I. EARLY EXPEDITIONS, 1776-1803
During the initial period of settlement and exploration in California, from 1769 to 1776, several important and well-known expeditions entered the area, among them those of Portola, Anza, Fages, and Cañizares. As a result the coastal strip and the vicinity of San Francisco Bay became well known. The interior did not receive so much attention. Following Anza only two recorded expeditions went into the Central Valley, that of Moraga, described by Palóu (Bolton, 1926) and that of Fages, the account of which has been translated by Priestley (1913).
In the meantime, and during the first two decades of Spanish occupation of coastal California, individuals were slowly penetrating the interior. Most of these left no record or trace, except on the health and emotional outlook of the natives. Many of them were deserters from the army, whose enlisted ranks contained many from the lowest strata of Mexican society. Along the coast trouble with desertion began with the Portola expedition itself (see Crespi’s diary) and was commented upon by both military and clerical writers for many years thereafter. Most of the absconding soldiers stayed within the mission area but some reached the interior valley. The earliest clear examples are cited by Garcés in the diary of his famous trip in 1776. In the upper San Joaquin Valley, east of Bakersfield, he was told of two Spanish soldiers who had been killed by the Indians for molesting women (Coues, 1900, p. 288) and found a Spaniard married to an Indian woman (Coues, 1900, p. 295).
EXCERPTS FROM OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE
A number of letters in the official correspondence of the late eighteenth century refer to fugitive deserters. Of these several may be quoted, primarily by way of illustration since a complete presentation of such data would be very difficult. Documents cited are all in the Bancroft Library, Berkeley, unless otherwise stated.
It should be noted that the style in a great many of the transcripts is indirect. The copyist made a paraphrase of the original letter and prefaced his statement with the word “that.” Thus in the first letter below the copyist wishes it understood that the original letter said that Sebastian Albitre ran away ... and so on. In some documents the indirection is ignored and the text is translated directly. As a rule, however, it is preferable to retain the circumlocution employed by Bancroft’s transcriber.
Blotter of Governor Fages
November 7, 1785
(Cal. Arch., Prov. Rec., II: 348)
That Sebastian Albitre ran away and with him the soldier of the Presidio, Mariano Yepez; that after a few days the mistress of the latter disappeared from her mission at Santa Clara; that he sent out two parties to chase them as far as the Sierra Nevada; these parties returned because their horses were badly exhausted; the pursuit will be resumed in June.
Governor to Commandant at Santa Barbara
October 9, 1795
(Cal. Arch., Prov. Rec., IV: 302)
He should offer presents, or whatever they like, to the Indians, so that they will catch Avila, who, as is known, is running as a fugitive in the Tulare Valley with several Christians from San Juan Bautista. He should make every effort to catch this man.