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 headstone-like monument with the inscription "Escalante Crossed Here 1776" stands amid dry vegetation and sparse trees, marking a historical site. The stone is dark and weathered, and sunlight illuminates the scene.
This small sign is located near the entrance to Dinosaur National Monument on the Utah side. There is no date and it simply says: "Escalante crossed here." Photo from the Dan Fiscus Photo Collection.
A panoramic view of a hilly landscape with green shrubs and trees under a cloudy sky, stretching into the distance.
Photo taken in Dinosaur National Monument on the Colorado side looking west into Utah. Caption by Sonya Popelka. Photo by Carol Hunter May 22, 2020
A panoramic view of rugged terrain, featuring rocky cliffs and sparse vegetation under a cloudy sky in a vast valley.
Looking West from the Plug Hat Butte Picnic Area across the BLM Bull Canyon Wilderness Study Area in Dinosaur National Monument. This is probably the best view of what was likely part of the historic route since the Cliff Creek watershed is in the middle ground. Caption by Sonya Popelka. Carol Hunter, May 22, 2020
Postcard of the entrance to Dinosaur National Monument. A sign marking the entrance stands next to a historical marker against a backdrop of rugged mountains. Text from the back of the postcard reads: Entrance sign and Historic Marker, Dinosaur National Monument. In addition to its famous fossil quarry, the monument preserves traces of the more recent past. The stone marker at right commemorates the 1776 crossing of the Green River here by the Dominguez-Escalante expedition, seeking a route between New Mexico and California.
This postcard was a gift to DEEEP from the Dinosaur National Monument. It shows the original Domínguez-Escalante Expedition monument that was part of the 1976 celebration.
It is no longer there.
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