The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 18, July 1914 - April, 1915 Page: 12
438 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
ing them in a surprisingly short time28 came other bands of
trappers under such leaders as Young, Jackson, Wolfskill, Walker,
and many others whose names are not known and who left no
record of their journeys.29 Not infrequently members of these
early parties gave up their wanderings and became influential and
peaceful citizens, while others were a constant menace to the
California authorities. As for the rest, coming and going with
the seasons, rough, carless of life, contemptuous of law, they
wandered up and down the great inland valleys and rivers of
California; or by frequent crossing of the Sierras prepared the
way for the subsequent flow of immigration.
"One sees in his pages," says Thwaites in referring to Pattie's
narrative,
the beginnings of the drama to be fought out in the Mexican
war-the rich and beautiful country which excited the cupidity
of the American pioneer; the indolence and effeminacy of the
inhabitants which inspired the backwoodsman's contempt; and
the vanguard of the American advance, already touching the
Rockies and ready to push on to the Pacific. . . . As a part
of the vanguard of the American host that was to crowd the
Mexican from the fair province of his domain, Pattie's wander-
ings are typical and suggestive of more than mere adventure.8o
Butler's negotiations.-In these three ways, therefore, first, by
commercial intercourse, then through fear of the Russian advance,
and lastly by the opening up of the overland routes of communica-
tion, California gradually became more than a passing name
to the people of the lUnited States.31 It was not, however, until
1835 that this government, influenced largely by the representa-
28Many of the parties were organized in 1830 and 1831. Bancroft, XX,
384-9.
2The reason for this is obvious-the trade was against the Mexican
law; and in addition those engaged in it were not often given to record-
ing their own adventures.
80Preface to Pattie's Narrative, 19.
nThe first of these centered, as has been shown, in New England; the
second concerned the whole country; the third was of primary interest to
the west. This division held good until the outbreak of the Mexican
War. A fourth cause of increased interest in California during this early
period was the agitation of the Oregon question by Benton, Linn, and a
small, but persistent, coterie of western senators and representatives.
Anything attracting attention to any part of the Pacific coast served in-
directly to attract attention to California.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 18, July 1914 - April, 1915, periodical, 1915; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101064/m1/18/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.