On the trail of a Spanish pioneer; the diary and itinerary of Francisco Garces (missionary priest) in his travels through Sonora, Arizona, and California, 1775-1776; translated from an official contemporaneous copy of the original Spanish manscript, and ed., with copious critical notes

On the trail of a Spanish pioneer; the diary and itinerary of Francisco Garcés (missionary priest) in his travels through Sonora, Arizona, and California, 1775-1776; translated from an official contemporaneous copy of the original Spanish manscript, and e - Page 235

520 COMMENTARY ON CORONADO. provides for the wide sweep or loop on the Texas plains re­quired to adjust the direction, the distances, and the days of the march to the Arkansaw river. This Texan sweep must have been over a portion of the Llanos Estacados or Staked Plains; exactly how far will probably never be known. The chances are that Coronado reached some upper waters of the Rio Colorado or Red river of Texas, if not even the Nueces, before he sent his main army back and pushed on north. It was probably a point somewhere about longitude 99° or ioo°. Wherever this furthest east or southeast may have been, thence the main body of Coronado's party returned to Pecos, making back in 25 days what had taken them 37 days in the going forth. Then Coronado, with some 36 men, pushed on •' north by the needle " for 42 days to Quivira. Now, whatever scope there be for speculation and contention regarding the exact extent of the great loop made in Texas and Oklahoma, there is no room whatever for uncertainty regarding the place where the Arkansaw was struck, crossed, and the march made along that river for several days. Jaramillo is explicit and con­clusive on this point. The river was reached on the day of St. Peter and St. Paul, was named for those saints, and was fol­lowed down stream, on its left bank, for about a week, north­eastward. The only place where this is possible is the stretch from the vicinity of Ford, where Mulberry creek comes in, some little distance below Dodge City, past Larned, to Great Bend, in Barton county, Kansas. Here was the first village of Qui­vira; and I regard this point as not less well assured than the identification of Cibola, Tiguex, or Cicuye. Therefore I repeat: However much or little slack- rope we pay out for Coronado's swing in Texas, let us hold fast to the two ends- the place where the Pecos was bridged and the place where the Arkansaw was forded. Exactly how far, or in what direction, from Great Bend Coronado or any of his men proceeded in Kansas to the end of the province or Kingdom of Quivira will probably never be