The Raymer enterprise., 1921-10-06

An interesting feature Of the discussion Of the
Joint resolution was the bringing out Of the his.
tory OF the Colorado river and the early American
Southwest In concise and accurate form. This
was set forth In report furnished by George
Otis Smith, director Of the geological survey on
the history OF the naming Of the Colorado. Grand
7~and Green rivers and of the state Of Colorado
This report explains how the Colorado came to
bear no less than nine names between 154O and
1776. II also sets forth how the Green river came
to be known as the "Ghost river" to geographers
Among the facts brought out are these:
It was the Coronado expedition Of 1902 sent
out by vlceroy Mendoza. that first explored the
pueblo country of New Mexico and Arizona and
the Great Plains as fur northeast as central Kan.
sas and discovered the Colorado river and the
Grand canyon. Alarcon discovered the Colorado
at Its mouth and gave II the name Of Rio de
Buena Guia (good guide) because that was Men.
doza's device" Daz, travelling along the river,
saw the Indians carrying burning brands with
which to warm themselves; so he named 1t Rio
del Tizon (frebrnnd). Cardenas discovered the
Colorado at the Grand canyon. but for some rea.
son refrained from naming II, probably because
soon afterward II was Identified with the Rio del
Tizon, So the Coronado expedition gave the Colo.
RADIO lis two first Names
The Coronado expedition was disappointing and
1t was not until 1881 that an expedition under
Rodriguez revisited the region. This revived In.
terest In the conquering and settling Ut New
Mexico
The contract for the conquest and settlement
was finally awarded In 1895 to Juan de Onate.
who was made governor. adeantadO and captain
general Of the province Of New Mexico In 1893,
Onate reached the Santa Fe region with an army
and colony of 400 men, Of whom 100 had their
families Onate ruled New Mexico until 1906
By 1906 he and his subordinates had reexplored
practically all the ground covered by Coronado
and opened new trails. In 1904 he made Jour.
ney from San Gabriel his headquarters near Santa
Fe. to the head OF the Gulf Of California He
went BY way Of Zuni. MoQui and Williams river
to the Colorado and down the east bank Of that
river to the gulf. Crossing the Colorado Chiquto
or little Colorado 40 leagues" southwest of Moaui
he named II "Rio Colorado because the
water Is nearly red" Be It noted that the name
Colorado" is here given for the first time not to
the Colorado river but to one of Its branches. the
Little Colorado. To the Colorado itself, Ouate
gave the name "Rio Grande de Buena Esperanxa"
tgOod hope).
At some indefinite time during the next hundred
years the name Colorado was transferred from
the Little Colorado to the main river, and before
the end OF the century had been pretty well estab.
lished Father Kino. the great Piman apostle
l8S3l7l1. uses the name freely. as he does the
alternative name Rio del Norte: and he even be-
slows upon Il a new name. Rio de los Apostoles
A revolt Of the Pueblo Indians In 1880 resulted
In the entire evacuation Of New Mexico by the
Spaniards until It's reconquest by vergas In 1902
"a, when most Of the missions were reestablished
also. San Diego. the first Of the California mis-.
sions was established In 1789: and In the next
80 years II others had been established, dotting
the coast from San Diego to San francisco hay.
Father Svestre velex de Escalante then sta.
toned at the Zuni mission, spent eight days at
Moqui In June, 1775. trying to discover whether
there an Indian trail across the Grand canyon.
He failed to extract any Information from the
Indians and concluded that the canyon was i'm.
passable. In letter on the subject written to
Father Garces August 49, 1775. he called the river
or the canyon Rio Grande de los Cosnnos The
Ccsnlna tIaynsupai) Indians we're settled on
Cataract creek. The next year. I778. Garces him.
self Travelled from Mohave TO MoauI and went