introduce the then almost 
entirely unknown country of Upper California, comprising 
our beautiful State, to be chronicled in the history 
of the civilized world. 

For a full understanding of the history of Upper 
California, however, we deem it our duty to recapitulate 
in short, chronological order, the historical events 
of Lower California and of the coast generally; going 
back for a term of fully two and a half centuries from 
the aforementioned date, the first incident that attracts 
our attention: the discovery of the Pacific Ocean in 
15 13, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, a Spaniard, when 
guided by Indians to the place upon the heights of 
Panama, where he, the first white man, was fortunate 
enough to add to the great discoveries of his days one 
of the highest importance ; taking in the sight of the 
waters "beyond America," the great Pacific Ocean 
spread out before him. 

That the navigators of the sixteenth century did not 
keep in idlene.ss toward this great discovery, but tried 
to make it useful to navigation, proves the ill-fated 
Portuguese Magellan, who six years after, in 15 19, in 
command of the Nictoria, started on his famous voyage, 
which solved the problem of the long sought- 
for route to the Indies. It was he who gave to our 
ocean the name of " Pacific," after having entered it 
by the way of the " Ten Thousand Virgins," as he had 
called it � now Magellan Straits � where he had been for 
sixty-three days beating up through it against tempest 
and adverse currents, with the tide rising or falling 
thirty feet, it is easy to comprehend that the comparatively 
quiet water that stretched out before him, urged 
him to the expression, "Pacific." This was the first 
European vessel that ever plowed the waters of the 
Pacific Ocean, the first to make the voyage around 
the world, returning to Spain three years after starting 
out, but her commander Magellan was not between 
the lucky circumnavigators, he died at the Philippine 
Islands. 

Fernando Cortez, the great Spanish conqueror 
and governor of the Spanish colonies in America, 
under date of October 15, 1524, sent to his monarch, 
Charles V, a letter in which he says to be 
on the approach of entering upon the conquest of 
Colima, on the South Sea (Pacific), Colima being now 
one of the Slates of Mexico. He further on gives 
notice of the existence of an island of Amazons 
abounding in pearls and gold, lying ten days' journey 
from Colima, he had been informed. In reference to 
this letter the Jesuit historian, Miguel Venegas, living 
about two hundred years later, says: "The account of 
the pearls inclines me to think that these were the 
first intimations we had of California and its gulf" 
In 1534 Cortez fitted up an expedition for exploration 
purposes. A mutiny headed by Ortun Ximenes, the 
pilot, broke out on board the vessel ; but after the 
death of the captain and some of his officers, the 
expedition under Ximenes' charge, continuing the 
search, discovered the Peninsula of Lower California, 
and made a landing somewhere between La Paz and 
Cape St. Lucas. While on shore Ximenes and twenty 
of his men were killed by Indians, the remainder of 
the crew returned to Chametla, and reported to have 
found a country numerously peopled, along the shores 
of which valuable beds of pearls were seen. 

To test the news of the mutineers another expedition 
was fitted up by Cortez in 1536, and sailed under 
his own command ; he landed on the 1st day of May, 
at the same place where Ximenes had been killed. 
Here on a bay called by him Santa Cruz, he established 
a colony, and sent back his four vessels for supplies 
and the remainder of his party. But only one of 
the vessels ever returned, the whole other squadron 
had stranded on the Mexican Coast, a total loss ; as 
Cortez, going in search of them himself soon did find 
out. Returning to the colony with fresh provisions he 
found the latter in a most miserable condition, many 
had died of starvation or overeating from the pro- 
visions he brought with him. The historian Gomara 
says: "And Cortez, that he might no longer be a 
spectator of such miseries, went on further discoveries and 
landed in California, which is a bay." And Venegas, 
the already mentioned California historian of 1758, 
referring to the stated passage of Gomara says; "that 
it likewise proves that this name was properly that of 
a bay, which Cortez discovered on the coast, and used 
to signify the whole peninsula " 

This is the first appearance of the name California, 
applied to any definite point on the Pacific Coast. 

Cortez soon left for Mexico, where impending 
troubles and the fear of a revolt made his presence 
necessary; he gone, the colony, lacking the strong 
hand of its organizer, after a few months followed 
the same example, and Lower California was again 
left to the Indians. Of four more attempts of exploring 
the Pacific Coast north of Mexico made by the 
Spaniards during the century, but the one in command of 
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, in 1542, was important enough 
mentioning; on March loth, 1543, in 
latitude 44�, the coast of Oregon was reached, and 
then he returned. After Mendoza, viceroy of Mexico 
and a friend of the commander, Cape Mendozino was 
named; he also gave the name to the Farallone 
Islands, opposite the Golden Gate. 

