Ottr Catholic Heritage in T c:xas
Antonio a day before Mares, and that he had come with two Comanches. When Mares arrived on the following day, October 8, 1787, there came with him four chiefs, thirty-eight braves, twenty-three women, and six children, all from the ra11c/1erias of the eastern Comanches. Among them was Chief Sofais, who claimed he had accompanied Vial in January on his trip from the Comanche ranchenas to Santa Fe. He now offered to lead a party by a more direct route back to New Mexico. But with winter approaching, Martinez Pacheco thought it might be best to wait until spring or summer before Mares undertook the return trip in company with Chief Sofais. 11 E:x,peditio,i of Jose Mares from San Antonio to Santa Fe, I788. But something made Governor Martinez Pacheco change his mind. Perhaps Mares was anxious to return to Santa Fe. Whatever the cause, Jose Mares was ready to start back by January, 1788, in the very middle of winter, to try to discover a more direct route from Texas to New Mexico. Guided by a group of friendly Comanches who were headed by Chief Sofais, he started from San Antonio on January 18, 1788, to go as far as a creek which he called Novillo, located about three leagues north of San Antonio.u This was the upper branch of Salado Creek. Continuing north, he crossed the Cibolo ten miles beyond and came upon the Guadalupe about two miles west of modern Spring Branch, just below the point where Curry Creek joins the Guadalupe River. He now went over the hills to the Blanco River where he noted an Indian trail in the vicinity of the present city of that name, and after making a short offset to the west, he resumed his northern course to the Pedernales which he crossed at or very near modern Hye. Here he started north to a creek (Grape Creek), and after travelling about six more leagues he crossed a stream which he called the San Gabriel. This was not the San Gabriel of today, because to have reached it, Mares would have had to cross the Colorado first, and to have travelled much further. The stream which he crossed in the vicinity of Click was our Sandy Creek. He noted that it was 11 Rafael Martinez: Pacheco to Juan de Ugalde, October 20, 1787. Spanisl,, Arc/iives of Texas, University of Texas, Austin. llDerrotero 'JI diario que corres,Ponde al numero de Leguas que hay desde la Capital de San Antonio de Bejar Provincia de los Texas lzasta la de Santa Fe del Nuevo Mexico, que /iago Yo Jose Mares, cabo Ymbalido de la Compa,iia de el/a ,Por los terrenos que me condttcen los Y11dios Amigos Comanches, para desc11brir camino de derec/111ra. A. G. M., Historia, Vol. 43, document 16. Copies also in Historia, Vol. 52, document 17, and in Historia, Vol. 62, document 6.
Powered by FlippingBook