Transportation Pioneers

Early 18th Century Arizona

(Continued from Page 9) Arizona two hundred years ago is, it can readily be seen, not too gay. He goes on to recommend the establishment of more presidios or military posts, pointing out that the some fifty soldiers at Santa Rosa are wholly inadequate, despite the abilities, unquestioned, of Captain Anza. He also recounts the methods of the Apaches, in a way which is perhaps worth quoting: "The Apache nation is so widely spread out that from Chicahuy (Chiricahua), distant about twenty or thirty leagues from the presidio of Fronteras, it extends as far away as New Mexico, which amounts to about three hundred leagues, and over which frontier they live broken up into rancherias divided one from another. In order to commit evil in this province, excited by their robberies, at times they gather and enter in bands of one, two, or three hundred warriors, whom it is not easy to oppose with few men, for they do not lack courage, nor at the same time are they wanting in knowledge of the art of war in the encounters which occur, nor do they use arrows alone but also lances and barbed pikes with very long shafts. Although it is true, also, that they enter in very large groups, frequently they break up into bands numbering approximately ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty, or forty, this serving them as a means so that they cannot be followed in so many divisions by a few men. It is certain that at no time more than now have we seen them more insolent, and the total ruin of the province must be feared, for the few occurrences to their advantage which have taken place add, as we know, to their daring; it would be a great sorrow to see so many pueblos destroyed and so many reductions ruined, including the many temples which the zeal of the fathers of the Company of Jesus has erected, and which their religious and apostolic piety has brightened." Captain Anza's appeal supplemented that of Vildosola eloquently, supporting Mange's petition and asserting that the Apaches "have blockaded the pueblos from the past year of 1715. In that year I myself came to this province and I have observed the hostile acts of murder and pillage which the said Apaches have committed therein." He continues with a description of the marauding methods of the Seri Indians, whom he seems to consider quite as dangerous to the peace and safety of the province as the Apaches, in fact, "even more cruel than the Apaches." He particularly urges the placing of a presidio on the Rio de Terrenate, and he closes on a rather interesting prophetic note, to the effect that by the placing of such increased defensive forces in Primeria Alta, "there would follow the conservation and extension of the Holy Faith, the security of these dominions of his Majesty, and, although it would increase the expenses of the royal treasury, the hope is very near that with the working of the mines which would be discovered for all the land is mineral-this would be defrayed by the royal quinto (a supposedly one-fifth direct tax collected by the king's officers from all newly discovered mineral wealth in the New World), and likewise it would augment the Real Hacienda (that is, the royal finances in general)." The argument of Vildosola, Mange, and Anza were slow in bearing fruit, however, for it was not until 1741 that the desired presidio was established, almost fifty miles due west from Fronteras, two years after the death of this Anza, and about the same time that a general Yaqui Indian rebellion was keeping Sonora in turmoil.

placing of a presidio on the Rio de Terrenate, and he closes on a rather interesting prophetic note, to the effect that by the placing of such increased defensive forces in Primeria Alta, "there would follow the conservation and extension of the Holy Faith, the security of these dominions of his Majesty, and, although it would increase the expenses of the royal treasury, the hope is very near that with the working of the mines which would be discovered for all the land is mineral-this would be defrayed by the royal quinto (a supposedly one-fifth direct tax collected by the king's officers from all newly discovered mineral wealth in the New World), and likewise it would augment the Real Hacienda (that is, the royal finances in general)." The argument of Vildosola, Mange, and Anza were slow in bearing fruit, however, for it was not until 1741 that the desired presidio was established, almost fifty miles due west from Fronteras, two years after the death of this Anza, and about the same time that a general Yaqui Indian rebellion was keeping Sonora in turmoil.