For a long time it was believed in England and 
stated so in most all histories that Francis Drake, one 
of the boldest and most reckless English buccaneers, 
who afterwards was knighted on account of his being 
the most successful robber on the high seas, was the 
discoverer of the Bay of San Francisco, that in its 
waters he had cast anchor for thirty-six days. The 
fact is, that in 1578 he passed around Cape Horn into 
the Pacific Ocean, and was the terror of the Spanish 
shipping along the coast, plundering under pretext of 
existing war between England and Spain. He captured the 
East India galleon on her way home, loaded 
with wealth, and sailed north with the intention of 
going home to England by passing through the fabulous 
Straits of Anian, thus avoiding to be attacked by 
the Spanish fleet, which he knew was waiting for him 
off Magellan Straits. That way following his course 
north, until he reached about latitude 48�, though in 
midsummer 1579, he experienced such cold weather 
that he was forced to abandon all hope of a north- 
eastern passage, and returning entered, on June 17th, 
1579, what the accompanying historian Reverend 
Fletcher called a "fair, good bay, within thirty-eight 
degrees of latitude of the line." This exactly corresponds 
with what is generally known as Drake's Bay, 
immediately behind to the south side of Point Reyes, 
where he anchored for thirty-six days, and after having 
made a landing, and taken possession of the country 
for England, Drake started away for home by way of 
the Philippine Islands and Cape of Good Hope. At 
all events it is now generally conceded that Sir Francis 
Drake never entered the Golden Gate, and never discovered 
that beautiful inland lake, the Bay of San 
Francisco, he only is entitled to having been the first 
of European race who landed on the coast of Upper 
California, as far as historical record is able to prove. 

Another expedition sailed from Acapulco on May 
5th, 16o2, under command of Sebastian Viscaino, who 
anxious to cause the record of his name in history, 
north along the California coast and discovered the 
harbors of San Diego and Monterey, further 
on searching for other harbors that could be of use to 
supply the East India galleons, he kept his course 
close under the shore continuing north. But the 
mentioning that is made by the historian Juan de 
Torquemada, who writes in 1615, as follows; "He 
anchored behind a point of rocks called 'La Punta de 
los Reyes,' in the port of San Francisco," means 
undoubtedly Drake's Bay, and to connect it with the 
bay of San Francisco is based on some mistake. He 
just saw as little as Drake, or passed through the 
straits of the Golden Gate, that connects the Bay of 
San Francisco with the ocean, and � after our opinion 
� it remains doubtful whether the outlet channel of 
the Golden Gate was in existence at that time, or was 
formed since. Viscaino continued his voyage north 
and returned to Mexico 1603. 

A message of King Philip HI, of Spain, to his 
viceroy in Mexico, dated August i6th, 1606, issues 
orders for further exploration of the coast and its 
occupation, stating his reason therein as follows: 

"Don Pedro de Acunno, Knight of the order of St- 
John, ray governor and captain-general of the 
Phillippian Islands, and President of my royal audience 
there: You are hereby given to understand that Don 
Louis de Valasco, my late Viceroy in New Spain, in 
regard to the great distance between the port of 
Acapulco and those islands, the fatigue, hardships and 
danger of voyage, for want of a port where ships might 
put in and provide themselves with water, wood 
masts and other things of absolute necessity, deter 
mined to make a discovery, and draughts, with 
observation of harbors along the coast, from New Spain to 
these Islands." 

Thus Monterey was designated for a supply station 
to be established there, but the order was never 
executed, and no attempt to create any settlement on the 
coast was made until 1683, when an expedition under 
Admiral Otondo's command was fitted up to take pos- 
session of the country. A landing was made at La 
Paz, and this made the headquarters of the expedition. 
A church was erected and Father Kino, who was in 
charge of the religious part of the enterprise, studying 
the Indian language, had soon translated into their 
tongue the creeds of the Catholic Church. With 
much effort this work was kept up for three years, 
during which time they were visited with an eighteen 
months' drouth ; but before the colony could recover 
from this blow, the commander received orders to put 
to sea and bring into Acapulco and safety the Spanish 
galleon that again was in danger of being captured by 
Dutch privateers. This was successfully accomplished 
but resulted in the ruin of the colony and the 
abandonment of the occupation of California. 

