Page 4 - robinson_storyofvalencia_1967

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in a sriall valley in which, off the trRil, was a village of Indian~.

The expedition now was actual~y in what .was to be called

Rancho San Francisco. The nembcrs spent August 8, 9, and 10 (of

1 7 6 9) . in and cross i ne this a re a o f curving h i 11 s an d o a k - do. t t e d

valleys.
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.Fortunately several members of the Portola Party kept

diaries or made descriptive notes, the most yivid and expli6it of

which are those of Father Juan Crespi, the priest, and of Miguel
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Costanso, the engineer.

From these accounts we learn that the white party en-

joyed the hospitali~y and bounty of the Indians of this first

village. These Indian hosts had sent mcsse~gers ahead to invite

the visitors and had prepared a feast of "seeds, acorns and nuts."

Then they provided guides to take them to a "charming valley" which

Crespi na:11ed the_"Santa Clara." Here was a river with plenty of
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water runi~ing ... t_hroueh "moderately wide valley, well grown with

.willows and cottonwoods."
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On the bank of the rtver the.Portola Party found " a

populous village in which the people lived without any cove-;"~ a~d

" fen c e d in 1 i k e a co r r a 1 • " The s o 1 di e rs p romp t 1 y _name d i t "Ranch er i a
clel Corral."

lmrnediately_on the party's arrival the viflagers brought

f o ·r th f o r t h c vi s i t o r s u rn a n y b a s k e ts o f d i f f e r e n t k i n d s o f s e e d s ,

and a sort of sweet preserve like little raisins, and another re-

s em b 1 i n g h on e y comb , v c r y s ,.: c c t .,an cl p u r g i n g an d rn a de o f th e d e u ·w h i ch

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