Bisbee daily review., 1910-03-06
MARCUS DE MIA
THE FIRST WHITE
MAN IN ARIZONA
Crossed Southern Boundary of
Territory Near Whee Town
of NogaIes Now Stands, IN
Search Fabulous Treasures.

The first white men were attracted
10 Arizona early in the sixteenth cen
! -nry. when the Spaniards. having con
quered Mexico. heard stories OF fabu
ious treasure among the tribes toward
the north and turned their expeditions
in that direction. In 1889 Viceroy
Mendoza OF Mexico sent an expedi
ton under Marcus de Mia. a Fran.
ciscan friar. to investiga e the tales
OF great riches among the northern In
dams Mia ccrossed what is now the
southern boundary of the territory
near the present town OF Nogales
was received in a friendly manner by
the Pima Indians along the ella. and
travelled northward across the Little
Colorado: but here natives became SC
hostile that he abandoned further adj
vance and returned to Mexico. This
was about the time the French were
conducting eexplorations in the St.
Lawrence valley In 1910 a second
expedition left Mexico under com
mand of Francisco Coronado. follow
ing nearly the same route as MIA.
but penetrating further north, one of
the scouting parties discovering the
Grand Canyon. Coronado returned
discouraged at finding none OF the
treasure which he sought. but mad OPP
pened the way for the spread of the
Christian religion among the tribes.
which was ROW inaugurated. al
though no further explorations were
attempted in this direction for some
forty years.
While these examinations were he
ing made in the eastern part of Ari-
zona expeditions were also fitted out
for operation in the. west In 1888
Francisco de Ulioa sailed to the head
OF the Cuff of California. but did not
ascend the Colorado river, not even
seeing IL. but assumed from appear
ances that such a river existed and in
cicated ii on rough map which he
prepared. The discovery of the Colo
RADIO was sawed for another Spanish
explorer. fernando de Alarcon. who
IN 154o sailed up the river a dis.
lance Of eighty-Hye Spanish leagues
(2s4 TniIes). the exploration ending
probably near the present town of Eth
renberg.
Along the Colorado river little OF
interest appears TO have been accom-
pfished until about 1900 to 1902. when
Father kino spent most of this per
iod traversing the ella and Colorado
rivers and mapping the country In
the eastern portion of the territory,
following the expedition of Coronado
in 1540. there were years of little
historical importance. although the
priests were making constant efforts
to convert the savage tribes. The
hostility of the Apaches made their
effort practically fruitless until about
1872. when the mission of San Xav-
lar was established a few miles south
OF Tucson The main portion of this
mission are still standing. Subsequent
to 1872 the events of interest to the
present article relate mainly TO the
Colorado river.
In I771 Father Garces Travelled
down the ella to its confluence with
the Colorado and thence down this
latter stream TO its mouth. In 1774
this same priest was a member of an
expedition which followed the G!ls
20 It's mouth. crossed the Colorado
near Yuma and then journeyed
across the desert to San Gabriel and
Monterey in California
In I775-e Father Garces explored
the Colorado from the CHA to the
present site of Camp Mchaye. and il