Home September 12

September 12

Camp Name

Buffalo Arroyo

Camp Name (Spanish)

El Arroyo del Cíbolo

Brightness of the Moon

0%

Distance Traveled

0 leagues / 0 miles

Daylight

12 hours / 43 minutes

Water Resources

Abundant water found to help the ‘horse herd regain its strength’

Journal Description for September 12th

And in order to prepare the meat so as to keep the heat from spoiling it for us, and at the same time to let the horse herd regain its strength, we spent the 12th at this place, which we named El Arroyo del Cíbolo,187 without undertaking a day’s march.[/mfn] without undertaking a day’s march. Tonight it kept on raining for many hours.

Scroll to the bottom to view photos.

Notable Event

They were able to kill a bison. The meat was badly needed and they spent these days preserving it. The translation uses the word “spoor” which can mean track or scent of an animal in this case buffalo. They also mention a “pack mule” which has only been mentioned twice (September 7th and 11th) in the Journal for Colorado days.

Miller Report Summary

Escalante reported that much more meat was obtained from that beast than would have been had from a domestic bull. In honor of the kill the padres named the site Cibolla Creek—Buffalo Creek (present Cliff Creek). They remained there two nights.

DEEEP’s Field Notes
Copyright © 2024, DEEEP Colorado. All Rights Reserved.
September 12, 1776
By The Canyon Pintado Team: Daniel Fiscus, Vice President, Rangely Outdoor Museum; and an anonymous professional government advisor

The party spent the entire day at El Arroyo del Cíbolo, resting the horses and jerking the bison that they had shot.

A black-and-white photograph depicts a winding river cutting through a dry, rugged landscape with sparse vegetation. Mountains rise in the background. The caption reads, "Escalante's Crossing of Green River, six miles north of Jensen, Utah, near the upper end of thick grove of trees.”
Green River Crossing north of Jensen, Utah. In this place there are six large black cottonwoods grown in pairs attached to one another and are nearest the river.
Black and white image showing a serene landscape with two vehicles traveling on a road beside a river, with a mountainous backdrop. The river is lined with trees, and the horizon showcases a range of rolling mountains. The text "GREEN RIVER FORD" is at the bottom.
Green River Ford. After camping in a large cottonwood grove on the east bank of Green River (opposite the mouth of Brush Creek) September 13-15, 1776, the expedition traveled a mile northward—upstream—to reach the old Ute ford well known to the Indian guide Silvestre. The company forded the river on September 16, 1776. The ford is located approximately six miles north of Jensen, Utah, on the south edge of Dinosaur National Monument—shown in background. This view is from a small monument on the hill west of the ford and highway. At this site the Green River (called Rio San Buenaventura by Escalante) is flowing to the right (southward). Cottonwood trees on the opposite bank are not those in which the expedition camped before fording the stream. W. L. Rusho Photo, 1964.
A wide river flows calmly with greenery along its banks. In the background, rugged mountains rise dramatically against a blue sky with a few scattered clouds.
Photo of the Green River near the same location taken by Carol Hunter on May 29, 2020.
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