Ou,· Catlzolic Heritage in Texas
Spring Creek, west of the San Jacinto River. 4 Here he found two Orcoquisac villages. The Orcoquisacs were even more surprised than the Bidais to see Y egsa, as they called the Spaniards in their territory. Both the Bidais and the Orcoquisacs explained that the French visited them frequently. For six years traders, who lived in a place they called Pachina, near the Mississippi, had been coming by land. Others came by water and ascended the Neches, Trinity and Brazos Rivers. No permanent settlement had been made, but last summer a party, who had come by sea, had chosen a site and told the Orcoquisacs to notify the Bidais, the Deadoses, and the Tejas to bring their bearskins, buckskins, and buffalo hides to this place to trade. The site chosen appears to have been on the San Jacinto, some distance from its mouth. The Indians explained it was on a stream between the Trinity and the Brazos which was a tributary of neither. The Orcoquisacs told Orobio that some Frenchmen had been recently lost among the Cujanes, who lived to the southwest. From this he concluded that the party that had passed through Nacogdoches had perhaps been out to rescue them. News of Frencli activities. Exploration of tlze San Jacinto. Curious to see the site chosen for the proposed settlement, Orobio went towards the coast some fifteen leagues and was shown the place where the French said they would establish themselves. This was on a stream which Orobio named Aranzazu and which was in all probability the San Jacinto. There was no sign of habitation and in the opinion of Orobio no permanent settlement could be established on this spot for lack of lands, timber, and stone. Satisfied there was no French settlement, nor any immediate probability of one, he set out in a northwestern direction until he came upon the Camino Real between Nacogdoches and La Bahia. He then followed the road back to his presidia, where he arrived on April 6, and made a complete report to Governor Garcia Larios on June 25, 1746.s The Orcoquisacs (Arkokisas). Before the visit of Orobio practically nothing was known about the Orcoquisac Indians. During the next ten years much was learned concerning them by occasional explorers and 4 To here his diary found in Diligencias practicadas por Dn. Joaquin de Orobio Capn. de la Bahia Sohre establecimiento de Franceses in Bejar Archives has been followed. For the identification of localities we are indebted to Bolton, Texas, p. 330. Use has also been made of Miss Brown's thesis, "History of the Spanish Settlements." SDiJigencias practicadas por Dn. Joaquin de Oroblo Capn. de La Bahia sobre estab- lecimiento de Franceses, Bejar Arcliives.
Powered by FlippingBook