The Fort "Elisiaira" which Pike has just left must not be confounded with the place on the river called Elizario, Eleazario, Elceario, etc., and described in my last note. He is starting S., on the main road, and the place where the gambling dovetailed so well with religion was the Presidio San Elizario, on the boundary between the then Provinces of North Mexico and New Biscay. Two roads led from El Paso to Carrizal, the principal place en route to Chihuahua. One of these went down the Rio Grande for several miles before it turned S. from that river, taking this roundabout way to avoid Los Medanos (the Sand Hills, of which more presently). The other, which Pike took, went directly S., approximately by the way the railroad goes now. To the right is a range of mountains; the valley of the Rio Grande recedes to the left; the way is over a sandy, shrubby plain, in some places so strewn with a kind of white limestone as to have given the name Tierra Blanca. Camp is at the place which Pike calls by the extraordinary term of "Ogo mall a Ukap" and charts as "Ojo Malalka." Both these terms are otherwise rendered Ojo de Malayuque and Samalayuca; and all these, with others I could cite, are forms of the name of the same spring or pool which was a usual first camp out from El Paso. It was in most seasons a necessary halt, on account of water in this long arid stretch, as well as a desirable one to make before encountering the Sand Hills. Pike charts two other bodies of water, off the road to the right or W., by the names of "Lago de la Condelaria" and "Lac de Susma"; there are several such, in fact, known as Palomas, Guzman, Durazno, Santa Maria, etc. Guzman is the same word as Pike's "Susma," and a personal name very well known indeed in Mexican history; but whether the same lake is another question. Candelaria is the present name of a station on the railroad below Los Medanos.
[II'-2] Pike gives us nothing from Samalayuca to Carrizal, and we must fill the lacuna from other sources of information. The way grows gradually hillier and sandier, till it becomes all hills and sands. These are Los Medanos, dreaded for the difficulty of hauling loaded wagons through them, though not so bad on horseback or with pack-mules. Gregg describes the entourage, Comm. Pra., II. 1844, p. 79, as "a stupendous ledge of sand-hills, across which the road passes for about six miles. As teams are never able to haul the loaded wagons over this region of loose sand, we engaged an atajo of mules at El Paso, upon which to convey our goods across. These Médanos consist of huge hillocks and ridges of pure sand, in many places without a vestige of vegetation. Through the lowest gaps between the hills the road winds its way." This description calls to mind the Medano or Sand Hill Pass: see [note39, p. 491]. Wislizenus is even more vivid, Mem. p. 44: "Having arrived at the foot of the sand hills, we commenced travelling very slow. There was nothing around us but the deepest and purest sand, and the animals could only get along in the slowest walk, and by resting at short intervals. At last my animals were exhausted; they would move no more, and we had not yet reached half of our way. In this dilemma I put my own riding-horse to the wagon. Mr. Jacquez lent me some additional mules, and forward we moved again. In the meanwhile dark night had come on, illuminated only by lightning, that showed us for a while the most appalling night-scene—our wagons moving along as slow and solemn as a funeral procession; ghastly riders on horseback, wrapped in blankets or cloaks; some tired travellers stretched out on the sand, others walking ahead, and tracing the road with the fire of their cigarritos; and the deepest silence, interrupted only by the yelling exclamations of the drivers, and the rolling of distant thunder. The scene was impressive enough to be remembered by me: but I made a vow the same night, that whenever I should undertake this trip again, I would rather go three days around, than travel once more over the sand hills with a wagon. About midnight, at last we reached the southern end of the sand hills, and encamped without water."
