The Dominguez-Escalante Journal: Their Expedition Through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico in 1776

by Ted J. Warner

Translated by Fray Angelico Chavez, Edited by Ted J. Warner

Western History

The chronicle of Fray Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Fray Silvestre Vélez de Escalante’s most remarkable 1776 expedition through the Rocky Mountains, the eastern Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau to inventory new lands for the Spanish crown and to find a route from Santa Fe to Monterey, California.

Escalante’s journal wonderfully describes every detail of the rugged and scenic country through which they journeyed, along the qualities and customs of its inhabitants. Working as far north as present-day Provo, Utah, the expedition finally returned south. An approaching severe winter and mishaps among the maze of the Grand Canyon forced the party to return to Santa Fe by way of the Hopi pueblos.

This journal provides a fascinating account of over a thousand miles of wilderness exploration.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel, American History, Biography

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1995

Reviews

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not all of American history in 1776 took place in Lexington, Concord, and Boston. An entire continent away Spaniards were exploring the four corner's region of what would become, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado. The language utilized in this book was lofty and and sanctimonious. Unfortunately, this book was also fairly dull and repetitive. The work's purpose was not to be a heart-pounding thriller. It was a detailed travel log designed to guide future Spanish settlers into the Terra Incognita of northern New Mexico. We read about endless crossings of streams, traversing vast stretches of prairies and meadows, and musing upon hundreds of rock formations; all of which the explorers try to name and locate with celestial orienteering. It reads much like the Journals of Lewis and Clark except Dominguez and Escalante did not consider themselves soldiers. They were Franciscan missionaries who saw their mission to find routes to evangelize Native Americans. The missionaries and their Native guides suffer hunger and hardship and I was shocked to hear the fate of hundreds of the expeditions pack-mules and horses. This book is not for the squeamish. It was interesting to gain insight into a world-view that is so alien to modern ideas of faith and spirituality.

[Harry Rubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have traveled all over the four corners then I highly recommend this journal to give you an idea of what the southwest USA used to look like before white settlers took over and forced tribes onto the reservation system. Unlike other explorers, there isn't any poetic writing that stands out here. However, I enjoyed hearing about how these Spanish missionaries struggled in a harsh landscape with unrealistic expectations only to make their situation worse by crossing Glen Canyon (before the dam obviously). I learned about the tribes in Utah before the Mormons took over and the tribes of New Mexico and Arizona. I especially liked the part about the Hopi obstinacy towards Christianity. I definitely had schadenfreude in this read. I read this before I picked up Cadillac Desert to understand what life was like before modern irrigation took hold. I am glad I did.

[Lisa-Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew that, 200 years ago, these Franciscan priests kept a day-by-day journal of their expedition across the southwest United States, including Utah? I couldn’t wait! This masterfully translated version reads like a high adventure tale. Father Atanasio Domiguez (1740-1803) and Father Silvestre Escalante (1750-1780) took ten men and some indigenous guides from Santa Fe, New Mexico, up through Colorado, over to Utah Lake, and south to the Canyonlands before turning back toward Santa Fe in discouragement. They hoped to find an overland route to the Pacific Coast but ran out of provisions and optimism after three months.

When they reached this decision point they were between present-day Beaver and Milford in Utah. “We suffered greatly from the cold because the north wind did not cease blowing all day, and most acutely…since winter had already set in most severely, for all the sierras we managed to see in all directions were covered with snow, we therefore feared that long before we got there the passes would be closed to us. For the provisions we had were very low by now, and so we could expose ourselves to perishing from hunger if not from the cold,” they wrote on October 8, 1776. It was fascinating to read the objections from some of the party (“they came along very peevishly, everything was extremely onerous and all unbearably irksome”) and how the group finally resorted to drawing lots to decide their fate.
“And so, in order that God’s cause stood better justified…we decided to lay aside altogether the great weight of the arguments mentioned and to search anew God’s will by casting lots.” They put Monterey on one slip, Cosnina on the other, and drew one out of a hat. Cosnina was chosen, which meant return to Santa Fe by way of the Havasupai area near the Grand Canyon.

