Garces at Yuma 
103 
west, the side of their approach, is through a small canyon in 
the homogeneous sandstone, no more than ten feet wide. The 
course is then about half a mile down the middle of the river 
over a long bar or shoal to the opposite side, where the exit is 
made upon a rocky slope. It is a most difficult ford. The 
trail through the water at the low stage, when, only, fording is 
possible, is marked by piles of 
large stones. There is no ford at 
the Lee’s Ferry crossing. 
From this Crossing - of - the- 
Fathers, just above where the 
river enters Arizona, to the Moki 
Towns Escalante had a plain trail, 
and a much simpler topography, 
and had no difficulty in arriving 
there. The remainder of his road, 
from Moki to Zuni and around 
to Santa Fe, was one he had 
travelled before, and the party 
soon completed the circuit of 
more than 1500 miles mainly 
through unknown country, one 
of the most remarkable explora¬ 
tions ever carried out in the West. 
It is sometimes stated that Es¬ 
calante crossed the Grand Canyon, 
but, as is perfectly plain from the 
data, he did not; in fact, he could 
not have done it with horses. 
Garces was not yet finished with his labours on the lower 
Colorado, and we will return to him. The authorities had de¬ 
cided to establish there two nondescript settlements, a sort of 
cross between mission, pueblo, and presidio. Captain Palma, 
the Yuma chief, whose devotions and piety had so delighted 
the good Father, was eager to have missions started, and con¬ 
stantly importuned the government to grant them. Garces, 
therefore, went to Yuma agajn in 1779 to prepare the way, and 
in 1780 two of the hybrid affairs were inaugurated, one at what 
Ashtishkel, a Navajo Chief. 
Photograph by E. O. Beaman, 
U. S. Colo. Riv. Exp. 
