The Coconino sun., 1925-10-16

Juan Maria SalvatielTa, he crossed
into what is now Arizona and founded
the missions Of Guevavi and San
Xavier del Bac. He made the mission
of Dolores in Sonora his headquarters
and from this point made q number
| of missionary trips into Arizona. In
1894 he penetrated as far as the Gila
river. He made thorough examina-
tion Of the great ruins known as Casa
! Grande, which, even today, are the
largest and most interesting remnant
Of the civilization which had passed
away before Marcos de Nizza went
through in 1889 Altogether, he is.
known to have made three trips as far
| as the Gila, and in 1899 ne went west
ward to a point on the Colorado river
near the present site Of Yuma, nam
| ing the stream Rio de los Martires,
river of the martyrs. The hardships
! that ne underwent must have been
/ excessive, as one who has crossed the
| territory OH the Southern Pacific viii
readily realize. After 20 years of
labor amid such surroundings, in his
| 10th year, he rendered his faithful
soul to his Creator. He is justly
called the Apostle of the Pinlas, and
the fruit Of his work among them sur
wives to this day.
Near the site OF the mission Of San
Xavier del Baca which he founded,
| his successors, the Franciscan padres,
in the year 1888 began the erection
of the present church of San Xavier,
which, as the Historian Lummis says,
is beyond cavil, the finest mission
edifice in the United States"
Fray Francisco Garces was appoint
ed to the mission of San Xavier, the
scene of Father Keno's labor, and
took residence there in June, 1868.
Two months after his arrival he made
visitation to the surrounding
rancherias, penetrating as far as the
Gila river. in 177G he made another
trip to the Gila, following the river a
considerable distance. In 1771 he
again visited the Gila, extending his
trip to the Indians on the Colorado
river and spending two months and
half away from his mission Of San
Xavier His ambition was to estab-
lish a chain of missions similar to
those founded by Father Junipero
Sierra in California, between the south
and the north of Arizona, and to con-
meet them with those of California.
With this end in view, under the
auspices of the government he started
out in January, 1774, from the pfesi-
dio of T'ubac, with military escort,
in the direction of the Colorado river.
They crossed this river near Yuma,
traversed the great California desert
and arrived at San Gabriel mission
on March~22, where Fray Garces had
the happiness of meeting the great
California pioneer and priest, Father
Junipero Sierra On July 10, 1774, he
was back at San Xavier.
On October 21, 1775, under the or
der Of the Mexican viceroy, Bucarei,
Father Garces undertook another ex-
tensive journey, keeping minute
| journal of his daily travel, which
forms a story of adventure as thrill.
ling in its details as the records of
Marco Polo's travels in China. He
travelled from Tubac to the Gila, down
the Gila to Yuma, down the Colo
rado to Fort Mojave and from Mo
iave across the desert to San Gabriel
mission From San Gabriel he struck
out to the north, penetrating to Bak-
e1sfield KEN river and Tulare lake,
whence he returned to Fort Mojave,
crossed the Colorado, about that point,
passed through Kingman and Hack
berry in Arizona, turned to the north
and struck the lateral canyons enter
ing into the Grand Canyon.
He passed Cataract canyon, north
of Williams, and reached the Grand
Canyon, which he named Puerto de
HucareIi. With only a glance at this
mighty gorge. the traveller turned his
face eastward and set out for the
Moqui pueblos. Crossing the glaring
sands of the Painted desert, he ar
rived at Oraibi, the first of the vii
lagos, in July.
It is interesting to read the note IN
his diary under the date Of July a,
1875, the day when the Liberty bell
ia Philadelphia was ringing cut the
glad tidings that America was free.
Father Garces was writing these
words "July 4th-As soon as the day
broke heard singing and dancing in
the streets. The route passed by the