After all these failures to secure a colonization and 
final occupation of California, the Spanish Government 
was not discouraged at al!, having acknowledged 
the importance of the country, she still was determined 
not to give up, but only changed the base of aggression, 
when soliciting the society of Jesu to undertake 
the conquest ; but the Jesuits declined though a premium 
of $40,000 to be paid out of the royal treasure 
was offered to aid them in the enterprise And after 
all, losing this last hope, Spain was enforced to give 
up the idea to hold a country which for one hundred 
and forty-seven years, since Cortez first took possession 
of it, had proved a source of expenditure ; millions 
had been spent and nothing realized through all these 
unsuccessful attempts to occupy a country which 
always was believed to be a rival to the legendary El 
Dorado. Spain, the proud Spain, had to acknowledge 
her defeat, and California was left again to her native 
tribes. To give the reader an idea of the vast treasures 
that Spain had spent in useless exploring and 
colonization expeditions of this coast, we give the 
figures of the first and last one in detail: the 
expedition under Cortez, 1536, footed up to $400,000, and 
the last one under Otondo, 1683, had cost $225,400. 
But the idea of acquisition of the country on the 
Pacific coast did not die out ; it was not even allowed 
to rest for a long time. For this time it was a simple 
monk. Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, or Kuhn as 
his name in his native country was, who, working 
under a vow, undertook the task which Spain, then 
the first power on earth, with all her unlimited means, 
had been unable to accomplish. Father Kino on his 
first visit to California, in 1633, when he was in charge 
of the religious service of the Otondo expedition, had 
made the question an especial study of his life, and' 
became convinced of the feasibility of his plan, which 
consisted in the conversion of the inhabitants, and 
saving their souls, but not the conquest of a kingdom. 
His plan was to go back to the country to teach the 
Indians the doctrine of the Christian faith, and 
cultivate them by showing them how to support themselves 
better by tilling the soil, and to improve the race on 
the land and through the experience of industry ; 
thus gaining a rich province to final incorporation 
with the dominion of the Spanish crown. And with 
fanatical ardor immutable, notwithstanding the 
uncheering and fruitless outlook, which promised defeat 
and martyrdom as the probable result, he started on 
the preliminary work of his great undertaking on the 
2oth day of October, 1686, traveling over Mexico and 
preaching for the cause he represented. Fortune fol- 
followed his steps, and soon he met two congenial 
spirits, Father Juan Maria Salva Tierra, the one, and 
Father Juan Ugarte, another, who, uniting their executive 
abilities with his own, the result was a subscription 
of sufficient funds to go on with the actual work. 
Between the time they had procured a warrant from 
the King for the Order of the Society of Jesu, to 
enter upon the conquest of California at their own 
expense, for the benefit of the drown of Spain; and 
after eleven years constant petitioning and urging this 
warrant, was issued February 5, 1697. 

On October loth, the same year, already an expedition, 
made up of one small vessel and a long boat, 
loaded with the necessary provisions, and the rude 
structure and furniture for a small church, with this 
Father Salva Tierra, accompanied by six soldiers and 
three Indians, started from the Mexican coast for the 
point where to put in operation Father Kino's long- 
cherished plan, which point on the eastern coast of the 
peninsula, they reached on October 19, 1679 ; about 
the landing Venegas says:  

"The provisions and animals were landed, together 
with the baggage ; the Feather, though the head of the 
expedition, being the first to load his shoulders. The 
barracks for the little garrison were now built and a 
line of circumwallation thrown up. In the center a 
tent was pitched for a temporary chapel; before it was 
erected a crucifix with a garland of flowers. "The 
image of our Lady of Loretta, as patroness of the 
conquest, was brought in procession from the boat, and 
placed with the proper solemnity." 

On the 25th of October, formal possession was 
taken of the country in " His Majesty';- Name," and 
has never since been abandoned. 

The work of conversion was immediately initiated 
with explaining the catechism, saying prayers of rosary 
and distributing boiled corn to the Indians afterwards. 
All went well until the Indians thought that they 
could have the corn without prayers; they formed a 
conspiracy to kill the garrison and have a great feast 
on the 31st, only twelve days after the landing. The 
Indians, numbering about five hundred, attacked the 
fort, but were set back flying so soon the little garrison 
opened fire on the masses, after all warnings and begging 
to go away by the priest had been responded to 
by a number of arrows from the natives. The Indians 
having been taught respect by means of the soldiers' 
guns, begged for peace, and came to church regularly 
to get their lot of corn and Christianity. 

For seventy years those devoted fathers struggled 
on with their work of conversion, always using patience 
and kindness, and teaching by their own example, clearing 
ground for cultivation, making trenches 
to convey the water for irrigation, digging holes for 
planting trees, and preparing the ground for sowing. 
"In the building part," says Venegas, "Father Ugarte 
was master, overseer, carpenter, bricklayer and laborer. 
For the Indians, though animated by his example, 
could neither by gifts nor kind speeches, be prevailed 
upon to shake off their unborn indolence, and were 
sure to slacken if they did not see the Father work 
harder than any of them : so he was the first in 
fetching stones, treading the clay, mixing the sand, cutting, 
carrying and barking the timber, removing the earth 
and fixing materials." and at some other place he 
relates : "He endeavored, by little presents and 
caresses to gain the affections of his Indians ; not so 
much that they should assist him in the building as 
that they might take a liking to the catechism, which 
he explained to them as well as he could, by the help 
of some Indians of Loretto, while he was perfecting 
himself in their language. But his kindness was lost 
on the adults, who, from their invincible sloth, could 
not be brought to help him in any one thing, though 
they used to be very urgent with him for pozoli and 
other eatables. He was now obliged to have recourse 
to the assistance of the boys, who being allured with 
sweetmeats and presents to come to work, were animated 
by offered reward, and often enough the father 
had to make himself a boy with boys. This enabled 
him to erect his poor dwelling and church, and learn 
their language." 

