The Family at Serpiente

by Raymond Tolman

  The explorers finally returned to Tiquex, where the situation deteriorated still further, and Coronado retreated to Mexico in April 1542, leaving behind the Franciscan Juan de Padilla and two lay brothers whom the Indians immediately killed. What happened to the search for Quivira? It has yet to be found. Perhaps someday a fragment of history will be discovered lying in the sand along the great riparian waterway of the Canadian or some other southwestern river to tell us more of that early mystery.

  What is in a Name?

  Current maps of this area bear names that have come down from early settlements and geographic discoveries. But the Canadian River, which is not a Canadian River, is somewhat a nomenclature mystery. Why would a river starting in Southern Colorado and finally combining its waters with the Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma be called the Canadian? The answer to this question is open to speculation with several theories abounding.

  Lieutenant James W. Abert of the Topographical Engineers, US Army, who was commissioned to explore the river in 1845, wrote one of the first documents to have provided a name for this river. The Kiowa’s and Comanche’s had run off most of the indigenous Apache natives who called the river Goo All Pah; the stream that headwaters in the high cliffs of Raton Pass. Abert’s perilous journey was part of the Western expansion policy of the U.S. Government. Having been dispatched from Fort Bent to the north on August 9 they traveled south through Raton Pass reaching the Canadian River by September. They were documenting everything they saw, or in other words spying for the Army, in a very hostile country. They made every effort to avoid contact with Indians who had gotten very good at defending themselves from the newcomers. By incorporating the horse into their own culture that the Spanish had brought in, they had become a force into themselves. Comancheros as well as the Spaniards all considered the real threat to the territory to be Anglos from Texas who were considered as barbarians by all.

  Abert was traveling though country that was claimed by many yet despite his stealthy intentions they managed, while preparing an evening meal at a campsite, to set the local countryside aflame. A huge inferno of a fire, the kind that burns thousands of acres of tumbleweeds and sends up a plume of smoke well into the stratosphere occurred. Everyone would undoubtedly see it but evidently nobody cared, for he and his men survived the ordeal and eventually traveled all the way back into Texas.

  To Abert’s credit it should be noted that he was a fine artist who meticulously recorded the appearance and activities of the friendly Indian tribes he met as well as detailed topographic maps of the Goo All Pah River showing the distances covered and campsites. In 1845, Abert later published his work including trail maps as “Through the Country of Comanche Indians.” Why he used this name rather than the Spanish Rio Colorado is a little bit of a mystery. This earlier name has since disappeared from all documentation.

  Many French explorers came to this area as early as 1719 such as Bernard De La Harpein who was searching for a water route to the Pacific Ocean. They were invariably discovered by the Spanish authorities and ordered out because Spain and France were at war at that time. The name Canadian may be traced back to those French Canadians, the Mallet brothers, who visited Santa Fe in 1739. They later returned east by traveling down the Canadian. Did the circumstances for this visit lead to the name of Canadian?

  According to some historians, such as the late T. M. Pearce, an authority on New Mexican place names, thought that ‘Canadian’ might have resulted from the Anglicizing of Indian words for the river. Many of the Spanish-speaking people of the area refer to the Spanish term Canada, alluding to the great canyon that opens below the Stony Ford.

  Pike

  In the last years of Spanish rule in New Mexico, there was always a governor or acting governor in New Mexico, subordinate to the commandant general of the Provincias. Governor Chacon ruled until the spring of 1805, when he was succeeded by Colonel Josquin del Real Alencaster. Alberto Mainez was named as acting governor in 1807-8, and next on the list is lieutenant-colonel Jose Manrique, whom ruled from 1810-14. Melgares was the last governor under Spain, and was succeeded on July 5, 1822, by Francisco Javier Chavez a politico who ruled New Mexico in 1822 for a year. This constant change of leadership reflected the political situation of the day caused by internal squabbling brought on by petty jealousy between the powers to be. In some instances a promotion to governor of the territory was viewed more as a prison sentence than an honor in a land that was cruel to those who attempted to rule, as well as the people that were ruled. The differences between the Spanish lifestyle and the natives, was enormous. The friendly natives were subjugated as slaves; the more warlike tribes lived relatively well.

