Our Catlzolic Heritage in Texas
144
families. This latter nation of savages had resisted heretofore all attempts of officials and missionaries to congregate them in a mission, he declared. Captain Orobio y Basterra was forced to remain at Santa Dorotea until February 16, on account of snow and severe weather. Although his horses stampeded during this time, he finally succeeded in rounding them up. He then continued his march to the Nueces, following a southwestern course from Santa Dorotea. After traveling four days and covering a distance of twenty-five leagues, he reached his goal and pitched camp near a sweet water lake, which he called Santa Barbara. While en route he crossed six arroyos (creeks), all carrying abundant water. The inter- vening country, he found to be fertile, well covered with grass, and suitable for settlement. He seems to have reached the Nueces somewhere between present San Patricio and Calallen, where the river forms a natural lake in times of flood. The six creeks crossed can be easily identified as the Sarco, the Mucorrera, the Blanco, the Medio, the Aransas, and the Papalote. His description of Corpus Christi Bay and the Nueces River, being the first ever accurately recorded, deserves to be quoted in full. "This river of Las Nueces," he says, "which until now was thought to join the Rio Grande del Norte, enters the sea at this place, where a great bay is found, to which I gave the name of San Miguel Arcangel. The bay is about two and one-half leagues wide and slightly more in length. It has the shape of a horseshoe. High hills surround it in part along its south and south- western extremities. The tide runs up the river for a distance of about three leagues, and here salt is formed in quantities. It was not possible to take soundings due to the lack of a boat. Only along the northern coast [of the bay], where the beach may be approached on foot, were soundings taken. Up to this point it had not been possible to reconnoiter the seashore on account of the heavy woods along the coast." Orobio y Basterra pointed out that along both sides of the river above the Bay there were rich and extensive plains suitable for cultivation and· which could be easily irrigated from the river. He declared that the country in the vicinity offered all the facilities for the establishment of a great city, where the Zuncals, Pajasequeis, or Carrizos, Apatins, Naquaps and Pantapaxeis, who lived in this region, could be congregated in missions. On February 27, he resumed his march in the same general direction, going perhaps a little more to the south until he came to a salty creek which he named La Purisima Concepcion. This could have been no other
Powered by FlippingBook