San Antonio de Valero and Missionary Activity_, 1716-1719 93
Antonio de Valero, two hundred varas from the river and thirty from San Pedro Creek. 31 A few more details concerning the founding of San Antonio are gathered from a letter written by Alarcon to the viceroy on September 28, 1718. He declares that he left ten families there with a sufficient guard of soldiers; that there were many Indians at the Mission of San Antonio de Valero; and that the reason why the thirty families were not settled as stipulated by His Excellency was that the swollen con- dition of the Rio Grande did not permit the passage of families. Later, in his statement of Services Rendered, he claimed to have established the thirty families required and the presidio. "He likewise succeeded," declares the document, "in establishing a Spanish villa and presidio in the valley of San Antonio, with thirty families, in the most pleasant spot to be found in the entire Province where [they] enjoy the greatest advantages and facilities anyone can desire. He also founded a mission there under the appellation of Mission of San Antonio de Valero." 32 Founding of San Antonio de Valero (Tlee Alamo). Let us now go back and follow the movements of Father Olivares from the Rio Grande to San Antonio. Impatient as he had been to start, it seems that he became so disgusted with the conduct of Governor Alarcon, that he refused to accompany him and traveled by himself, with one or two companions and the stipulated guard of soldiers. He did not leave the Mission of San Jose on the Rio Grande until April 18, nine days after Alarcon left the Presidio of San Juan Bautista. He does not say how many were in his party, nor does he state when the Jarame Indians of the old Mission of San Francisco Solano were moved to the new site on the San Antonio River. But it does not seem, however, that there were any Indians left to move, because Mission San Jose was the original San Francisco Solano, the location of which was changed twice before Father Olivares decided to transplant it to Texas and by that time he himself admits there was not a single mission Indian. 33 He did not meet Alarcon on the way because the governor had left the main road in an attempt to reach Espiritu 81 Buckley, "The Aguayo Expedition," o-j. cit., 55; Bolton, T1:ra1 In t/,1 Middl, Eigleteentl, Centur,,, map following Table of Contents. 31 Alarc6n to the Viceroy, September 28, 1718; Relaci6n de los empleos, merltos y servlclos de Don Martin de Alarc6n, January 18, 1721. San Franeuco ,l Grand, Arcl,iv1, IX, 1, 19. 83 Ollvares to the Viceroy, June 22, 1718. San Francisco ,l Grand, .4rc!,iv,, VIII, 205-2 I 2. In the first page of the old mission record book lt ls stated that San Francisco Solano was moved first ln 1703 to San Ildefonso and later to S:m
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