  Unlike the Spaniards, the Indians never used or took anything from nature that they didn’t need. The iron handed governors who ruled New Mexico during these years drew their sustenance from those people, forcing them to live not only as slaves but far below the subsistence level they were accustomed to. They starved, even as the taxes owed the Spanish grew larger and larger. The Spanish however lived fairly well. It was the system of the times. Living well off the sweat and labor of another people who were demonized was a common custom in those times. In fact, it is what all aristocratic young people wanted, their own hacienda, with hundreds of peons to see after your most basic needs.

  The ethnocentric Spaniards viewed the native religion, which had been practiced for thousands of years on this continent, as a purely pagan ritual. The native pueblo peoples were often baptized in the name of the holy church not understanding a single word of what was being said, but rather only trying to appease their cruel rulers. After the pueblo revolt of 1680 the Spaniards stamped out literally all religious as well as physical resistance. They tolerated no other point of view and considered themselves more than just conquerors of the land. They considered the native pueblo population as nothing more than property like so many sheep or cattle to be accounted for to the ruling masters.

  Paradoxically the Spanish were friendly to the Comanche’s at this intersection of history being zealous in bringing information and rumors respecting the movements of Americans, and in particular the barbarian Texans. In time, of course, the Comanche would change their collective opinions as they learned the ways of their Spanish conquerors. Adopting the technology brought to them, many of them became outlaws. Eventually, all the eastern plains Indians of New Mexico would make war upon the Old Spanish lineage causing perpetration’s throughout the territory. The Navajos, in particular were hostile to the Spanish rulers, entrenching themselves in the Canon de Chelly, where they deemed their position impregnable. Among all individual tribes there were always those young bucks that could not allow submission by the conquering Spaniards.

  Raids became a constant source of friction in the territory with the Canadian Canyon of northeastern New Mexico being one of the better hiding places for the hostile Indians. Between Louisiana and New Mexico there had been no trade or habitual communication before 1800, however from both directions flourishing trade with the friendlier Indians had grown up. All of the old Louisiana territory west of the Mississippi, was ceded by France to Spain in 1762-3 and later returned to France in 1800, and then sold or ceded to the United States in 1803. From this date to 1819 the question of boundary between the United States territory and Spanish possessions was an open one. Rivers that were used as conduits into the unexplored back country became the boundary and front lines between growing powers. The American politicians, without a shred of what would be called right but loaded with lots of bluster, brag and just plain pride, sometimes claimed all the territory to the Rio Grande, and the Spaniards, with but slightly better reasons, all the way to the Missouri. There is a lot of territory to fight over between these two rivers, and as for the upper and lower part of the map; that too was up to men willing to fight for it.

  As Lewis and Clark were engaged in their famous exploration of the continent by way of the upper Mississippi, Zebulon Pike, a lieutenant of the sixth United States infa
ntry, was sent by General James Wilkerson with less than two dozen men in 1806 to explore the country of the Red, as the Canadian River was then called. Pike was instructed to explore the upper reaches of the Arkansas and Red Rivers. Like himself, his entire trip was immediately shrouded in mystery and controversy. There apparently was a secret directive to investigate a route to Spanish settlements in Santa Fe. Why Wilkerson wanted Pike to travel into Spanish territory is a bit of a mystery; however there is strong evidence that the general was involved in a conspiracy with former U.S. vice president Aaron Burr to separate the West from the rest of the United States. Whether Pike had a role in this conspiracy is not clear. Even more mysterious, there is belief that Wilkerson betrayed Pike by warning the Spanish authorities that he would be traveling in their territory. If this was true, he had to have planned it months in advance in order to notify the Spanish. All this had to be done well in advance of Pike’s actual departure. Perhaps they were all spies.

