Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-21
UTAH JOURNEY OF
FATHER ESCALANTE.
CONTINUED from page one.)

me NIdllldTuh WHO ptneNldNtu NV
northern wilds OF what Is now known
as the Great Basin" had no lnform1-
tion OH the extent and vastness OF the
main land and no other guide than an
astrolabe or a compass.
Wher ascending mountain they
did not know but from its summit the
south sea might be seen or vision of
the Great Northern Mystery he
vouchsafed them. 1t was not only an
unexplored land they were entering,
but land absolutely unknown ana
perhaps peopled by races of men ana
animals unlike anything ever seen or
dreamed of.
For all they knew they might en-
counter intermnable deserts of burn
ing sand or rushing rivers of impas-
sable width. They might reach the
foot hills of mountains OF unscalable
heights or lakes of burning pitch. They
might chance upon whole rivers of boil
ing waters gigantic forests, canyons
of hcrrent depths, snake infested
marshes or volcanoes vomiting fire.
Their days were days of marvels, OF
appearing and disappearing wonders.
OF transcendent possibilities, and the
things and strange people al
ready discovered prepared them
for the wonderful and the eXtraordin-
airy 1t was as II passage to the
planet Mars was being opened and the
first adventures to the stellar regions
would return loaded with gems ana
diamonds and bearing tidings of mar
vicious discoveries
BLAZING A TEAL.
When that heroic franciscan. Father
Marcos of Niz2a entered Arizona ana
New Mexico in 1889 he blazed the way
for that more remarkable OF all eXplur-
ers, Francis Vasquez dc Coronado who
accomplished the most wonderful en-
nlOrinn pNnpHifip,, ttndartn knp
the American continent. After Coro-
nado returned to Mexico CITY Don
Antonio de Espejo organized his IA
nous expedition, gave New Mexico its
name and arriving at Acoma saw, first
Of white men, the astounding snake
dance"
oNATEs COLONY.
Then In 1896. Juan de Onate led
colony from the City of Mexico to set
tie New Mexico and Chrlstanize the
sedentary tribes of the then romantic
land. Eight years after planting his
colony, he set out, accompanied by
Father Escobar, for the Zuni and Mo-
qui towns on the Chiquto Colorado.
They then explored the Colorado and
ella lands, following the Colorado u
Its mouth and claiming the newly dis
covered regions for the king OF Spain.
On Jan. 25, 1905, feast of the CONVEX
sion of st. Paul, they raised the Cross,
the emblem of Christianity, at the
mouth of the ella and placed New
Mexico, which then included nearly
all Arizona. under the protection OF
st. Paul. the apostle to the gentiles.
BUILDING SANTA FEE
Returning from his great explora-
tions Onate built the city OF Santa Fe,
and assigned so far as he could the
tribes and the whole extent of the re-
gion he had explored to the care of this
Franciscan fathers, This wonderful
missionary order of the Catholic
church established missions all over the
southwest and. In 80 years, converted
to the faith 10000 souls including those
| of the Moquo and Zuni nations. These
| Spanish fathers were men of great
heart and steady purpose. Every man
| of them was educated, fitted and train
| ed for the accomplishment of one
| great object, the outstanding ami
| civilizing of the savage hordes around
| them. III the recognition of common
| bond of humanity which unites the
| races of the earth and the units OF
| the race be one of the noblest principles
! known to mankind; If to establish
| among men a knowledge of our COM
mon humanity, to remove the barriers
| which ignorance, prejudice and narrow
| conceptions of the dignity of life have
| erected, constitute greatness of soul
then these heroic priests. 80 of whom
| surrendered their lives for love of their
| savage brothers of the desert and the
mountain reached the plane of great
ness and will be yet immortalzed IN
granite or marble.
UTAH EXPLORATIONS.
But these brave and sanity men
did not limit their time and talents to
| Christianizing. educating and teaching
| useful arts and husbandry to their
bronzed converts Many of them
| opened up unexplored regions and
| cut the trails of unknown lands. OF
these was Francisco Garces. who
crossed the California desert, covering
hundreds of miles without compan-
! ion. and relying upon Indians to show
him the way, he wished or was oblig-
| ed TO go. OF these also were the
Franciscan priests, Silvestre Velez dc
| Escalante and Atanasio Dominiguez.
who left Santa Fe. July 80, 1875, for
the purpose of exploring the land and
discovering direct route to Monterey.
in Alta California.
ENTERED THIS TERRITORY.
They explored portions of Colorado,
entered Utah and, on Aug. 23--first
of white men--looked upon the placid
waters of Utah lake. They charted
| the newly explored land, described the
tribes they had visited. the botany OF
| the country, named rivers and noun
talns ana bequeathed to us an accur-
| ate map OF the country as 1t was then.
| They did more. On their return to
Santa Fe In January 1916. they wrote
out Il history of their expedition, which
carried them to the Grand canyon of
| Arizona, and to the Zuni and Hopi
villages. They described Salt Lake;
| gave the names of the tribes living
on It's shores, and left to the people
| OF Utah today an invaluable treatise
on the habits and manners Of the In
| dians around Utah and Salt lakes.
! TRIBUTE is DUE.
The fete which the knights Of Col
umbus are celebrating today--and I
am informed intend To make an an
| nual eVent-commemora the ar
rival of the adventurous priests at
| Utah lake. 1879 years ago. Now that
| the religious aspeTities of other days
are disappearing. and religious intol-
erence fleeing before the enlighten-
ment and education of our country;
when men are separating themselves
from the heritage OF prejudices which
made llberaity of thought and Justice
to each other an lmposslbility. we
may look hopefully forward to the
near future when admiration for dar-
Ing enterprise and gratitude for heroic
| discovery Will raise a monument In
Liberty park to the adventurous and
Jealous men who first made known 10
no a. -