Fandango

For December 17, 1775, Father Font writes, "...At night, with the joy at the arrival of all the people, they held a fandango here. It was somewhat discordant, and a very bold widow who came with the expedition sang some verses which were not at all nice, applauded and cheered by all the crowd...the fandango, which lasted until very late." Today, less than 10 miles away at the Salton Sea, over 30, 000 white pelicans give visitors an equally exuberant and flamboyant spectacle as they migrate to the area each year. The Salton Sea International Bird Festival in February celebrates over 380 species of birds.

Anza followed the Colorado River south into what is now Mexico. The 1775/76 colonizing expedition remained south of the present border for several days to rest before crossing the desert in three groups (plus a fourth with the cattle). They looped back into what would become Imperial County, California 132 years later. They then continued north to the San Sebastian Marsh, turned west and followed San Felipe Creek. (See the historical background.)

Sites of Interest

A. Mission Purísima Concepción and Expedition Camp #42
Expedition Camp #42 was just south of Pilot Knob. Along their way, Font and Anza paused at a granite bluff to view the Colorado River plain on December 4, 1775. Nearby, in 1780, Father Garcés founded Mission Purísima Concepción, only to have it destroyed by the Quechan uprising of July 1781. In the process, Father Garcés, Fernando de Rivera y Moncada, and many soldiers and settlers were killed. The mission site (32°43.833'N 114°36.937'W) is probably where the St. Thomas Indian Mission stands today (on Picacho Rd, Fort Yuma, 1 mile South of Winterhaven).

B. Santa Olalla and Expedition Camps #43-46 (Baja California)
Although these camps in Baja California are not part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, they are marked as Ruta Histórica (Hwy 2). Camp #44 (Santa Olalla) was where Anza wrote a letter to Viceroy Bucareli during the 1774 expedition, telling of its difficulties and the trustworthiness of the Quechan and their chief (Palma). During the 1775/76 expedition, the second fandango was held here, and Anza wrote five letters. In one to Bucareli, he tells of two births, the one death, and the expedition's difficulties. It was here that the local natives (probably the Cocopah and Cajuenches tribes) gave the colonists fish and watermelons which Anza thought improved the health of those who were sick. It was also here that the expedition split up into three groups to cross the desert without depleting the watering holes.

C. Wells of Santa Rosa (Yuha Well) and Expedition Camps #47 and #48    (See Father Font's map in new window)
The well, called Santa Rosa de las Lajas (Flat Rocks) by Anza, was used on March 8, 1774. On December 11-15, 1775, the three divisions of Anza's colonizing expedition used this site as the first good watering spot beyond the Colorado River. It is about 7 miles northwest of Mexico's Mount Signal, on the southwest side of Dunaway Rd. in the Yuha Desert. California State Historic Landmark No. 1008 plaque is found at the Eastbound Sunbeam Roadside Rest Area, between Drew and Forrester Rds., on I-8 near Seeley. The Vista de Anza Historical Marker is found off Hwy 98 northwest of Calexico, 6 miles south of Coyote Wells. Camp #48 was near the Plaster City OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) area.

D. San Sebastián Marsh/San Felipe Creek and Expedition Camp #49    (See Father Font's map in new window)
San Sebastián Marsh is the site of prehistoric villages and represented a stable water source in the desert environment. It was a campsite for both the 1774 and 1775-76 expeditions. Named for Anza's Indian guide, Sebastián Tarabal, it is located 18 miles northwest of Westmoreland in the vicinity of the junction of state highways 86 and 78. Ironically, the nearby Salton Sea, formed when a canal broke in 1905, is today a 35 mile long desert oasis and includes a National Wildlife Refuge.

Additional Resources

St. Thomas Indian Mission - Indian Hill on Picacho Rd., Winterhaven, CA 92283;
tel.: 760-572-0992


Fort Yuma Quechan Nation - P.O. Box 1899, Yuma, AZ 85366;
tel.: 760-572-0213;
web:itcaonline.com/
?page_id=1173


Cocopah Indian Reservation - County 15th and Avenue G, Somerton AZ 85350;
tel.: 928-627-1992,
web: cocopah.com


BLM El Centro Field Office -1661 South Fourth St., El Centro, CA 92243;
tel.: 760-337-4400,
web: ca.blm.gov/elcentro


Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge - 906 West Sinclair Rd., Calipatria, CA 92233 9744;
tel.: 760-348-5278,
web: fws.gov/saltonsea


Remember that entering the U.S. or Mexico without using a port of entry is dangerous and illegal. For example, use the Port of Entry at Mexicali or Algadones -
tel: 760-572-0089, and
tel.:760-768-2330,
web: cbp.gov