Dominguez Escalante Journal

Translated by Fray Angelico Chavez, Edited by Ted J. Warner Western History The chronicle of Fray Francisco Atanasio Domnguez and Fray Silvestre Vlez de Escalantes most remarkable 1776 expedition through the Rocky Mountains, the eastern Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau to inventory new lands for the Spanish crown and to find a route from Santa Fe to Monterey, California. Escalantes journal wonderfully describes every detail of the rugged and scenic country through which they journeyed, along the qualities and customs of its inhabitants. Working as far north as present-day Provo, Utah, the expedition finally returned south. An approaching severe winter and mishaps among the maze of the Grand Canyon forced the party to return to Santa Fe by way of the Hopi pueblos. This journal provides a fascinating account of over a thousand miles of wilderness exploration.