This bad place was about 6 m. Beyond it, some 15 (?) m., is a fine spring of water a few yards to the left, called Ojo Lucero or Venus' spring. A place on the railroad in this vicinity is named Rancheria. Further on is seen, at some distance to the right of the road, a square mound 20 feet high, with a warm spring on its level top. Beyond this, on the left, is Laguna de Patos, or Duck l., a considerable body of water, which is the sink of the Rio Carmen. The other road from El Paso to Carrizal joins the main road in this vicinity. San José is a place on the railroad, opposite this lake. Off to the right, in the mountain chain above mentioned, rises a conspicuous picacho. Carrizal is a small town, like most places in Mexico (pop. 300 or 400 in 1839), but for some time supported a presidio or garrison as a protection from Indians, and was also walled in; but neither of these defenses seems to have troubled the Apaches much. Turning to Pike's map, we find he marks "Presidio de Carracal" on a branch of a large "Rio de Carracal," which he runs N. E. into the Rio Grande. But this is the Carmen r. just said, which runs into Duck l. not far from where Pike makes it head, and probably never reaches the Rio Grande. Yet it is liable to freshets and may greatly overflow its usual limits. Gregg struck one when he passed this way in 1839 and describes it, l. c.: "Just as we passed Lake Patos, we were struck with astonishment at finding the road ahead of us literally overflowed by an immense body of water, with a brisk current, as if some great river had suddenly been conjured into existence by the aid of supernatural arts. A considerable time elapsed before we could unravel the mystery. At last we discovered that a freshet had lately occurred in the streams that fed Lake Patos and caused it to overflow its banks, which accounted for this unwelcome visitation. We had to flounder through the mud and water for several hours before we succeeded in getting across." The spring which Pike marks "Ojo de Lotario" (Lothario) is that above named as Lucifer or Venus; and the hill delineated close by it is probably intended for the mound above said. He marks the road which leads from Carrizal to Sonora "Camino a Senora."
[II'-3] Pike's "little fosse" is no doubt the acequia below Carrizal. Ojo Caliente is present name of a station on the railroad between Carmen station and Las Minas; and the warm springs where Pike camps are those at or near Alamo de Peña, 10-12 m. below Carrizal, a mile short of the crossing of Rio Carmen. Gregg and Wislizenus both describe the springs in similar terms, as forming a large basin of clear, pure, lukewarm water in porphyritic rocks, with a sandy bottom, fed from various sources, and overrunning in a rivulet into the Carmen. "It forms," says Gregg, Com. Pra., II. p. 80, "a basin some 30 feet long by about half that width, and just deep and warm enough for a most delightful bath at all seasons of the year. Were this spring ... anywhere within the United States it would doubtless soon be converted into a place of fashionable resort." Wislizenus determined a temperature of 82° F., the air being 84½° F. Hughes in Doniphan's Exp., p. 108, also describes the spring and states that it was formerly the seat of a princely hacienda, "belonging to Porus, a Spanish nabob," who at one time had on his estate 36,000 head of stock.
[II'-4] A long, hard march over a plain waterless except in rainy weather, and a dry camp; for though Pike is past the place he marks "Les Coquillas," he stops short of the Ojo de Callejon.
[II'-5] This spring is found on various maps by the names of "Gallejo," "Gallego," etc., also applied to a station on the railroad. Hughes gives the word as "Guyagas." I suppose the proper name to be Ojo de Callejon, which might be translated Pass spring—for the mountains on each side of the road here close in somewhat, leaving a pass or puerta between them. Otherwise, the word is callejo or calleyo, meaning pitfall. This spring is off to the left, and sometimes discharges water enough to make a rivulet, which crosses the road. One of the other two springs which Pike speaks of passing is no doubt that known as Callejito.
[II'-6] The text does not agree with the map, for on the latter a "Camino a Senora" (road to Sonora) is brought into an unnamed "Ojo" which Pike has already passed. There may have been more than one such road. In any event, the spring which Pike passes on the 31st is that marked on his map "Aqas nueva," i. e., Aguas Nuevas or Agua Nueva. A station on the railroad has the latter name.