The best parts for me were the detailed contemporaneous accounts of the landscape 200 years ago. For example, when they came upon present-day Toquerville, where my ancestors settled, they noted: “After going two leagues over hills of very brilliant white sand and plenty of rock cliffs in places, we crossed two most copious springs of good water…we swung to the south now over rock of malpais (lava) and not too troublesome…we found a well-constructed primitive arbor with plenty of ears and shocks of maize which had been placed on top.” They found well-dug irrigation ditches being used by the Paiutes. All in all, this was a fun adventurous read with an illuminating amount of detail about the timeless geography of one of the prettiest parts of Utah.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In August 1776 two priests with an entourage set out from Santa Fe to find a direct route to the California missions. They didn't make it but had an interesting trip anyway. They went north and west through western Colorado, crossed over into Utah and turned back near Provo due to the weather which meant they traveled through the incredibly rugged Colorado Plateau and Glen Canyon in the fall. The book is heavily foot-noted and I was able to follow their route through Colorado and part of Utah on my trusty Rand McNally Road Atlas. A good portion of their Utah travels took place in Glen Canyon now Lake Powell. All their landmarks including the historic Crossing of the Fathers is now under hundreds of feet of water. Oh well. An interesting read if you're obsessed with this country as I am.

[Derrick Nedzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like an adventure story of a journey thru the original, pre-Whiteman Southwest. Also clearly demonstrates the bizarre attitude of the priest’s conviction that his religion has all the answers and that there is nothing of value in the native american’s cultures. The extent of the Spanish’s ethnocentrism is really shocking. Still, the book provides a pre-Spanish conquest view of the indigenous tribes of the area - very interesting.

[Heather Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't choose this book to read, nor would I have ever just picked it up. It was a required reading for my history class, and although it wasn't super exciting, it was very interesting. I enjoyed the parts that took place in Utah and reading about the explorers encountering Indians. Not my idea of a book to pick up and read for fun, but interesting nonetheless.

[Lyle Probert · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounding up for good reads. Whilst some of the geographic descriptions are repetitive, the excellent footnotes combined with the interesting insight into the Franciscan friars and their encounters with the native Americans makes this a worthwhile read for anyone interested in early North America.

[LINDSEY M · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times this book was slow (“Traveled 6 leagues today. Saw more scrub oak.”) But overall I’m glad I read this account of this company who explored the Four Corners region. Their encounters with the native peoples were quite interesting. Also I have lived near or visited many places described in this book, which made it all the more intriguing.

[Ray Leavitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read about what I wanted to learn. Cool stuff.

[Abby]

The reader of travel writing, like the traveler, knows that you can't always take people's accounts at face value. The art of enjoying this is learning to read between the lines--between "went three leagues and found good pasture" to find the drama. The pertinent emotional information is not handed to you on a platter as in a novel, but it's in there. You can especially tell they're getting pissy with each other toward the end of the journey, when they had no Native guide to show the way and were forced to start eating the horses.

Humor: the guys cross the Colorado River carrying their clothes on their heads, but lose them in the middle of the ford so they are stuck butt naked on the other side.
Interest: distance a musket ball travels as a unit of measurement
Drama: "detaining" some women, who were out gathering wild seeds, to get them to lead the expedition to the Ute camp. The women were so frightened they couldn't speak. Empathy experiment: you've been grabbed by a group of strange men who don't speak your language. So. terrifying.
So there is plenty interesting reading in here. Still, I got through slow places because I know some of the country and the landmarks, and I don't necessarily recommend this to the casual reader.

This document in translation helped me understand the way that planting colonies, Christianization, and agricultural lifestyle were all bound together in the minds of the padres. Also, the politics the Spaniards waltzed into become obvious: it's clear many Native groups agree to host Spanish missionaries because the Utes believe it offers protection from the Comanches, not because they are so enthused about Christianity or agriculture. It's hard to say what really happened in these Spanish/Native encounters; all you have to go off is this letter the padres wrote to please their superiors. But I still liked imagining.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this account of a journey by Spanish missionaries in 1776 through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona; in part because I have visited several sites along the route and can really appreciate the geography, how much has changed in some areas (and how little in others - I imagine much of the Arizona Strip is the same today as it was then!). Not the most thrilling read inherently; I enjoyed it mostly due to my personal connections with the narrative.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this for a class I took. What a boring book. I struggled to write arguments about the book because it was nothing more than a detailed geography explanation coupled with Catholic beliefs, traditions and missionary work. If you're into the geography of the southwest then I guess this is the book for you.

[Jljcnewton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting first-person account of one of the earliest, yet less-known, treks into the Utah frontier.

[Braeden Udy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ain't no diary of Anne Frank. Kinda cool but mostly boring. Only read if you really like eavesdropping on 18th century explorer diaries. Or if you just like history and especially the southwest.

[Bobbi Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

It isn't something you should read when expecting the thrill of a novel, but it is full of ao much historically accurate data.