The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932 Page: 57
348 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Diary of Fray Gaspar Jose De Solis, in the Year 1767-68 57
sary to go single file, and in some it is necessary to cut the way
through the thicket. We crossed some deep miry places and
marshes. A little after entering into the woods, about three or
four leagues, we came to a creek that was very bad on account of
an obstruction which they call Quita Calzones. Afterwards at
about one and a half or two leagues, another called Don Carlos.
Scattered among these woods that are so thick, are found some
little open spots of prairie, some of which have water holes, in
which are seen a multitude of bulls, cows and calves, buffalo, deer,
turkeys, quail, partridge, and in the woods, bears. The bears live
on nuts, acorns, chestnuts and other fruits of the trees. They
get very fat in the summer time and in the winter they hide them-
selves in a hollow tree, seeking shelter. There they live by licking
their paws, and as soon as the bad weather passes they come out
of their shelter thin and poor, having become bony and worn on
account of licking their paws; little by little they get fat again.
In these same woods there are some gad-flies, or horse-flies, which
the Apaches say are more violent in their sting than the wasps
and ricotes (of which there are many also), and the sting is more
painful and harmful. The trees of this place are thick and inter-
laced; they are pin oaks, post oaks, elms, walnuts, and many vines,
such as sassafras, zocosote,12 very fine, as well as storax, berries of
many kinds, pomegranates in abundance, persimmons, almonds,
chestnuts, strawberries and many others; there are also tamarisks,
laurels, ashes, cypresses and others. In one of these open places,
which they call La Pulsera, we stopped and spent the night. 12.
On the 24th, feast day of the Patron Sefior San Joseph, we said
mass, and planted a large cross as the Ritual commands. After-
wards we left, journeying through the Big Woods already men-
tioned. We passed six ayladores, very thick and dense, some deep
miry places, and a small open place with a creek of good water in
the middle. We crossed the creek El Cibolo and another that they
call El Diluvio, and came to a spring of the Brazos de Dios where
there was an abundance of good water. Here we stopped a little
before arriving at a place called El Encadenada, famous for the
faithless Indians that are found there. 12.
On the 25th we reached the first Brazo de Dios, a very full
"Zocosote: Xoconocltli, a species of tuna or cactus plan. It is an
Indian word, and is also spelled socosote, soscosote, soconosles, and
sensonoles.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932, periodical, 1932; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101092/m1/61/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.