[II'-7] The hiatus in the text is to be filled by El Peñol or Hacienda del Petrero; Pike marks "Delpetrero" on his map, the last place he notes before reaching Chihuahua. Neither of those names appears on the late maps before me, but both were formerly employed for the well-known locality. Wislizenus maps El Peñol, where he camped Aug. 22d, 1846, and speaks of the place as a large hacienda, 28 m. from his last camp (probably the same as Pike's of the 30th) and about 40 m. from Chihuahua. "The creek of the same name passing by the hacienda is the principal affluent of the lake of Encinillas; by the rains it was swelled to a torrent, and its roaring waves, rushing over all obstacles, sounded in the stillness of night like a cataract." Pike has not a word of this lake, though it is usually a conspicuous feature of the great plain he has just traversed, to the W. of the road. He maps it, quite small, by the name of "Lago de Sn. Martin." Laguna de las Encinillas, in English Lake of Live Oaks, is a body of water whose extent varies greatly according to season and the weather, being sometimes 15 or 20 m. long, though usually less than this; Wislizenus estimated its length when he saw it to be 15 m., with a width of 3 m. on an average. Gregg says, tom. cit., p. 81: "This lake is ten or twelve miles long by two or three in width, and seems to have no outlet during the greatest freshets, though fed by several small constant-flowing streams from the surrounding mountains. The water of this lake during the dry season is so strongly impregnated with nauseous and bitter salts as to render it wholly unpalatable to man and beast. The most predominant of these noxious substances is a species of alkali, known there by the title of tequesquite. It is often seen oozing out from the surface of marshy grounds, about the table plains of all Northern Mexico, forming a grayish crust, and is extensively used in the manufacture of soap, and sometimes by the bakers even for raising bread."
[II'-8] As Pike has not a word of the route from El Peñol to Chihuahua, we may supply the omission from other sources. The approach to the capital presented then, as it does now, a number of both artificial and natural features. There were several settlements, as, for instance, Encinillas at the S. end of the lake, and Sauz beyond this. Both of these are places to be found marked by the same names now; the railroad runs through them. Further on, the road crossed the Arroyo Seco, usually a dry gulch, as its name says, but sometimes a creek not easily crossed, owing to depth of water. It flows eastward to fall into the Sacramento a few miles below. About 3 m. beyond this arroyo is the valley of the Sacramento, memorable since the battle which was won by the Americans under Colonel Doniphan on Sunday the 28th of February, 1847. Says Wislizenus, Mem. p. 47: "The mountains above the Sacramento approach each other from the east and west, and narrow the intermediate plain to the width of about six miles; and on the Sacramento itself, where new spurs of mountains project, to about 3 miles. The road from the Arroyo Seco to the Sacramento leads at first over a high plain; but as soon as the Sacramento comes in sight, it descends abruptly to its valley and to the left bank of the creek. Near where the road begins to descend, a ravine, with an opposite long hill, runs to the left or east of it, and a level plain spreads out to the right or west of it. On the hill towards the east was a continuous line of batteries and intrenchments, and the principal force of the Mexican army was there collected. On the opposite plain from the west, the American troops, who had above the Arroyo Seco already turned to the right to gain a more favorable position, advanced in open field against their entrenched and far more numerous enemies. How the American artillery with the first opening of their fire struck terror into the Mexican ranks; how the brave Missourians then, on horseback and on foot, acted by one impulse, rushed through the ravine up to the cannon's mouth, and, overthrowing and killing everything before them, took one battery after the other, till the whole line of entrenchments was in their possession and the enemy put to complete flight; how they crossed from here to the Sacramento and stormed on its right bank the last fortified position, on a steep hill, till not a Mexican was left to oppose them, and all their cannon, ammunition, and trains were abandoned to the victors—these are facts well known in the history of that campaign, and will immortalize the brave volunteers of Missouri." A full account of the battle is given by the historian of Doniphan's Expedition, p. 110 seq., with a plan of the ground. The U. S. forces were 924 all told, with 6 pieces of artillery; their loss was 1 killed and 11 wounded, 3 mortally. The Americans had 140 additional men, teamsters and others, raising the total to 1,164. Of the 924, 117 were of the artillery, 93 were of an escort, and the remainder of the 1st Regt. Missouri mounted volunteers. The Mexicans had 4,224 men, and 16 pieces of artillery; their loss was 320 killed, 560 wounded, 72 prisoners. Hughes' article cited includes Colonel Doniphan's official report.
The Sacramento is the stream upon two small tributaries of which Chihuahua is situated, at their junction, about 20 m. from the scene described. The river is usually fordable. The road leads over a level plain, which widens somewhat southward, down the valley of the river, with steep, rough mountains on either hand. The capital first comes in sight about 10 m. off, in a sort of pocket where the mountains come together from each side, as if to close up the valley below; but there is an outlet to the E. through which the Sacramento r. runs to join the Rio Conchos.