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Show SPANISH military governor. RULE, 1700 TO 1892 449 This governor was a native of Sonora, of ex- cellent ability, and a soldier of wide experi ence in warfare with the COLONEL ANZA JUAN BAUTISTA DE SUCCEEDS MENDINUETA Indian tribes. In 1774 he conducted an expedition to California, reaching the junction of the Gila and Colo- rado rivers February 7, 1774. On February 9th, having been entertained by the Yuma Indians, he crossed the Colorado, being the first white man to cross into Alta California. As has been noted elsewhere in this volume, the river had been crossed by Melchior Diaz in 1540, and by Father Kino in 1701. It was also crossed by Fr. Gareés, in 1771, but all of these crossed into Lower California. Having crossed the river, Anza celebrated the event by firing a salvo and setting off some rockets, which pleased the Indians very much by their flight through the air, though the sound of guns frightened them so that they threw themselves on the ground. The Colorado was crossed at a point above its junction with the Gila, and he says that at the time the season of greatest drouth was present, and that the river was only three and one-half feet deep and five hundred and seventy feet wide. He gives an excellent description of the river and its surroundings , the San Dionisio of Fr. Kino, a Yuma rancheria, now the town of Yuma, Arizona; the Purple Hills ten miles to the northwest, through whose gorge the Colorado emerges into the open valley; the large peak to the northwest which he named Cabeza del Gigante, now called Castle Dome; a lesser peak fifteen miles to the north, which, on account of its shape, he named La Campana, now Chimney Peak. He also named a narrow strait below the junction of the Gila Puerto de la Concepcion, which place, during the rule of Anza in New Mexico, became the mission of La Purisima Concepcion, and upon which is the site of the present Fort Yuma. The governor was a great friend of the comandante of the Provincias Internas, Croix, but with all his knowledge of Indian affairs and his undoubted energy as an executive, he was unable to «ccomplish much for the province or better its affairs. A campaign against the Comanches was begun shortly after his coming to his cap- ital. In this expedition he led a command of six hundre d and forty : five men, including eighty-five soldiers and two hundred and fifty- Wifi \ Vat eh on |