The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-06-25
FAMED QU!VIRA
MAY HAVE BEEN
in MISSOURI
Tabled Land Which Coronado
Sought, Subject of Dispute
Between States
ANCIENT WRITINGS TELL
OF WONDR0US COUNTRY
1t is Hard to Tell Where the
Place is Located From
Them, However

ureu ana slXty-thfee years ago TINS
summer, an adventurous Spanish ex
plorer. with thirty-six companions
wandered in search of a mysterious
land OF Quiyira. Historians of six OF
the modern states oil the nation have
sought since 70 prove that the golden
city that lured Don Francisco Vas
quez de Coronado from the luxury
or Mexico was situated within their
present borders. Now, il appears, all
or them may be in error and what
ever honor there may be in being the
site OF the tabled Quiyira may belong
TO Missouri whose writer's have made
little effort to locate the land within
its borders.
Coronado began his march at Com
postella, Mexico, in February l540,
barely half century after Columbus
had FIRST sighted the shores OF Amer.
lea. After many vicissitudes his ex-
petition reached Tiguex, point on
the Rio Grande near the present town
OF Bernalillo, n. NJ, and spent the
winter there. Historians have been
able TO make a fairly accurate map
OF this part OF the explorers journey.
But four days after leaving Tiguex
Coronado entered land never before
visited by Europeans, and the direc-
ton OF his travels from that point
have become almost a mooted ques-
ton. 1t Is possible that even yet
some excavation OF arms or accouter-
ments OF the period OF his exploration
may prove definitely whether he
found Quivira in Kansas, Nebraska,
Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, New
Mexico or Missouri.
All modern speculation on the ex-
petition is based on FIVE writings,
Coronado's letters 10 Viceroy Men
doZa OF Mexico and the king, a book
by Capt. Juan Jaramillo, another by
Don Pedro Castaneda and two anony-
nous publications printed soon after
the journey, the Relacion del Suceso
and the Relacion Postrera de Sivola.
Jaramillo and Castaneda were offic-
ials under Coronado. The two anony-
nous records probably were written
by historians of the period after In
terviews with members Of the expedi-
ton.
The march from Tiguex began April
%, 1871. In four days the army ar
rived at Cicuye, an Indian village on
the Pecos river This place has been
well established by A. r. Bandolier,
who says in his "Gilded Men" that
Castaneda described the village so
well that when he was there in 1880
the measurements he made compar-
ed accurately with those made by the
old Spanish soldier. This point is
also important because IL points 10
accuracy I'm Castaneda's writing.
From Cicuye Jaramillo. who was an
army officer and therefore used to
computing distances and directions
of march, says they went three days
rather to the northeast" Castaneda
agrees, saying that on the fourth day
they reached river which was too
deep TO ford majority OF histor-
ians agree that this was the Cana
dian. The Relacion del Suceso says,
however, that the march was south
east which record is used TO show
that Quivira must have been In Ar
kansas or Oklahoma.
IL is certain that after thirty-six or
thirty-seven days Coronado became
worried over his failure to find Qui-
vira. A consultation of captains was
called. II was decided to send most
OF the army back TO Tiguex while
Coronado with thirty foot soldiers
and six cavalry pushed further into
the plains. This point has been To-
Gated by historians all the way from
four hundred TO eight hundred miles
from Tiguex and In all directions
from southeast to northeast A 400
mile arc, starting directly east OF
Bernalillo, n. NJ, would begin about
Shattuck, Ok, and pass through Shat
tuck, ok, and Englewood and Dodge
City. Kas A 500-mile arc would be
about a line through Oklahoma City
Enid, Ok, Kingman and Great Bend
Kas. Sallisaw, Ok, Coffeyville, Eldor-
ado and Council Grove, Kas.. and
Hastings, Neb., would be on a 900
mile arc: ClarksYlle, Ark, Spring
field, Clinton and Kansas City, Mo-,
on a 700mile arc, and Bald Knob,
Ark, Rolla, Jefferson City and Mason
City, Mo-, and Des Moines, Ia, on an
800-mile arc.
II is hardly possible that the point
where the main army under Arellano
turned back was farther than five hun
dred miles from Tiguex. Such emf
nent historians as X. r.. Twitchell
and f. w. Hodge locate il on the Col
orado river in Texas. Gen. j, H.
Simpson. Louis Houck and others in
cline TO the opinion that the writings
of Jaramillo and Castaneda are more
authentic than the anonymous Re-
Iacion del Suceso and locate the point
somewhere in modern Oklahoma,
probably west OF Oklahoma City.
At any rate Il is agreed by all the
ancient authorities that Coronado
went north about thirty days with
his small escort They made easy
marches and reached great river"
This they followed northeast along its
course for several days. Modern
writer's who disagree as TO the place
where Arellano turned back unite on
this point. They put IL as near Dodge
CITY. Kas.. where the Arkansas River
flows northeast Jaramillo now be-
gins 10 speak OF great herds OF buff
falo and OF an Indian village, the first
~s,b'~h was on the
: ts1presumed 10 ye SUOus- where Great
Bend Is now located. From here Cor
pnado made a further march and
reached the towns which the Indians
rallied Quivira. His own report Is
vague as 20 direction and time. Cas-
tenda. Jaramillo and the RELIGION del
suceso make his route northeast and
east Coronado says he went TO the
fortieth degree OF latitude north. That
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