But before the founding of Terrenate presidio in 1741, a much more important and influential event had taken place, which was to make Northern Sonora better known to white men than anything which had ever happened before since Coronado's journey. Captain Anza thus records the incident, in his report of it to his superiors: "Late in the past month of October (1736), between the mission of Guebavi and the rancheria of Arissona, there was discovered more balls and chunks of silver, one containing more than a hundred arrobas (2,500 pounds), proof of which I am sending to your illustrious lordship. Other lumps were altogether more than two hundred arrobas. Much of this had already disappeared when I came to know of it. Various forms (of it) have been seen, which seems as if made by hand; and having the authority of a chief magistrate, I went to seize them in case a greater portion than that assigned from the regular mines might belong to your majesty; for these chunks are found alone and buried scarcely a fourth to half a yard. When I arrived at the place they were already so depleted that afterward hardly ten or twelve arrobas were found, but some mines are being discovered in other hills. This discovery has caused such surprise that all prudent and capable men have assumed that God has permitted it that with this incentive they will penetrate and establish the standard of our redemption.." This discovery of the famous mines of Arizonac caused great excitement. Las Bolas (the balls) or Las Planchas (the slabs) de Plata (silver) became proverbial in the lore of the Pima border land. As late as 1774 we find the third Don Juan Bautista de Anza (son of the one just quoted and last of the line) thus commenting upon the mines of Arizonac: "About seven or eight leagues to the northeast of this pueblo (Saric) is the site of Arizonac, or of the celebrated nuggets, so-called from the nuggets of virgin silver which were found in the year 1736, some weighing as much as a hundred and fifty arrobas. This story has been doubt-ned, but it is well authenticated, because there are still living many persons who possessed them, and I could likewise give documents which prove the story. Besides, my father, upon the advice of persons learned in the law, sequestrated them because it appeared to him that they belonged to his Majesty, and while his proceedings were not entirely approved by the council in the City of Mexico, they were sustained by the royal council of Castile. In the opinion of persons experienced in mining, I have heard it said, they failed then and have still failed to discover the mother lode from which such nuggets were produced. For they say that since it has been learned that this was a natural deposit of silver, and not buried treasure, as some presumed, there must be such a mother lode, whose value, if it is found, will be beyond comparison with what has been taken out, although even this is great. They also add, apart from what has been said, that the immense mines which are still in that district could be worked by the quicksilver process, which is not established in this province of Sonora, to the serious injury of the royal exchequer and of its inhabitants. The lack of this practice is the reason why this prodigious site and others that are in the province have not checked with good establishments the inroads of the barbarous Apaches, to whom the passage which than two hundred arrobas. Much of this had already disappeared when I came to know of it. Various forms (of it) have been seen, which seems as if made by hand; and having the authority of a chief magistrate, I went to seize them in case a greater portion than that assigned from the regular mines might belong to your majesty; for these chunks are found alone and buried scarcely a fourth to half a yard. When I arrived at the place they were already so depleted that afterward hardly ten or twelve arrobas were found, but some mines are being discovered in other hills. This discovery has caused such surprise that all prudent and capable men have assumed that God has permitted it that with this incentive they will penetrate and establish the standard of our redemption." This discovery of the famous mines of Arizonac caused great excitement. Las Bolas (the balls) or Las Planchas (the slabs) de Plata (silver) became proverbial in the lore of the Pima border land. As late as 1774 we find the third Don Juan Bautista de Anza (son of the one just quoted and last of the line) thus commenting upon the mines of Arizonac: "About seven or eight leagues to the northeast of this pueblo (Saric) is the site of Arizonac, or of the celebrated nuggets, so-called from the nuggets of virgin silver which were found in the year 1736, some weighing as much as a hundred and fifty arrobas. This story has been doubt-ned, but it is well authenticated, because there are still living many persons who possessed them, and I could likewise give documents which prove the story. Besides, my father, upon the advice of persons learned in the law, sequestrated them because it appeared to him that they belonged to his Majesty, and while his proceedings were not entirely approved by the council in the City of Mexico, they were sustained by the royal council of Castile. In the opinion of persons experienced in mining, I have heard it said, they failed then and have still failed to discover the mother lode from which such nuggets were produced. For they say that since it has been learned that this was a natural deposit of silver, and not buried treasure, as some presumed, there must be such a mother lode, whose value, if it is found, will be beyond comparison with what has been taken out, although even this is great. They also add, apart from what has been said, that the immense mines which are still in that district could be worked by the quicksilver process, which is not established in this province of Sonora, to the serious injury of the royal exchequer and of its inhabitants. The lack of this practice is the reason why this prodigious site and others that are in the province have not checked with good establishments the inroads of the barbarous Apaches, to whom the passage which