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Father Garces 200 years ago todayCrossing of the Rio de San Felipe(EDITOR’S NOTE: 200 years ago today Father Francisco Garces crossed the Kern River. This is the second of four articles commemorating the priest s exploration of Kern County .)Bv KENT MILLERStaff Writer‘‘After a league’s travel northwest, I came to a big river,” Franciscan explorer-priest Francisco Garces wrote in his diary May 1. 1776Garces named the river Rio de San Felipe We call it the Kern River“The waters. . beautiful and crystal clear, made a great noise as they issued from the Sierra de San Marcos range (Garces' name for the Tehacha-pi Mountains and southern Sierra Nevada-Greenhorn Mountains),” he wrote, “for where they came from the eastward,.they are narrowly boxed in ”Garces was in the 84th day of a journey starting in what is today Yuma, Ariz , when he reached the Kern His journey led across the Mojave Desert to Mission San Gabriel, then back and forth from east to west until he entered the San Joaquin Valley April 26I wanted to cross at once, because the river, though rapid, did not seem to me to have much water,” Garces wrote. “But the old man (an Indian of the valley who had agreed to guide the priest northward) dissuaded me‘Continuing downriver, I came to a rancheria (Indian village) where the inhabitants were kind and generous to us From there, three Indians went with me as far as another rancheria on the other side of the river, to which they told me I could cross.“Difficulties arose when they asked me if I knew how to swim. When I told them no and that they should make me a raft, they answered that they didn'tknow how ”Garces and the Indian:; discussedtheir predicament for some time“Finally,” he wrote, “I took my clothes off, except my shirt and drawers Though they urged me to take off even these, I refused‘‘Then thev decided to take mevacross by having four swim me, two holding my arms and two by the And with that opportunity I had a fine bath in that beautiful water ”So Garces not only was the first European to leave a written account ofviewing the Kern River, he was alsothe first non-Indian to leave a written record of crossing the river“My mule crossed by swimming.” Garces wrote, “my habit and saddle were taken over in baskets The people of the rancheria put on a big celebra tion at my coming and fed me“Happy at their attention and affection, 1 reciprocated with (gifts of) tobacco and glass beads ”Garces was impressed with the Indians The men made a good appearance and the women were very' neat and clean, he wroteThey (the women) take good care of their hair and put it up in a knot over the forehead and bathe often,’’Garces wrote “Thev wear skirts of¥deerhide and wraps of animal pelts They show little concern, however, about concealing their person“Along this noteworthy river (the Kern), which I call the Rio de San Felipe, there is ample pasturage, and abundance of trees and much irrigablelandGarces spent a brief time at the rancheria on the Kern River, downstream from where Cottonwood Creekenters, then continued his journey rorthwardThe same day. May 1, “Going three leagues partly northwest and partly nortn, I came to another river (Poso Creek),” Garces wrote “It is not verybig, but to judge by its bed undoubtedlyrises very high in floodvery hospitable and I reciprocated ‘‘Since leaving the San Felipe (Kern) River I have traveled over a country so rugged the old man, tiring,see Father Garces—page 10“I called it the Rio de Santiago It has great masses of trees“I spent the night at a rancheria of notably good-looking people They are(Californian Photo)Bike riders Greg Walkup and Robin Dye jause in their cycling a* de San Felipe historical marker on Highway 17L at Rancheria Roadjunction. Father Francisco Garces first sighfcd and crossed Kern River at point a mile north of marker Ma/ L
Newspaper Details
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield, California, US
Sat, May 01, 1976
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Kern C.
CA, USA 28 Mar 2023
Other Publications Near Bakersfield, California
The Berkshire County Eagle
Southern Californian and Kern Weekly Courier
The Weekly Californian
Kern County Californian
Daily Californian
