Mohave County miner., 1910-03-12
Arizona's Wealth Known for Gen.
 turieS.

tracted to Arizona early in the six teenth century, when the Spaniards, having conquered Mexico, heard stories of fabulous treasure among the tribes toward the north and turned theIr expeditions in that direction, is a recent discovery, says the Tucson Star.
 In 1539 Viceroy Mendoza of Mexico sent an expedition under Marcas de Niza, Franciscan friar, to investi- gate the tales of great riches among the northern Indians. Niza crossed
 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 Gila, and travelled northward across the Little Colorado; but here natives became so hostile that he abandoned further advance and re- turned to Mexico. This was about the time the French were conducting ex- plorations in the St. Lawrence valley In 1540 second expedition left Mex ico under command of Francisco Coro- nado, following nearly the same route as Niza, but penetrating farther north, one of the scouting parties discovering the Grand Canyon. Coronado returned, discouraged at finding none of the treasure which he sought, but had opened the way for the spread of the Christian religion among the tribes, which was now inaugurated, although no further explorations were attempt ed in this direction for some 40 years.
 While these examinations were be- ing made in the eastern part of Ari- zona, expeditions were also fitted out for operation in the west. In 1539, Francisco De Ulloa sailed to the head of the Gulf of California, but did not ascend the Colorado river, not even seeing it, but assumed from appear ances that such a river existed and indicated it on rough map which he prepared. The discovery of the Colo rado was saved for another Spanish explorer, Hernando de Alarcon, who in l540 sailed up the river a distance of 85 Spanish leagues (234 miles,, the exploration ending probably near the present town of Ehrenburg.
 Along the Colorado river little of in- terest appears to have been accom- plished until about 1900 to TOP, when Father Kino spent most of this period travelling the Gila and Colorado rivers and mapping the country. In the eastern portion of the territory, fol- lowing the expedition of Coronado, in 1540, there were years of little histori- cal importance, although the parties were making constant efforts to con- vert the savage tribes. The hostility of the Apaches made their effort practically fruitless until about 1732, when the mission of San Xavier was established, few miles south of Tue son. The main portion of this mission is still standing. Subsequent to 1732 the events of interest to the present article relate mainly to the Colorado river.
 In 177l Father Garces travelled down the Gila to its confluence with the Col orado, and thence down this latter stream to it's mouth. In 1774 this same priest was a member of an ex- petition which followed the Gila to its mouth, crossed the Colorado near Yuma. and then journeyed across the desert to San Gabriel and Monterey, in California.
 In 1775-6 Father Garces explored the Colorado from the Gila to the present site of Camp Mohave, and in l7S0 he i established the mission of Purisima ] Conception opposite the mouth of the Gila and on the site where Fort Yuma | was constructed 70 years afterward. | During the same year he also estab- lished the mission of San Pedro and | San Pablo, which was situated upon the right bank of the river, a few miles below the town of Yuma. Both | of these missions were destroyed in l7Sl by the Indians, and about 50 Spaniards, including Garces and three other priests, were killed. The first Americans appeared on the Colorado | about 1925, when James O. Pattie, a trapper, made two trips down the Gila. and in 1926 went up the Colorado from the Gila and across the Rocky Mountains. In 1926, another trapper,