The Domínguez–Escalante Expedition was a Spanish journey of exploration conducted in 1776 by two Franciscan priests, Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, to find an overland route from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to their Roman Catholic mission in Monterey, on the coast of modern day central California. Domínguez, Vélez de Escalante, and Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, acting as the expedition's cartographer, traveled with ten men from Santa Fe through many unexplored portions of the American West, including present-day western Colorado, Utah, and northern Arizona. Along part of the journey, they were aided by three indigenous guides of the Timpanogos tribe (Ute people).
The land was harsh and unforgiving, and hardships encountered during travel forced the group to return to Santa Fe before reaching Las Californias. Maps and documentation produced by the expedition aided future travelers. Part of the Domínguez–Escalante route eventually became an early template for the Old Spanish Trail, a trade route from Santa Fe to Pacific Coast settlements.
Explorers
Atanasio Domínguez Fray Francisco Atanasio Domínguez was born in Mexico City about 1740, and in 1757, at the age of 17, joined the Franciscan order. In October 1772, Domínguez was at the Convent of Veracruz as Commissary of the Third Order. He arrived in Santa Fe on March 22, 1776, in present-day New Mexico, of the Mexican province to inspect the Custody of the Conversion of St. Paul and investigate opening an overland route from Santa Fe to Monterey, California. Upon his return to Santa Fe and Mexico City, Domínguez submitted to his Franciscan superiors a report that was highly critical of the administration of the New Mexico missions. His views caused him to fall out of favor with the Franciscans in power, leading him to an assignment to an obscure post at a Sonoran Desert mission in the Sonora y Sinaloa Province in northern Mexico.
In 1777, Domínguez returned to Mexico and was the chaplain of presidios in Nueva Vizcaya. In 1800, he was at Janos, Sonora, Mexico. He died between 1803 and 1805.
Silvestre Vélez de Escalante Fray Francisco was born in Treceño, Cantabria, Spain about 1750. Although he is commonly known as "Escalante," "de Escalante" references Escalante, Spain so he is correctly referred to as "Vélez de Escalante" or just "Vélez." Editor's Introduction, p xvi When he was 17 he became a Franciscan in the Convento Grande in Mexico City. In 1774 he came to present-day New Mexico in the Mexican province; he was first stationed at Laguna pueblo and then in January 1775 assigned as a minister to the Zuni. In June 1776 he was summoned by Domínguez for the expedition to California and remained in New Mexico for two years following the expedition. He died at the age of 30 in April 1780 in Parral, Mexico, during his return journey to Mexico City for medical treatment. Vélez de Escalante was known for his journal, in which he described the expeditions he went on. (cites: )
Escalante namesakes include Escalante Desert, Escalante River, Escalante (town), Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument.
Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, a native of Valle de Carriedo, Cantabria, Spain, lived in Chihuahua before he moved to El Paso in 1743. From 1754 to 1756, he lived in Santa Fe. Multi-talented, he was an army engineer, merchant, Indian fighter, government agent, rancher, and artist. It was his experience as a cartographer that made the expedition historic when he produced several maps of the expedition around 1778 and a report on the expedition, which is included in Herbert E. Bolton's Pageant in the Wilderness: The Story of the Escalante Expedition to the Interior Basin. He is also known for his artwork, including a painting of St. Michael on an altar screen in Santa Fe's chapel of San Miguel and statuettes that were in the Zuni church.
Timpanog Utes Fathers Domínguez and Escalante named three Timpanogos/Ute Native Americans who joined the expedition as guides: "Silvestre", named after Silvestre Escalante, from present day Utah was the main Native guide from Colorado to Utah. Because of his recognition with his and other Ute tribes, the explorers enjoyed safe passage. "Joaquín", a 12-year-old boy, joined the expedition with Silvestre as a guide. After leaving Silvestre's village, near present Provo, Utah, Joaquín assisted the explorers on their return trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was baptized there in the Catholic Church. "José María", the joined name of the Bible's Joseph and Mary, joined the expedition in Silvestre's village. Like Joaquín, José María was a boy, probably also about 12 years old. He did not complete the journey to Santa Fe; when he saw the terrible treatment administered to one of the servants, he returned to his village.
Other explorers Other men who began the expedition in Santa Fe include: Don Juan Pedro Cisneros, Alcalde mayor of Zuñi Pueblo Don Joaquín Lain, a native of Santa Cruz in Castilla la Vieja and citizen of Santa Fe at the time of the expedition. He died in 1799. Lorenzo Olivares from La Villa del Paso, a citizen of El Paso at the time of the expedition Andrés Muñiz from Bernalillo, New Mexico served as an interpreter with the Utes language. He was part of Juan María de Rivera's expedition to the Gunnison River in 1775. Lucrecio Muñiz was the brother Andrés Muñiz, from Embudo, north of Santa Fe. Juan de Aguilar was born in Santa Clara, New Mexico. Simon Lucero, a servant to Don Pedro Cisneros, may have been Zuni.
