Occupation of t/ee Trinity River, r746-r772
75
Francisco de San Miguel, sent to take the place of Fray Marcos Satarain, who was forced to leave Fray Caro alone. Julian Flores, one of the guards, fell a victim to the ravages of disease. The soldiers of the presidio were all sick and weakened by the prevailing illness. When the south wind blew it drove the polluted and brackish water of the lagoon up the river and made it undrinkable. Father Vallejo pleaded with the governor that Fray Jose Francii;co Caro be either allowed to return to Mission Dolores, his former post, or to move the mission, which by this time had been formally established, to a site called Atascoso, a few miles up the river. Here two beautiful springs were located about a league from the Trinity, which furnished excellent water for drinking. There were good farm lands, plenty of timber and firewood, and extensive pastures. If the presidio could not be moved without permission from the viceroy, Father Vallejo asked that Fray Caro be allowed to go on to El Atascoso (sometimes called Atasco- sito) with the five guards of the mission to wait for the decision of the officials in Mexico. To remain at Orcoquisac would imperil the life of the missionary. Fray Caro should be given relief either by permitting his return to Dolores or by authorizing him to occupy El Atascoso.' 5 This was not the sole complaint concerning the unhealthy character of the site on the Trinity nor was it the only proposal to move to a new location. But by some miracle of faith, Mission Nuestra Senora de la Luz was maintained in the same place and continued to progress, slowly but surely, in spite of hardships, privations, epidemics, and pro- voking insects. It is refreshing to find a missionary actually favorable in his judgment about the future of the apparently doomed enterprise a year and a half later. This brave soul was truly an optimist. It had been proposed with great insistence that the presidio and mission be moved first to one place and then to another, but in 1759 a determined effort was made by religious and civil officials to move the new estab- lishments to a location called Los Horconcitos. The slowness and delib- eration with which the viceregal machinery moved was exasperating at times, but in this instance it was a blessing in diguise. The viceroy requested an official report from the missionary of Nuestra Senora de la Luz before taking final action. Fray Jose Abad de Jesus Maria complied with the request in November, 1759. Philosophically the good friar replied that the mission was much 45 Carta del Presidente de las misiones al Gobernador que se restltuya a Fray Caro a la Mision de Nrs. Sra. de los Dolores por ser intolerable el paraje de Nra. Sra. de la Luz, February 7, 1758. San Francisco el Grande Arclrh•e, Vol. 7, pp. 21-24.
Powered by FlippingBook