A Taste of the American Southwest

 States of the Southwest

            Much of the Southwest is desert. Some of it feels a bit magical.The people of one important Southwestern state have called their state The Land of Enchantment. That state's New Mexico. About half of the territory of each of the states of California, Colorado, and Tevas has been called part of the Southwest. Like New Mexico,Arizona is all in the South West; all of Nevada is probably there too.

Neighbors in Mexico

             Much of the Southwest of the U.S. boarders on the Republic of Mexico. Nearly all of it was lightly settled by the Spanish speaking people of Spain long before the United States became a country, and much of it had been claimed by the countries of Spain and Mexico.

            The Mexico village of Boquillas is across the river from Big Bend National Park in Texas. "The river".is called the Rio Bravo in Mexico and the Rio Grand in the US, I have crossed it often and have seldom need to swim, In the heat of summer it feels nicely cooling and seems neither grand nor bravo, but one can find beauty there, It is important in this land of little surface water. It is also important in marking the political border between Mexico and the United States.

            I seem to remember there being a little unofficial, unguarded wooden walking bridge from the US to Boquillas. There was no immigration officer. The people of Boquillas seem to no longer cross the river to pick up their mail in Texas nor do many

Texans walk walk over to buy food items. Is my memory wrong? It seems that they had made shift to cross without getting wet. The people of the Boquillas area Spoke Spanish, some English a few spoke a couple of indigenous languages. It was much the same with the Texans. Still seems much the same, but it is now harder to hear Indian tongues.

            When I was last across the river from Boquillas it was still possible to call across the river to si if any of the nicely finished walking sticks were available and visitors to the Park did so. They made a deal for the price and when all went well the useful sticks were promptly delivered across the river.  Seems I also remember bathing on the US side in a hot springs coming up from under river water, but that all is now history. I remember some pleasant late evenings there.

            That brings back some other memories not far from a different part of the Southwest along the border. No river marking this part. I remember another hot water spring coming up just below water. This was in Baja California, Mexico not far below the frontier. This kind of natural hot spring is rare.

Native Americans

            There were many different indian tribes in the southwest. There many there still. There may be a donen just in Southern California. Only a few are easy to find. Tribes you may have heard of include Shoshone, uni, Hopi, Navaho, Apache. Hopi and uni were early comers, Navajo were much more recent arrivals. I am not sure of the order of arrival of Shoshone. Please tell us if you know.

            We have called the Hopi and uni Pueblo people. They lived in substantial permanent villages and practiced considerable agriculture. They also kept turkeys. Do you know of any people who have been on the land longer? They are considered a peaceful people, but not so long ago they rose up to drive out Spanish and Mexican settlers from nearly all the Rio Grand river valley. Many of those settlers' retreated to as far as Mexico city and Spain!

            Apache and Navajo arrived to the Southwest in a poorer condition than the pueblo people, but discovered that their bow and arrows were better than those of the Pueblo population. The Pueblo people had a better memory of using the atlatl, but that helped them little against Apache armed with bows. The Navajo and Apache, I believe, spoke Athabaskan languages which were very different from the languages already in the land.

            The Apache that I knew loved their pretty highlands and new pickups. They once joined Spanish and Mexican settlers to defend themselves from Pueblo peoples, but that did not last long. Now they are fond of new technology and enjoy the venison they hunt on their own lands.

            The Navajo early became herders of sheep and weavers of wool. They now have airport, and radio, and TV stations on their own lands. They are a monder people, but on their very extensive lands some choose to live much as their early ancestors did. Their principle land is bigger than many US states and stretches into four large western states.

Spanish speakers

            There are many in the Southwest who speak some Spanish. Some johnny-come-latelies, much like me; some whose ancestors were here from Spain long before the Pilgrims touched Plymouth Rock; many like Indian tribes which dealt with early Spanish explorers and settlers, many like the flow of immigrants from Mexico and a few from many lands from the south. Still Spanish is somewhat eotic to many English speakers.

            Many tribal peoples of the SW speak Spanish, some of anantique sort, some integrated into their language. some near the border speak a fairly modern Spanish, Some speak their own language as well as English and spanish. that's more than most other Americans.

