Dominguez y Escalante Expedition 1776-1976 - Payson, Utah
Posted by: 
Lord Mot
N 40° 02.430 W 111° 43.935
12T E 437532 N 4432509
This monument is located in Payson Park
Waymark Code: WMBV6W
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 06/22/2011
Views: 16
Marker reads:
Two hundred years ago, while thirteen eastern colonies were giving birth to the United States of America, a small party of Spanish explorers was forging its way through the vast expanse of virgin territory now known as the American Southwest. Led by Fathers Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante, the explorers left Santa Fe on horseback on July 29, 1776. Their goal was to discover a northern overland route to Monterey, California, and to spread the Catholic faith to those Indians they met along the way. Escalante meticulously recorded details of their journey through the Spanish lands in his diary, and this together with a famous map of the territory done by Miera, greatly increased the geographic knowledge of the time.
In early September, the missionaries made slow and difficult progress through Spansih Fork canyon, gateway to the beautiful Utah Valley and the home of the Timpanogos Utes. Preaching Christianity to these Indians constituted the spiritual climax of the expedition. But on October 8, discouraged by the cold shortage of supplies, and the fact that the Indians knew of no ocean, only more desert, the Fathers decided to turn back to Santa Fe. Six days later the provisions ran out and if they had continued westward, they almost certainly would have starved in the snowcovered foothills of the Sierra Nevadas.
The most difficult part of the journey was the crossing of the Colorado River. After exploring the formidable terrain for over a week, they finally reached a ford that appeared shallow enough to cross. It lay at the bottom of a mile-wide canyon, and in order for the horses to make it down the steep, rocky sides, it was necessary to cut footholds in the rock. Today these are completely covered by the waters of Lake Powell. The :Crossing of the Fathers" was finally accomplished on November 7. On January2, 1777, the Padres Reached Santa Fe having covered close to 2000 miles, thus ending their journey of great discovery.
Supporting Web Documentation: [Web Link]
Address or General Location of Marker: Payson Memorial Park
Parking: Not Listed
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