Texas Almanac, 1947-1948 Page: 93

HISTORY OF TEXAS.
that a settlement was established at the seminoma
mouth of the Rio de las Palmas, now the Rio expedition
Grande. The exact location is not known. If Other con
it was on the north bank, Texas has the their luck
distinction of having the location of one of of these e
the very earliest white settlements in what lishment
is the United States today. The project of Mexico, i
Garay proved unsuccessful, however, and the nent Eur
settlement was soon abandoned. States, Sa
It is probable that another attempt was Among
made to place a settlement at the mouth of this terri
the Rio de las Palmas about 1526 while Nuno explored
Beltram de Guzman was Governor of Panuco. country i
The first visit of white men to the Texas to some o
coast took place only twenty-seven years Out of
after the discovery of the Western Hemi- the first c
sphere by Columbus. At that time Cortes had among th
just landed in Mexico. His success whetted the Unite
the appetites of the adventurous Spaniards man, had
and led them to expeditions into the region had been
north of Mexico in hope of finding other rich landed on
countries to conquer. the first
Indians n
Cabeza de Vaca. IndJuan de n
It was such an incentive that led to the and staye
second expedition to reach the Texas coast. Texas pla
Panfilo de Narvaez was commissioned by the near pres
King of Spain to explore and exploit the land
"from the Rio de las Palmas to the Cape of T
Florida." Narvaez previously had been sent There
to Mexico to curb the high-handed Cortes but Texas res
was defeated. Accompanying the Narvaez ex- ditions, th
pedition was Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Paso del
commissioned by the King of Spain as treas- present cc
urer of the expedition and special representa- sidio-or
tive of the crown. Landing on the west coast to state t
of Florida, near present Tampa, the Narvaez shed In
expedition marched northward several hun- Spanish c
dred miles, and then in several improvised The old
barges took to sea again and sailed westward, came late
and was finally tossed by a gale on the Texas ever. In 1
coast. It is probable that the boat carrying ico drove
Cabeza de Vaca landed on Galveston Island remained
in November, 1528. from two
All members of the expedition finally per- Ysleta an
wished except Cabeza de Vaca and three com- mission a
panions. For six years they lived among the tled a few
Indians, as slaves at first. Later, the intell- new comn
gent and resourceful Cabeza de Vaca estab- Socorro d
ished a reputation as a medicine man and in 1682, w
wandered with his three companions from bank of th
tribe to tribe with his fame going before him. In the ch
They finally found their way to the Spanish the Texas
settlement of Culiacan, Sinaloa, near the D
Pacific Coast, after one of the most amazing While
peregrinations in the annals of man. Texas in
The trip of Cabeza de Vaca and his three a
companions across Texas is of great histori- Quivira,
cal interest because of the complete account Texas sol
that he wrote immediately after his return to toned, v
civilization. He was a man of native ability, pue Soto's
ood education and unwavering honesty. northeast
hile his account was from memory, it is Central I
accepted as trustworthy. For its realistic Texas T
picture of life among the aborigines, and for eCoronado
other reasons, it is an invaluable historical sible thai
Document. Indians, i
Conquistadores in Texas. white mer
Among the Spanish adventurers in Mexico connection
there had spread a story of the Seven Cities PI
of Cibola, reputed to lie to the north and to The war
be fabulously wealthy. Cabeza de Vaca heard ers had r
of them in his wanderings and carried these first of th
stories back to Mexico City. A number of ond flag,
expeditions were made in search of the Seven landing of
Cities of Cibola. The most noteworthy was Salle, in
that of Capt. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, purpose o
who in 1540 marched northward into what have estal
is now New Mexico by way of El Paso del mouth of
\Norte, the pass at present-day El Paso- was drive
Juarez. winds. Th
From a base in present New Mexico, Coro- past the
nado made a wide detour to the east, led by deliberate
an Indian guide who intrigued the avaricious post withil
Spaniards with stories of Gran Quivira, land atlons in
of gold and silver. Although Coronado found heard of t
no Seven Cities of Cibola or Gran Quivira, Landing
other than the grass house villages of the Salle estate

dic tribes of the prairie plains, his
left its permanent impression.
quistadores were encouraged to try
in search of the Seven Cities. Out
xpeditions came the eventual estab-
in the Rio Grande Valley in New
n 1609, of the second oldest perma-
opean community in the United
nta Fe.
those who headed expeditions into
tory was Antonio de Espejo, who
the Pecos Valley and Big Bend
n 1582 while on a relief expedition
f the missions in Northern Mexico.
the Coronado expedition, too, came
utright attempt at missionary work
e Indians in the present confines of
d States. Cabeza de Vaca, a pious
preached to the Indians, and there
some priests among those who
the Texas coast with Narvaez, but
priest to attempt to Christianize
orth of the Rio Grande was Fra
Padilla, who accompanied Coronado
d behind among the Indians of the
ins, where he suffered martyrdom
ent Amarillo.
exas' Oldest Communities.
were no permanent settlements in
ulting immediately from these expe-
ough there was a settlement at El
Norte, now Juarez, and one at the
mmunity of Ojinaga, opposite Pre-
rather it might be more accurate
hat the transmutation of long-estab-
dian villages at these points into
ommunities had begun.
est present-day Texas community
r from these early activities, how-
682, the Pueblo revolt in New Mex-
out the Spanish and Indians who
loyal to the Spanish. The refugees
Upper Rio Grande communities.
d Socorro, sought safety at the
t El Paso del Norte and were set-
miles down the river, naming their
unities Ysleta del Sur (south) and
el Sur. These places, as established
ere on the right (present Mexican)
e river, but a great avulsive change
annel in later years left them on
side.
Soto's Followers in Texas.
everal expeditions traversed West
search of the Seven Cities and
the only expedition touching East
1, other than those already men-
as that of Hernando de Soto, which
westward from the Mississippi after
death. It entered Texas at the
corner and proceeded into North
texas, and possibly into Central
is was in 1542 immediately after
traversed this region, and it is pos-
, through information from the
e Soto's followers had heard of the
n in the west and sought to make
with them.
anting of the French Flag.
nderings of these Spanish adventur-
aised above the soil of Texas the
e six flags to fly over it. The sec-
that of France, came with the
Rene Robert Cavalier, Seur de la
1685. According to the announced
f La Salle's expedition, it was to
blished a French settlement at the
the Mississippi. Possibly La Salle
n on the Texas coast by adverse
ere is also evidence that he sailed
mouth of the Mississippi for the
purpose of establishing a French
n striking distance of Spanish oper-
northern Mexico. He, too, had
he Seven Cities of Cibola.
at the head of Lavaca Bay. La
blished Fort Saint Louis from which