Page 34 - Cooke's Peak - Pasaron Por Aqui

Santos Mexia had disappeared in the intervening 30
80
some years.
In evaluating which route to try, de Anza had several
possibilities. He immediately discarded the one that led through the Hopi villages, because it was as long as the road west from El Paso del Norte, and a previous expedition in this direction had experienced severe water problems. A second, and likewise rejected, route led from Zuni down through the San Francisco River valley to the Gila. This was deemed as too rugged for use by wagons and carts, and there was a high concentration of Apache rancherias along the river. The route de Anza decided on followed the Rio Grande south, swung west and south of the Black
Range and Mimbres Mountains, and headed west • . Q1
through the Chiricahua Mountains to Santa Cruz. Commandant General de Croix approved of de Anza’s plan and instructed two other military units, under Vildosola and Martinez, to march north and support the operation by meeting de Anza in the Sierra de los Mimbres.82 On November 9, 1780, all was ready, and Governor de Anza marched out of Santa Fe with 50 soldiers and more than 100 volunteer citizens. The column accompanied the annual Chihuahua caravan as far as the Fray Cristobal camp below Socorro.83 By November 28, de Anza had left the river, skirted the Mimbres Mountains, and proceeded as far as Cooke’s Spring, which he called Picacho, arriving there at half- past 10 o’clock at night. They were on the road again eight hours later toward the Rio Mimbres, having a “dustup” with a band of Apaches along the way. De Anza proceeded on south and west arriving safely at Arizpe on December 6, 1780, having covered a journey
84
of 221 leagues (or nearly 700 miles).
The other two elements of the coordinated operation
met with moderate success. Vildosola, in charge of the
expedition out of Arizpe, that included 116 military
and 80 Opata Indians, had explored the San Simon
valley, crossed over Stein’s Pass, and probably came as
far east as the Mimbres River. There was no indication
that this group, while killing 12 Apaches and capturing
20, came any closer to Cooke’s Spring. Martinez, on
November 8, 1780, led a force of 129 (of whom 48 were
Opatas) from the Velarde presidio in Chihuahua and
traveled much the same area as Vildosola but included oc
for his efforts. During the course of the expedition,
He camped at Cooke’s Spring, about 10
the Floridas.
days earlier than de Anza, but referred to it as San Miguel. During the late morning of November 18, an approaching Indian was killed by Corporal Felipe Lopez who was awarded the Apache’s horse and lance
In all, this division killed 5 Indians and recovered 30 head of stock (again no prisoners). The other divisions accounted for nine killed, including six women and two children.90
The Iberian Influence
20
Martinez’s troops killed six young warriors,
five
women, and six children without taking any 86
prisoners.
When reviewed against its goals, the three-pronged
expeditionwasafailure. Eachofthethreeelements
had experienced some hostile encounters with
Apaches, but none made contact with either of the
other two.
87
The route de Anza explored had neither
the directness to Sonora nor the required water
sources for the successful development of a wagon
road. Perhaps his inability to secure knowledgeable
guides could be blamed for de Anza’s failing to achieve
his goal. De Croix was disappointed over the results
and planned to try again the following year. However,
nearly a half decade elapsed before another serious
attempt was made to link Sonora and New Mexico
more directly.
During April and early May 1784, five large Spanish
columns moved against the Apaches of New Mexico from the presidios of the northern provinces. Four operated somewhat in concert to strike against Apaches south and west of the Cooke’s Spring area. They accounted for 47 killed, 10 prisoners, and 1 freed captive. The fifth division, under the command of Martinez, operated in the Sierra de las Mimbres region and in several actions killed 21, captured 3, recovered 101 animals, and freed 1 captive while losing
89
only 1 soldier.
During November 1785, three Spanish divisions
entered Apache country and inflicted additional punishment on any Indians they could locate. The first division of 140 was commanded by Martinez, the second and third by Captain Don Antonio Cordero (Captain Don Juan Bautista Peru who was to have commanded was recovering from injuries) and Lieutenant Don Jose Manuel Carrasco, respectively. The first division left Janos on the sixteenth, while the second and third divisions of 111 and 103 men, respec- tively, left the following day. The first division was the only one to penetrate the Cooke’s Peak area during their foray. Martinez’s men marched up west of the Floridas, combed the west and north slopes of Cooke’s Peak, proceeded to the copper mines area, skirted the Mimbres River and returned to Carrizal by way of the Floridas.
r
. 83
Probably as a retaliation for the continued Spanish