PAGEANT IN THE WILDERNESS; by Bolton, Herbert E - 1950: Story of the Escalante Expedition to the Interior Basin, 1776

Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society, 1950. FINE. Including the Diary and Itinerary of Father Escalante Translated and Annotated by Bolton. Two large folding maps in rear pocket,frequently missing) one in color, color frontispiece, b/w photographs, 265pp., footnotes, index, bibliography, Miera's Report. Gilt titles, maroon cloth.

Spanish journey of exploration conducted in 1776 by two Franciscan priests, Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, to find an overland route from Santa Fe, New Mexico to their Roman Catholic mission in Monterey, on the coast of northern California. Domínguez, Vélez de Escalante, and Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, acting as the expedition's cartographer, traveled with ten men from Santa Fe through many unexplored portions of the American West, including present-day western Colorado, Utah, and northern Arizona. Along part of the journey, they were aided by three indigenous guides of the Timpanogos tribe (Shoshone or Ute people). The land was harsh and unforgiving, and hardships encountered during travel forced the group to return to Santa Fe before reaching their destination.