Baja California

            Baja California is definitely a Mexican state, but for some Americas it feels a bit like the US Southwest. Not so very long ago Baja California was a frontier territory a bit removed from the rest of Mexico. Now it has become an important Mexican state. Now it is an important tourist destination for Mexico, the US, and beyond. It now has some agricultural production for Mexico and the US, fishing is still important beyond sport fishing.

            Many from California an beyond find Baja peninsula a romantic, eotic,  and beautiful destination that seems a bit more accessible than do most. Near all know the bustling border city of Tijuana (aunt Jane). A very few wonder if the Sea Gypsies learned much from the Seri Indians. The large Southern California city of San Diego is close to Tijuana, So, Tijuana is close to San Diego, right?

Mojave Desert

            The Mojave desert is an important part of Southwestern USA. But the much smaller Colorado desert of the Salton Sink is important too. It is densely populated in part including Palm Springs. It has some important agriculture near Salton Sea. It also has an intricate and extensive highway and road system and has relatively easy access to the large city of Los Angeles and to the Pacific Ocean. It is also connected to Mojave desert in a couple of ways and both share portions of the Colorado River. The Colorado River has long been an important feature of the American Southwest. I believe that both the Mojave and the Colorado touch on the Sonora desert. The Sonora is a connection between Mexico and the US Southwest. 

Wildlife

            The Southwest has plenty of wild life even in the deserts. Since the 1950s and the control of DDT there is more wildlife than ever. There are certainly more mountain lions and probably coyotes than antes. I have even seen Mexican red wolves for the first time. There are more Mountain  sheep with their great horns. Maybe there are not more of them, but rather we see more of them because we are living closer together. No one has seen a camel in a long time. Some birds have increased in number; I not roadrunners and ravens among them. More quail seem to be being shot.

                 There is a lot of pressure on the wild habitat of the Southwest. Bears are seen, but rarely hunted. They are sometimes removed with little ceremony from some areas. They have been seen in desert foothills which has not been natural for them. Mountain lions have been seen on the desert recently which is not usual. Their feline second cousins, the bobcat, is not completely accustom to the the desert, but seem to get along well there and in many places. The bobcat may be trapped more than any animal except the rat these days, Trappers have found excellent foreign markets. Should you be looking for a different kind of wildlife and still stay in the SW, you can cross over to Nevada and soon be in Las Vegas.

            The little silver grey foe  is more common on the desert, but is seldom seen, It has become more nocturnal than ever, Desert tortists are still around, but sometimes like to travel and are too slow to get across the highways safely.

There are Towns in This SW

            I have mentioned cities, but have not mentioned towns. There are plenty of them in the Southwest of the United States, including on the desert. Nevada is still the least populated state in the American Southwest. It has plenty of towns, big ones, little ones, and ghost towns, mining towns and even more than one cow town. At the end of WWII, Las Vegas could still be called a town. Need I mention that Las Vegas has a large urban area and is certainly one of the world's largest gambling cities. There is another gambling city in Nevada is closer to being a town. It started with the mining boom, mostly silver. It is a charming and interesting city, RENO may be too far north to be considered Southwest.

            Not so very long ago one could take a burro ride from the village of Palm Springs to the agricultural trading of Indio and only pass a couple of houses as you traveled the desert along the base of mountains. Now you would traverse highway traffic through densely packed cities in your car. One could have found the open desert of old beautiful but, those new cities have an attraction of their own. 

            In a past not so ancient, Hollywood, California was a very small Southwestern town. Now, though it is much larger, it is small enough to seem lost in Los Angeles county. Hollywood movie stars would make the trip to the quiet of Palm Springs in shiney cars very different from the cars of today. There in that desert they could already, find quiet rest and recreation. There were Already many lovely swimming pools to cool of in before World War Two, there were pleasant horseback trips, Enough cocktails lounges, good food, and the Racket Club. In the same desert many cowboy films were made.

            In this same Southwest there is sun and snow, mountain and beach, river and wood, and more and more. This little is very far from comprehensive, but I trust that you have encountered a tasty bit or two.

            Thank you for reading.        

                                                                                    RCS 

The Ohlone

                            The Ohlone are from California. They have lived on the California coast from San Fransico bay to south of Santa Cruz. They have had a lot of relatives along the coast too, some called Lisan. They remember the earthquake which formed San Francisco Bay. That was bigger than the quake which caused San Fancisco to burn down. They and their relatives have lived in the area for a long time. Their ancesters passed down memories of being there since before "The Flood!"

