The view north at San Carlos Pass
not far from the Pacific Crest Trail and Coyote Canyon
Photo: Phil Valdez
Driving Directions for Auto Route
Continuing on the route from San
Diego County, follow CA 79 north to its intersection with CA
371. Turn northeast on CA 371 and stop in the town of Anza. Continuing
on, turn left (north) on Bautista Canyon Rd. to the San
Bernardino National Forest, where the road is unpaved for several
miles. Continue to Fairview Ave. in Hemet, and turn right (north).
At its intersection with Florida Ave./CA 74, turn west (left) onto
CA 74. Turn north (right) on Mountain Ave., which becomes the Ramona
Expressway. Follow this expressway west to Lake Perris and then
I-215. Go north on I-215 to CA-60, and go west on I-60. In Riverside
or Rubidoux, visit the Santa Ana River. Continue on CA-60 to I-15,
and go north on I-15 and take I-10 west. To continue along this
route, see Los
Angeles County.
A portion (above) of Font's map showing the camp at San Carlos
Pass. It was from there on December 28, 1775 that Anza writes,
to the governor of California, Fernando de Rivera y Moncada,
and says of the colonists "...since they have been in the
service for eight months, the clothing they were given has
been destroyed and worn out. Because of that, and because
the season is so raw, they are in need of reparation. Therefore,
I have taken this opportunity to give Your Honor this notice
that, if you do not feel it is inconvenient, you might send
someone to find a provision of underclothing. That is truly
what is needed by all the men, women and children. Of course,
they will be able to make do with their exterior clothing
and the use of some blankets until they have such [underclothing]." The letter was sent ahead to San Gabriel.
Rocks at the Puerto
Real San Carlos
Photo: Phil Valdez
About
Your Visit to Riverside County
The expedition continued up Coyote Canyon and camped at the
top of Upper Willows on Christmas Eve. Here, they met the
natives of the Cahuilla tribe whom they called the
Danzantes (Dancers), and the colonists later held a fandango.
Traveling on via Bautista Canyon, they followed the San Jacinto
River and reached the Santa Ana River, where they camped on
New Year's Eve. They then proceeded westerly toward Mission
San Gabriel.
Sites of Interest
A. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and
Expedition Camp #54
The expedition's Christmas
Eve stop was at the "Fig Tree Spring" in the Anza-Borrego
Desert State Park. A marker commemorates the birth of
Salvador Ygnacio Linares on that night. Motorized vehicles
are prohibited in this area of the park, but hikers can reach
the area from the town of Anza, or from the south (San Diego
County). Maps are available at the visitor center.
B.Puerto de San Carlos (San Carlos
Pass) and Expedition Camp #55
On December
26, 1775, Font writes "...at once I noted the change in
the landscape, for now we saw some scrub live oaks and other
small trees...This place has a spring of water and a small
arroyo nearby, with plentiful and good grass." The pass is
in Terwilliger Valley at the upper end of Coyote Canyon about
seven miles southeast of the town of Anza. The area of the
camp is now on a privately owned ranch, but can be accessed
by hikers from the Pacific
Crest Trail. In the nearby town of Anza, interpretive
exhibits are found at the Hamilton Schools and Library complex
(57550 Mitchell Road).
C.San
Bernardino National Forest and Expedition Camp #56 and
#57
A broad, bowl-shaped valley between Cahuilla Mountain and
Bautista Canyon, the area of Camp
#56 at Tripp Flats can be viewed from the road. Take Cary
Rd. north off Highway 371 outside of Anza. This joins Tripp
Flats Rd. which then ends at Bautista Canyon Road. Most of
the latter road is within the San Bernardino National Forest.
Eight miles of it are unpaved and allow one to experience
rare well- preserved chaparral and riparian landscapes on
the historic route.
D. San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Lake Perris
and Expedition Camp #58
With the San Jacinto mountains at their right, the expedition
traveled north and camped near a lake that Anza had named
in 1774 after his supporter, Viceroy Bucareli. On December
30, 1775, Father Font noted "large white flocks" of geese.
Today's Bernasconi Pass (along the Ramona Expressway) was
used by the expedition to travel from their camp to the Alessandro
Valley south of Riverside. Today, one can visit the Lake
Perris State Recreation Area and the nearby San
Jacinto Wildlife Area. An Anza trail marker is found at
the southern end of the lake.
E. Santa Ana River Crossing and Expedition
Camp #59
Both Anza expeditions crossed the river here, and it was the
New
Year's Eve campsite for the 1775-76 expedition. Riverside
County Regional Parks offers two Anza-related sites. The Camp
#59 and river crossing sites are both within the Martha
McLean/Anza Narrows Park (5759 Jurupa Ave.) in Riverside.
At their Jensen-Alvarado Historic Ranch and Museum (4307 Briggs
St. off Rubidoux Blvd.), living history programs describe
how Anza expedition descendants lived.
Learning
On The Trail in Riverside County
Questions on the Trail
On
the trek from Tubac to San Francisco, one
woman died and three babies were born. Anza
brought approximately 197 settlers, 87 of
whom were under the age of 12.
Drawing: Sara Dick
On Christmas
Eve, writes Anza, "At ten forty-five at night
she [the mother] happily gave birth to a boy,
which makes three who have been born between the
presidio of Tubac and this place, not counting
two others who were given time for their deliveries.
These and three others who were born before reaching
San Miguel de Horcasitas make a total of eight,
all while on the march, without having lost but
one woman."
Question: How are traveling families now similar
to those that Anza brought to California? How
are they different?
On the CD: Fandango and Nativity
Coyote Creek; Music for Fandango: La Xameico;
Pedida de la Posada. Christmas Eve's camp and merriment
was in Coyote Canyon where the fourth fandango took
place. Anza passed out a pint of liquor to each colonist,
but with Font's protest, and they ate beef. That night,
a little before midnight, on the Holy Eve of the Nativity,
a baby boy, Salvador Ygnacio Linares, was born. Dating
from the 16th century, la Posada is traditionally sung
at Christmas. It tells of Joseph and Mary, who is with
child, traveling to Bethlehem where they have difficulty
finding lodging (posada). The Anza Trail travelers
might well have made comparisons to their own difficult
journey.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park - 200 Palm
Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs CA 92004;
tel.: 760-767-5311,
web: parks.ca.gov
Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail Association - 5325 Elkhorn
Blvd., PMB #256 Sacramento, CA 95842;
tel.: 916-349-2109,
web: pcta.org
Hamilton Schools - 57550 Mitchell Road, Town of Anza, CA 92539;
tel.: 909-763-1840
San Bernardino National Forest, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto
National Monument - 51-500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA 92260;
tel.: 760-862-9984,
web: fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino
Lake Perris State Recreation Area - 17801 Lake Perris Drive
Perris, CA 92571;
tel.: 951-940-5603,
web: parks.ca.gov
San Jacinto Wildlife Area California Dept. of Fish and Game
- 1812 9th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814;
tel.: 909-597-9823,
web: dfg.ca.gov/lands