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<br />Exploration <br /> <br />Discovery <br /> <br />The mouth of the Colorado River was discovered in the Gulf of <br /> <br />California by the Spanish about 1540. The river was then rediscovered <br /> <br />inland by Spanish explorers who were in search of -the "Seven Cities of <br /> <br />Golda. To each of these early explorers, the river was a source of <br />real frustration in their quest, for they could not even reach the <br />river in most places, let alone cros.- it. <br /> <br />Various names were given to thi$ red. river flowing through burn- <br />ished sandstone: The Firebrand River and The River of Martyrs, for <br />example. But the present day name did not come until nearly two . <br /> <br />centuries after its discovery, when Padre Francisco Garces christened <br />the river, El Rio Colorado, The Red River. (J) <br /> <br />The Crossi~ <br /> <br />In 1776, Father Silvestre de Escalante set out to try to find a <br /> <br />better route of travel between Santa Fe and developing Spanish colonies <br /> <br />near San Diego and San Francisco. The existing journey was long and. <br />torturous desert trek skirting the Colorado River. The Padre reasoned <br />that all rivers must have a source and that if he followed the Color- <br /> <br />ado upstream , he would eventually find the river small enough to cross <br /> <br />and hopefully a better route to California. <br />fL,~tfJ.. <br />The Holy party would its wa:y northward along the east bank (or <br />"'-- <br />canyon rim) of the Colorado, f'inaJ.ly turning west at the White River. <br /> <br />Forti tude failed, however, when the party crossed the Green River into <br /> <br />-2- <br />