This plan of subduing the Indians proved to be 
successful, and remittances for the support of the 
missions were only received from Mexico, until the 
Indians were Christianized and educated to work, and 
the missions, with the aid of the fathers, could support 
themselves. In the first eight years, there were six 
missions established, and fifty-eight thousand dollars 
expended therein, the whole amount used for missionary 
purposes and the support of the Indians that were 
subject to them foots up to $1,225,000. 

In 1767 the Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish 
dominion, and forced to abandon their work in Lower 
California ; but they left behind them a record of 
having paved the way and solved the problem how to 
subdue and control the savages ; they being the pioneers 
in the culture of planting grape and making wine, the 
first vintage having been sent to Mexico in 1706. 
They taught the Indians to work on the loom, and 
manufactured cloth as early as 1707, and in 17 19 
launched the first vessel, the Triumph of the Cross, 
ever built on California soil, this makes them the 
pioneer manufacturers also. Of their number two had 
to die the death of martyrs, at the hands of the 
natives. It had been a part of the original plan of the 
father Jesuits to extend the missions on up the 
country along the coast, until the chain of connection had 
been formed from La Paz in the south to those fabulous 
Straits of Anian, but they were not permitted to 
perfect this plan ; at the time of their banishment they 
left for their successors, the Franciscans, sixteen 
flourishing missions and thirty-six villages, as testimonials 
of the wisdom of their rule. 

After the Jesuits the Franciscan order of the Catholic 
Church got possession of the missions established 
on the peninsula; but soon the Dominicans came to 
the front with a claim to a portion of them. The 
Franciscans not hesitating a long time declared it a 
class of property that should not be segregated, and 
for this reason their willingness to yield the whole 
rather than a part, and, eventually, turned it all over 
to the Dominicans. 

When the Franciscans declared, with such readiness, 
to give up the possession of the missions to the 
Dominicans, it was done with the purpose to start 
further north and take possession of the country, up 
to this time nearly entirely unknown, but always believed 
to be the land where legend had placed the 
gold and silver mines from whence the Aztecs had 
taken their treasure. 

The Spanish crown, in full accord with this plan, 
it having been her object since the report of the 
discoveries by Viscaino in 1603, issued an order for 
the discovery of the bays on the upper coast and an 
occupation of the country ; in response to which order an 
expedition was fitted up and started in 1769, under 
the management of Junipero Serra, a Franciscan 
monk. The general object of this expedition is laid 
down by Joseph de Galvez as being : " To establish 
the Catholic religion among a numerous heathen people 
submerged in the obscure darkness of paganism, to 
extend the dominion of the King, our Lord, and to 
protect the peninsula from the ambitious views of for- 
eign nations." The expedition, it was concluded, 
should be divided to be sent partially by sea, the 
remainder to go from Mexico overland, by the way of 
the most northerly of the old missions. On account of 
this, on January 9, 1769, the ship San Carlos sailed 
first from La Paz, followed on February 15th by the 
San Antonio; the San Joseph sailed last, on June 
1 6th, and that is the last that was heard from her, the 
ocean had swallowed her together with the whole 
crew. The vessels were all loaded with provisions, 
numerous seeds and grain to sow, farming utensils, 
church ornaments, furniture and passengers, and were 
destined for the port of San Diego. The San Antonio, 
after a trip of 24 days, arrived on the nth of 
April, having lost eight of her crew with scurvy. 
Twenty days later the San Carlos made her laborious 
way into port, having lost the whole crew, but the 
captain, the cook and one seaman left to tell of the 
ravages of that terrible scourge of the early navigators. 

That part of the expedition designated to go overland 
was also divided into two companies: Fernando 
Revera Moncada commanded the one to start March 
24th, and after a journey of forty-one days he reached 
the place of general rendezvous on the 14th of May, 
the first white man to cross the southern deserts of our 
State. Then Gaspar de Portala, governor of Lower 
California, took command of the remaining part of the 
land expedition; with him was the president, under 
whose charge the whole enterprise was placed: Father 
Frances Junipero Serra, the pioneer of California; 
they set out on May 15th from the same point, where 
Revera had started, and reached San Diego on July 
1, 1769.