6023 Spring Doins ANZA EXPEDITIONS History

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Anza (Cahuilla) Valley Anza named the pass El Puerto Real de San Carlos (The Royal Pass of San Carlos) for the Spanish king. He realized that he had crossed a divide, and that rain that fell here drained to the Phillipine Sea (Pacific Ocean) instead of the Gulf of Mexico. He wrote of the pass in his diary, saying: “From it are seen most beautiful green and flower-strewn prairies, and snow-covered mountains with pines, oaks and other trees which grow in cold countries [i.e., not deserts]. There before them was broad, open Cahuilla (now Anza) Valley, now the site of the town of Anza and the Hamilton Museum. A mixture of rain and wet snow fell during the night, delaying the next day’s start until early afternoon. From their camp at the pass they traveled northwest, descending into today’s Terwilliger Valley. Travelling about nine miles, they camped near a seasonal lake. Anza named both the valley and the lake El Principe (The Prince). Although the town of Anza is usually not associated with a lake, modern topographical maps clearly show the lakebed, now just an unnamed depression that sporadically fills with rainwater. Anza’s and Garces’ journals repeatedly refer to the beauty of the valley, green even in the depths of winter, and made even more beautiful by comparison to the desert country so recently traversed. Continuing rain and snow caused another late start, resulting in a short day’s march that only reached the northern end of the valley, where the expedition camped at a spot Anza called San Patricio. The next day, March 19, Anza continued northwest into a narrow canyon so overgrown with vegetation that six men with axes were sent ahead to clear the way (modern-day Bautista Canyon). The first three miles or so were difficult, but the canyon then opened up and travel became easier. The narrow canyon gave way to another wide, green valley with abundant animals and vegetation, flowing streams full of fish, and “geese whose numbers cannot be counted.” Father Garces noted that “the men picked up a rock with a visible content of [precious] metal.” This idyllic location, today’s San Jacinto Valley, was christened El Valle Ameno de San Josef (the Pleasant Valley of Saint Joseph). Anxious to reach San Gabriel, the party made an early start the next morning. As they crossed the valley, Garces recorded seeing sage and rosemary “of better quality than in Guadalajara.” The downside of all this beauty was that the fertile soil was wet and marshy, necessitating many detours. That afternoon they discovered a lake (today’s seasonal Mystic Lake) on which there were so many geese that its surface looked like “an enormous white field,” naming it San Antonio de Bucareli in honor of the Viceroy. The natural placement of Coyote and 8
Bautista Canyons, both oriented in a direct northwest-southeast line, coupled with their easy grades and abundant water and forage, had made this leg of the journey perhaps the most enjoyable of the entire trip. This natural pathway is easily seen on a modern topographical map. Continuing ever to the northwest, they skirted the San Jacinto Mountains, which at this time of year were covered with snow. They passed the site of today’s Lake Perris and entered another valley (San Bernardino Valley) and encountered a large river that they named Santa Ana. They were unable to find a suitable ford, and late in the afternoon began construction of a crude bridge, which was completed by nightfall. The site of the makeshift bridge is now within Riverside’s Martha McLean-Anza Narrows Regional Park. The men were approached by Indians who asked if they had come from San Diego, and were amazed to find that they had come from the east after a three-month journey. By early morning the entire party had crossed safely. After an easy day’s travel they camped at Arroyo de los Osos (Stream of the Bears), named for the many bears sighted that day. The stream, near Ontario, is now known as San Antonio Creek. The next day they reached Mission San Gabriel after some difficulty fording the San Gabriel River. No one at the mission knew of their approach, and their arrival late in the day on March 22, 74 days after leaving Tubac, took the inhabitants completely by surprise. San Gabriel to Monterey and Back Again Anza had hoped to replenish supplies and possibly obtain more mounts from the mission stocks, but the inhabitants of San Gabriel were destitute. The arrival of the expedition, although celebrated by the priests, also meant extra mouths to feed. A supply ship had luckily just arrived at San Diego, and Anza dispatched Father Garces there with a letter requesting assistance in the name of the Viceroy. He also hoped to obtain the loan of a pilot and a sextant from the ship’s captain. He was successful in obtaining some supplies, but pilot, sextant, and horses were not forthcoming. Anza departed for Monterey, with Garces to follow. Due to incessant rain, rivers and creeks running high, and soft, muddy ground, it took him five days to catch up to the main body. Faced with a shortage of good horses and a lack of provisions, Anza split his party into three groups. Anza himself would strike directly for Monterey with six of the soldiers. Father Garces and twelve soldiers, accompanied by the mule train, headed back to the Yuma villages, where food was available, to await Anza’s return. Father Diaz and three servants were sent to San Diego in hopes of obtaining a spare sextant that might be available there, since recording latitudes would greatly enhance the expedition’s accomplishments. The road from San Gabriel to Monterey was well known, having been in use since Portola’s expedition in 1769. Traveling quickly, the small mounted party covered more than 300 miles to Monterey in only eight days, arriving in 9
Page 1 and 2: 1
Page 3 and 4: In 1767 King Carlos III expelled th
Page 5 and 6: 35 mule loads of supplies and 65 he
Page 7: Colorado River to San Gabriel Tubac
Page 11 and 12: San Gabriel to Monterey and return
Page 13 and 14: The next day’s start went more sm
Page 15 and 16: their own was located. The operatio
Page 17 and 18: eached San Luis Obispo without inci
Page 19 and 20: San Gabriel to Monterey and beyond
Page 21 and 22: Appendix Beginning in 1759, the Jes
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6023 Spring Doins ANZA EXPEDITIONS History

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