Middletown transcript., 1921-10-03

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
set forth in report furnished by George
Otis Smith, director of the geological survey on
the history of the naming of the Colorado Grand
and Green rivers and Of the state of Colorado
This report explains how the Colorado came to
bear no less than nine names between 1910 and
1776. It also sets forth how the Green river came
to be known as the "Ghost river" to geographers.
Among the facts brought out are these:
1t was the Coronado expedition Of 154O42 sent
out by Viceroy Mendoza, that first explored the
pueblo country Of New Mexico and Arizona and
tile Great Plains as far northeast as central Kan
sas and discovered the Colorado river and the
Grand canyon. Alarcon discovered the Colorado
at its mouth and gave 1t the name of Rio de
Buena Gua (good guide) because that was Men
doza's device" Diaz travelling along the river,
the Indians carrying burning brands with
which to warm themselves; so he named it Rio
del Tizon (firebrand). Cardenas discovered the
Colorado at the Grand canyon, but for some rea-
son refrained from naming it, probably because
soon afterward it was identified with the Rio del
Tizon. So the Coronado expedition gave the Colo
RADIO its two first names
The Coronado expedition disappointing and
it was not until 1881 that an expedition under
Rodriguez revisited tine region. This revived in
Mexico.
The contract for the conquest and settlement
was finally awarded in 1895 to Juan de Onate
who was made governor, adelantado 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 13O had their
families. Onate ruled New Mexico until 1905.
BY 1905 he and his subordinates had reexplored
practically all the ground covered by Coronado
and opened naw 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 Chqulto,
little Colorado 10 leagues" southwest of Moqui.
he named it '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, Onate
gave the name "Rio Grande de Buena Esperanza"
(good 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 we'll estab.
lished. Father Kino, the great Piman apostle
16S31711, uses the name freely, as he does the
alternative name Rio Gel Norte; and he even be-
slows upon 1t new name, Rio de los Apostoles
revolt Of the Pueblo Indians in 1880 resulted
in the entire evacuation Of New Mexico by the
Spaniards until its reconquest by Vergas in 1892
"a, when most of the missions were reestablished
also. San Diego, the first of the California mis-
sions, established in 1863; and in the next
80 years II others had been established, dotting
tie coast from San Diego to San Francisco bay
Father Silvestre Velez de EscaIante then sta
toned at the Zuni mission, spent eight days at
Moqui in June, IT'S, trying to discover whether
there was 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 a letter on the subject written to
Father Garces August 49, 1775, he called the river
or the canyon Rio Grande, de los Cosninos The
Cosnina HavasupaD Indians were settled on
Cataract creek. The nextiyear, 1776, Garces him.
self Travelled from Aohaye to Moqui, and went