                        While looking at old issue of the California magazine noted that University of California at Berkeley have been looking around the site of Quiroste, which was a large influencial Ohlone village at the time of discovery by Gaspar Portola. I understand that the Portola was more or less lost and unwell at the time. I also understand that the Oholone more or less saved their "discoverers."

                         Archaeological evidence shows that the area of Quiroste was successfuy inhabited from before 6,000 BC. So, it seems the Ohlone have been in what is now California for more than 8,000 years.

                        The Spaniards and early Californios called the Ohlne Costenyos. Oral histories and accounts from the early Mission Period seem to establish thatthe Quiroste site was widely known at that period as being an influential village rich in resources at that time.   

                        The Berkeley project aroud Quiroste has been in collaboration with modern tribes such as the Muwekma, Native land management practices are at thecore of the research project. The plan for 2011 was to restore the flora of the area to the conditions found in 1769. I wonder why and how.

                        Native land management practices are becoming more appreciated as a source of information that is looking to be more and more valuable to our agricultural and land management in general. This appreciation has been true not only to Berkeley, but to all of the Americas and to much of the world in general. We do not see much about it on TV nor have we demanded it their. There is a lot about it online and at our universities.

                    That which we learn from native peoples, history, and prehistory may help us to more sucessfully adapt to changes on and to our Earth. As those changes have become more rapid than we have been accustomed to, the quality of our adaptive skills become more important.

                    It looks like we can learn significant skills from tribal people from tribal people from around the word as well as from our ancient and not so anchient ancesters.

                    It is widely known, among those interested, that Native Americans encouraged a great number of natural plants for harvest. Perhaps hunter-harvesters can prove a more useful term than hunter-gatherers. As a small example, Native Americans of California, not far from Quiroste site, practiced techniques for encouraging the growth of deer grass and sedges forharvest. And Hazelnut trees were protected and nourished by American Indians over a wide area of North America, including California.

                   The spellcheck app has disappeared and I have been unable to get it back. Please feel free to use the "comments" application below to correct our spelling. I can use all the help I can get. There are still some interesting apps available here to aid your exploration of this history blog.

                    Thank you for reading. There are also some videos here to view.

                                                                                                      rcs 

Chile and Chlenos, or Poets, Prussians, and Poppies

                             On rereading the notes for this posts, it seems that I am on a fishing expedition for comments related to the history of Chile and the Chilian people. This may be your big chance to teach me about Chile. I am not completely ignorant of Chile. For example, I know that it is probably the longest, narrowest country on our Earth. However I am courie0us about Chile and about what you know about that South American country and people and I have a lot to earn.

                        I know that they knew about the CIA before I did.

                        I find that there is evidence that the land which is now Chile was populated by about 40,000 BP; that's 40,000 years ago! That evidence, I believe, was discovered at the Mount Verde site. However, there is stronger evidence, at that same site, of human habitation dating to between 15,000 BP and 13,000 BP. There is evidence elsewhere in the country of agicultural cultivation. That early cultivation includes mountain side terracing and irrigation canals.

                        An example of an early culture are the Chinchoro people. Thheir culturs dates to about 7,000 BC. They were a sedentary fishing people of northern Chile on the Pacific coast of the great Atacama desert. They appear to have fished with both hook and net. They have some fame for their sophisticated mummification practices which may predate that practice in early Egypt.

                        I once held the opinion that Chileans may have been a bit too proud of their armed forces, including their navy. Now I am not so sure. I have learned a bit more and still have a lot to learn. A source of that pride be that in the War of the Pacifice they fought and defeated forcese of Argentina and of Peru both at about the same time. I felt that the army I saw there was a bit too much the style of Prussian regulars and too little like a democratic citizens' army.

                       At one time the Chileans seem to have seemed to have too much respect for the big and too little for the small. A big business was better than an small one and deserved more respect, a bigger industry deresed more respect than a smaller, latifundio was better than the family farm, and like that. Perhaps the small was not considered dispicable but nor was it an object of much pride.

                       Still, one might bet that there were enough rotos, huascos, Arucanos, and poets to to overcome  the tendency to believe the the biggest was The best.