  Pike left St. Louis in July 1806 with 23 men, including Wilkerson’s son, who was an Army lieutenant, and one of Wilkerson’s agents, Dr. John Robinson. They followed a route up the Missouri and Osage rivers in central Missouri to the Arkansas River. When Pike’s party reached the Arkansas River, Lieutenant Wilkerson returned to St. Louis with six of the men to report on the progress of the expedition.

  Pike and the remainder of the party crossed to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in mid-November. A week later they arrived at the site of present-day Pueblo, Colorado; from there, Pike and three of his companions set out to climb the mountain that was later named Pikes Peak. Although unsuccessful in reaching the top they did climb Cheyenne Peak, a smaller mountain about 15 miles away. After rejoining his men, Pike led the party up the Arkansas River to Royal Gorge, which is known as the ‘Grand Canyon’ of the Arkansas River.

  They then spent several cold months wondering around lost in what is now southern Colorado. By now, several of the men were ill, so Pike built a small fort near the Gorge for those who were too sick to continue on the journey. Pike left the fort in January 1807 with Dr. Robinson and 12 others and, in the middle of the winter, they crossed the Sangre de Cristo Mountains into southern, Colorado. Six men got gangrene from walking through the snow, two so badly that their feet had to be amputated. Pike finally decided to stop after he found the Conejos River. The assumption was; that he was at the headwaters of the Red River near present day Mannasas, Colorado. Now starving, his men constructed a fort and raised the stars and stripes. The fort was a star shaped pole structure with redoubts at the points of the star. Made from the local cottonwoods, any attacker attempting to climb over a wall would need to turn his back on his intended victims, not a good idea.

  As soon as the fort was constructed, Dr. Robinson suddenly left alone for Santa Fe, claiming to have business. Perhaps this should have raised some red flags, or who knows, maybe they simply wanted to be rescued, considering their deplorable state. A few days after the fort was completed, a Spanish dragoon arrived to be followed later by a force of 50 dragoons and militia charging Pike and his men for illegal entry into a Spanish territory. Pike resisted, saying that he thought he was on a branch of the Red River that formed a boundary between American and Spanish territories. Pike, upon the realization that indeed, his encampment was deep into Spanish territory where it had been occupied by the Spanish for two centuries, decided to lower the American flag. Historians believe that during this time representatives of different countries were conducting conspiracies unknown to each other or even the country they represented. There is, however, general agreement among scholars that Pike knew exactly where he was and he was simply putting on a show for the Spanish authorities.

  Not so curiously, the Spanish were most courteous and kind to Pike’s men, supplying the half-starved and half naked explorers with food and blankets. Perhaps the irony of the situation allowed the Spaniards to feel generous and superior or as many believe there was political intrigue on both sides. Pike’s party of men was escorted, to Santa Fe where they were indeed treated kindly by the Spaniards. It was never quite clear to any of the Anglo-Saxon blood that a Spanish official might rightfully interfere with his personal freedom to do as he pleased. Yet Pike frankly admits to the kindness with which the Spaniards treated him and his men.

  Brimming with confidence, Pike and his men proceeded on March 4th, after a dinner given by the governor in their honor to continue their explorations to Chihuahua, Mexico. The journey turned into a diplomatic venture and the Spanish were astonished at the sight of the barbarian newcomers. A Captain Antonio Almansa commanded the escort and with a short stay over at what was to be Sabinal they continued their journey south. The Spaniards were disappointed, according to their records, that they could not make a Christian of Pike. Pike’s party, nevertheless were treated like royalty. In fact, they were welcomed with a dance at Tome, New Mexico where the Melgares, the leader of the escort sent out an order for the handsomest girls of the region to be sent in for a fandango. Pike was impressed, if not entertained by the girls, which portrays clearly the degraded state of the Indian people. Many days and pretty Indian girls later, Pike with his men were finally escorted into Chihuahua. Later, upon his return to the American territory, he wrote an account of his explorations, which was published in 1810.

