The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1921-10-07

into the Grand canyon at the bend below the Lit
tie Colorado on June 28. He named the canyon
Puerto de Bucareli (Bucarelis pass) In honor OF
the then vieeroy
Grand river, both above and below Its junction
with Gunnis0n river, was named Rio San Rafael
by Fathers Dominigues and Escalante In 1776 To
the south branch. the present Gunnison river they
gaveAxh u4ne Rip San Javier (Xavier) and re-
port4dathe Dte Indian name n Tomfchi. In this
area Pixies maps, 1606O7. Ike other early maps,
are difficult to interpret His "Rio de los Anmas"
(las Animas) Is much more like Grand river than
his "Rio San Rafael" In 1843 Fremont lettered
1t Grand river as did Captain Stansbury In 1840
But for long years the maps showed great d.
versity Of nomenclature. Below Its junction with
the Gunnison, this river was usually called Grand
river. rarely Rio Colorado or Grand and even
Colorado Above the junction It was called Grand
Bunkara, Blue and North Fork Of Grand river. Gun
nison river was named variously Eagle Eagle TAIL
South Fork of Grand, Grande and Grand river.
In after years Captain Gunnison's name became
gradually fixed on the branch which he explored
and the name Grand the north or main branch
while the name Blue river now describes small
south branch Of the latter In Summit county,
Colorado.
Green river was called Rio de San Buenaven-
tura by Dominiguez and Escalante In 1776. and
= Escalante says (Diario Sept. IT, 1776), that It
was so named In 1893 by FIR. Alfonso de Posada.
Thinking that It flowed to the west, the map max
ers represented II crossing the Great basin and
flowing into the Pacific ocean Thus It was tnat
river" which for years haunted the maps Of the far
West Pike 18O5O7. mapped 1t with headwaters
In the position Of upper Green river, naving an
affiuent Rio de San Cemente (Escalantes name
for White river, east branch OF the Green nv
err and flowing southwest into Sevier lake (name-
ess) Before 1911. however, upper Green river
was known to be connected with the Cosorado.
The Astorians called 1t both Spanish river and
Colorado river II was called Rio COLORADO bv
Jedediah s. Smith in 1924 and Rio Colorado of
n ah1 n
vile 1897 lettered II Colorado Of the West on his
map of the territory west Of the Rocky Mountains.
The name Green river dates at least as far
back as 1924. Dale refers to a news Item In the
Missouri Intelligencer. June 25. 1925, OF party
leaving Santa Cruz in November. 1924 to trap on
Green river" Fremont says that the Spaniards.
contrasting ats timbered shores and green wOOted
islands with Its dry sandy plains" named IT RIO
Verde Green rver); Bancroft speaks Of an en-
poyee of AshIeys. "Mr. Green who gave his name
to Green river" and Chittenden advances the
theory that the name may have been suggested
by the color of the water.
The act of congress providing for the organza-
ton of the territory of Colorado was approved
February 28 1861. As introduced and passed
by the house the bill named the proposed new
organization the territory Of Idaho-"Idaho" hav-
ing been selected from many names proposed. In
the senate motion of Senator Wilson of Mas
sachusetts, the name of the territory was amended
by striking out Idaho" and inserting Colorado
This done at the suggestion of Delegate Will
liams for the reason that the Colorado river arose
in its mountains, hence there peculiar fit
ness in the name. Bancroft. however, says that
''rhe name Colorado was given to 1t at the sug-
gestion Of the civilian Gilpin) selected for
its first governor; and he quotes from manu-
script of Gilpins follows: "Some wanted 1t
called Jefferson. some Arcadia. / said the people
have to great extent named the states after the
great rivers of the country and the great feature
of that country is the great Colorado river All
said he (Wilson of Massachusetts,. that is it :
and he named it Colorado"