                       Sometimes the best post is the one which raises the most questions. I already have alot of questions. For example, Why has Chile had more California golden poppies than California?   

                        I have lost the spellcheck app for this blog, or maby it was stolen. However, I still have a "comments" app here. You can find it here just below this little essay. You may find that it reads "no comments." click on it anyway. There, there is a place for your questions, answers, corrections of my errors, and yes, comments.

                        See if you can tell us the answer one or more of the following questions:

~ What was the War of the Pacific about,?

~ What did O'Higgins have to do with that war?

~ Who are rotos or what was a Chileno roto?

~ Who and what are huascos?

~ What are the names of more than one Chilean poet, poetresses count?

~ Can Gabi M. be a hint to the name of one of them?

~ What can you say about the Arucanos.

~ Who were the native people who lived south of the Arucano.

~ Where in Chile is the Mount Verde site

                        Try commenting, you may love it. You can comment here with out providing your email address.

                        Thank you for reading

                        There are a variety of posts, videos, and essays right here on this blog. You have the power to explore them.

                                                                                    rcs

Snake War: A short version

History With RCS: The people of the United States have warred a lot (as have other peoples). American Indians: Northern Paiute,Bannock, Western Shoshone.

     

            They seemed to have been easily led to it. During their Civil War(1861 to 1865)they found time and resources to drive a lot of Indians off their lands. At the end of that Civil War they began to "pacify" Indians from the Mississippi river to the Pacific Coast.

By 1850 powerful and influential men  from around the world became interested in the American West. We might blame that on the Fortyniners and gold fever. The name, California became a sort of magnet which drew men from from east of the the Mississippi and the Pacific coast. That same magnet drew men around the Horn and through the Straights of Magellan: some crossed the Pacific ocean from the Far East to get to California. That magnet drew men and their capital and during the Civil War and drew them even more strongly after that war of Americans against Americans.

            In 1864 the Snake War began and then continued until 1868. Their were other U.S. wars (from about 1861 to 1868) during this same time. There were: Texas-Indian wars, a Colorado war, Apache wars, California Indian wars, and a Cheyenne Campaign! Many were sure that "good Indians were dead Indians." Indians were to put their heads down, in a dirty corner of what had once been their America the Beautiful, or die.

Historians called the Snake War an irregular war which Americans fought against the Northern Paiute, the Bannock,
and the Western Shoshone. Some of that fighting was done along the Snake river. When historians used the word "irregular" they were being diplomatic. This war took place in what became the states of Oregon, Nevada, California, and Idaho. The U.S. Won.

            The war began when many small bands of the tribes mentioned above were disturbed by the activities of people of the mining interests and the new road building interests digging in the lands from which those Indians were accustomed to take their sustenance. Significant numbers of those Indians were made "good." Some Indians were able to make a few interlopers "good" too.

            Powerful and influential persons were interested in the undeveloped lands of the U.S. Monied people in California,  on the US. East Coast. and elsewhere were interested in the lead, copper, gold, and silver. They were interested in the prime lands of the Far west of what was becoming the U.S.
The were interested in the resources the Mississippi and the Pacific Ocean. They saw an access to a toad to greater wealth.

            There were those who had the the resources to apply pressure where needed to see that the natives of the land did not hinder their plans. California interests brought pressure to bear on' general George Wright, commander of the department of the Pacific, to provide better protection for those building the new roads from from Red Bluff and Chico to Silver City and Boise. "Do something about those Indians," they were demanding. It would take a book to cover all the powerful pressures brought to bear to clear the way to wealth. Still we can stay that much of those pressures had to do with money, wealth, power, and the growing craft of Public Relations, the selling of ideas which move the public.

            In the States, a growing number of strong pressures were being felt by men in positions to act on the will of the men with the power to put effective power on them. Pressures acted on Congressmen, large contractors, railroad men, world wide mining interests: capitalists from the
East Coast, the West Coast, and around our world. There were high hopes and a great deal of pushing and shoving. The people felt these activities. 

            The War consisted mostly of hunting Indians. Volunteers hunted Indians, interested citizens hunted Indians, immigrants hunted Indians, the Army hunted Indians. Some said that the Indians were in the way of destiny.     




                                                by Richard Sheehan



Should I start to think of learning to copyright my work?

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