The expedition
The Domínguez–Escalante expedition was undertaken in 1776 with the purpose of finding a route across the largely unexplored continental interior from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Spanish missions in Las Californias, such as the Spanish presidio at Monterey. On July 29, 1776, Atanasio Domínguez led the expedition from Santa Fe with fellow friar Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and cartographer Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco (Miera). cites: The initial part of their journey followed the route taken by Juan Rivera eleven years earlier into the Ute country of southwestern Colorado. Three Timpanogos guides led them through Colorado and Utah.
These Spanish colonists were the first European men to travel through much of the Colorado Plateau into Utah, and back through Arizona to New Mexico.Katieri Treimer, Site research report, site no. 916, Southwest Colorado, Earth Metrics Inc. and SRI International for Contel Systems and the U.S. Air Force 1989 During the course of their trip, they documented the route and provided detailed information about the "lush, mountainous land filled with game and timber, strange ruins of stone cities and villages, and rivers showing signs of precious metals."
Route
New Mexico Santa Rosa de Abiquiú, July 30 The first night of the journey they stayed overnight at the Santa Clara pueblo, north of Santa Fe.de Escalante, 133. From there they "traveled nine leagues, more or less, and arrived at the pueblo of Santa Rosa de Abiquiú, where because of various circumstances we remained on the 31st without traveling, and where by means of a Solemn Mass we again implored the aid of our most holy patrons." From Santa Rosa de Abiquiú pueblo, they traveled north and northwest to a location near present-day Dulce, New Mexico.de Escalante, 134–140.
Colorado Mesa Verde, August 10 From Dulce, they entered present-day Colorado through Arboles, Ignacio, Durango and Hesperus. They camped at the base of the La Plata Mountains near the current Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado.
Escalante wrote in his journal,
Father Fray Francisco Atanasio [Domínguez] awoke troubled by rheumatic fever which he felt in his face and head since the day before, and it was desirable that we make camp here until he should be better, but the continuous rains, the inclemency of the weather, and the great dampness of the place forced us to leave it. Going north, and having traveled a little more than half a league, we turned to the northwest, went on a league and then swung west through valleys of very beautiful timber and abundant pasturage, roses, and various other flowers. After going two leagues we were again caught in a very heavy rain. Father Fray Francisco Atanasio became worse and the road impassable, and so, having traveled with great difficulty two more leagues to the west, we had to camp on the bank of the first of two little rivers which form the San Lázaro, otherwise called Río de los Mancos. The pasturage continues in great abundance. Today four and a half leagues.
The men camped alongside the Mancos River, a few miles below where it runs into Mesa Verde. The river was named from the word manco, meaning "one-handed" or "crippled" after one of the men fell into a river, injuring his hand.
Escalante and Domínguez Pueblos, August 13 Near present-day Dolores, Escalante and Domínguez found and recorded Ancestral Puebloan ruins in southwestern Colorado, the first white men to do so. Escalante Pueblo and Domínguez Pueblos, named for them, are included within the Anasazi Heritage Center.
As recorded of other potential settlement locations, Escalante noted the area's bounties: beautiful surroundings supplied with water, pasture, timber wood and fire wood. The men traveled north, staying west of the San Juan Mountains. They crossed the Dolores River several times and camped along its banks northeast of the site of present-day Cahone. They met two Native American slaves, whom they called Genízaro and Coyote. The men had left their pueblo without notice to join the group. One man was named "Felipe", the other "Juan Domingo". Although they were not needed, the expedition took them on.de Escalante, 141–147.
The expedition continued west and northwest, crossing the Dolores River. They traveled through a canyon before they came to an area near current Egnar and traveled along the San Miguel River to an area about five miles west of Nucla. The land became increasingly arid, with less pasture land and insufficient water for the horses, and the canyons difficult. Having seen signs of settlements, which they called rancherías, and realizing that they needed assistance, they searched for Utes who might serve as their guides.
Nucla, August 23 Northeast of Nucla, where the San Miguel River meets the Dolores River, the group met a member of a Ute tribe. They camped along a tributary creek of the San Miguel River and traveled east through the Uncompahgre National Forest onto the Uncompahgre Plateau. They went to an area near Montrose and met with a Ute chief. Learning of Timpanogo men in the area, the party resumed traveling in a northwesterly direction to Olathe, crossing the north fork of the Gunnison River and coming to the site of what is now Hotchkiss.de Escalante, 147–155.
Bowie, September 1–2