| OCR Text |
Show River . Setting out 118 from Santa Fe , ( Hew New ) Mexico , lie explored a large portion of the State of Utah and on his return journey to Santa Fe , New Mexico , crossed the Colorado ( River Ptiver ) at the Crossing of the Fathers ( about 40te miles north of Lees Ferry , Arizona ) . ( Tliis This ) expedition has an important bearing upon navigation and will be referred to later . 1779 to ( 1781 1-781 ) : Several explorations were made by Garces in the ( neighborhood neigbborhood ) of ( Tuma Yuma ) , Arizona . ( Water Supply Paper , 395 16 Ex 58 ) , p . , . . Expedition of Padre Francisco Escalante and the Old Spanish Trail In the year 1776 ( Esealante scalante ) set out from Santa Fe , ( N"ew New New ) Mexico , to seek a route to ( Monterey 1onterey ) , ( Califor Califor- Califor ) nia . ( Freeman , The Colorado River , p . 29 , Exhibit 81 . ) Santa Fe was the most important Spanish town ( north morth ) of the Rio Grande River . ( Monterey 1onteTey ) was the most important Spanish town in California . It was highly desirable to connect these two towns in order that trade and travel might pass easily ( be- be ) tween them . Escalante crossed the San Juan River near the point where , at the present time , it first meets the north line of New Mexico . From this point the expedition proceeded ( northward northiNard ) and crossed the Grand or ( the t1le ) Colorado River near the mouth of the Dolores ; thence northwesterly and crossed |