  As soon as the newcomers returned to the eastern United States, the Spaniards had a problem on their hands. It was a matter of territorial defense, and national security. Like people anywhere, they worried about their livelihoods. They already were masters of their world but they were afraid of the changes that barbarians might bring.

  Robert McKnight

  Moved by Pike’s account of the New Mexican territory, Robert McKnight with a party of nine men crossed the plains in 1812, crossing the Canadian at Stony Ford and arriving in Santa Fe expecting to be treated as Pike’s men had upon their arrival. Feeling boisterous and exuberant as they thought of the profits and good times ahead, they entered Santa Fe where they were immediately arrested, their goods were confiscated, and they were put into chains. A few days later, they were loaded into carts, where they were held like cattle until they reached Chihuahua, Mexico.

  After the long cart ride they were held as prisoners in the then as now infamous Chihuahua prison. It took them, on the average, several months until they acquired a command of the Spanish language. Lives in Mexican jails were hell for non- Hispanic inmates then, as it is now, and you are held for as long as possible, until all your resources are used up. The pecking order is clear; all Spanish as descended from the Conquistadores form the top of society, including those in jail. They buy and do anything, and they can arrange anything including your death if they so desire. Mexicans of questionable descent and Indians make up a middle class and lower classes, and a final desperate sub-human group exists; foreigners. Then, as they would smugly say, was the devil himself. Well below that last category are creatures held in utter disrespect, creatures to distain, creatures known as gringos or Americans. And then, there is that last group of individuals in particular, a subgroup of the Americans, the dreaded barbarians named Texans, whom everyone considered to be a rough, ungainly, and uneducable bunch.

  Bribery is the system that works in jails now as it did then, and surely it took only a few short days until the McKnight party realized their plight, they had nothing. Two years of constant hunger and beatings passed along with daily heavy labor. Few would escape the work details, but fate provided a unique opportunity for escape.

  It must have been providence that allowed the moon and the stars to shine at night when their feeble light could allow a desperate flight to freedom. Certainly it took an extraordinary set of circumstances for the opportunity to escape to occur. McKnight and another of his party escaped captivity by fleeing a work detail by means of hiding under piles of branches then traveling after dark. Always running through the cold night air and holing up and sleeping during the heat of the day, they desperately retraced their path out of Mexico
crossing the Rio Grande somewhere near present day El Paso not unlike thousands of later counterparts who go through the same ritual in search of better pay along the United States and Mexico border.

  Already emaciated and undoubtedly bruised and battered, it must have been an ordeal, staying just out of sight of other travelers on the already ancient trails of the Journada del Muerto. They most likely retraced the route along the east bank of the Rio Grande River, a route they would know. The ancestral Rio Grande was a much wilder and certainly more interesting river than we see now. Allowed to meander across the flood plain of the Rio Grande valley, it provided water for a large cottonwood forest, known as the Bosque. There are lots of cottontails, catfish, grubs, bugs and rattlesnakes there to eat. A basic problem they would have encountered was attempting to cook which would give their position away. Still, living off the land may have been a feast compared to what they were used to in the Mexican jail with every morsel eaten tasting great due to sensory deprivation. Leaving the desert, the pair may have crossed the river south of Socorro and continued north, stealing what they needed as they traveled.

  McKnight may not have followed Coronado’s footsteps, but they could have crossed trails anywhere. The most logical way of traveling would have been to cut across, as many say Coronado did, turning east at Bernalillo, then to Galisteo, and then to more water at Pecos Pueblo. Due east of Pecos is the Conchas River which eventually drops into the Canadian at present day Conchas Lake. From here down, the Canadian was run in canoes by many of the indigenous natives and is still navigable if they are releasing water from dams.