Read the information below to understand more about the context of the Dominguez and Escalante Expedition.

In 1776 two Catholic priests, Antanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante left Santa Fe, New Mexico in search of a route to the newly established Spanish missions of California. Although they failed to reach California, they explored much of what is now the Southwestern United States, including parts of Utah. The journal they kept provides valuable information about the people and lands of Utah in 1776. Historians have used their journal and maps they created to retrace their route. In this activity, students will use excerpts from the journal of the expedition and a map they created to retrace their route by identifying the lake Dominguez and Escalante labeled Laguna de los Timpangos (and similar spellings). Which modern lake were they describing? The following background information will provide context when working with the provided documents.

• The Spanish settled the region of Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1598, setting up the capital of Nuevo Mexico near an Indigenous pueblo. In 1680 the Pueblo Indians revolted from the oppressive Spanish rule, temporarily driving the Spanish out of New Mexico. The Spanish reconquered the territory in 1692 and continued to have mixed interactions with the Pueblo people, though trade increased between the two cultures.
• The Spanish settlers of Santa Fe became increasingly curious about the resources of the American Indians who lived north of New Mexico, especially their silver. Spanish officials were worried about the expansion of other European nations in North America. In 1765 two expeditions led by Juan Maria Antonio Rivera traveled north from Santa Fe to learn more about the region’s peoples, to find the legendary Colorado River, and to watch for rival European intruders. The first expedition explored as far as the Dolores River in southwest Colorado before returning. With the help of Ute guides, the second made their way into modern-day Utah and forded the Colorado River near present Moab.
• In 1769 Catholic priests began to create a string of missions along California’s coast. Friar Junipero Serra established a mission at San Diego and Monterrey and other California sites. At the time of their founding, these missions had no direct contact with the established settlements in New Mexico.
• In 1776 two Catholic priests, Antanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante left Santa Fe, New Mexico in search of a route to the newly established Spanish missions of California. Rumors of cannibalistic Indians to the west, led them to choose a more northern route, roughly following Rivera's trail, passing through the lands of Utes who had been friendly toward Spanish traders and explorers in the past. Travelling with them was Bernardo Miera y Pacheco, a talented artist and mapmaker, seven other Spaniards and three Ute guides.
• The expedition made its way through eastern and central Utah, but the approaching winter led to the decision to return to Santa Fe. Dominguez and Escalante turned south then east, crossing the Colorado River with great difficulty and returning to Santa Fe. Although they had failed to blaze a route to California, they had learned a great deal about the people and geography of Utah. And they created a record and maps that are valuable to historians today.
• The Rivera Expeditions and the Dominguez and Escalante Expedition blazed a route that others would extend. In the 1830s their route became part of the Old Spanish Trail, linking Santa Fe in New Mexico with southern California.
• On September 23, 1776, before making the decision to return to Santa Fe, Dominguez and Escalante camped for three days with a Ute village at the side of a lake they called Laguna de Los Timpangos. They wrote about this lake in their journal and drew pictures of it on the maps that they created.

Evidence of the Location of Laguna de los Timpangos from the Dominguez and Escalante Journals and Maps.

Compare current maps of lakes in Utah with evidence included in provided documents in order to answer the central question.

7th Grade:

UT standard 1.4:

Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to explain causes and effects of European-American exploration, including the response and involvement of Utah's American Indian tribes.

8th Grade:

U.S. I Standard 1.3:

Students will draw from multiple perspectives and cite evidence to explain the effects of European exploration, specifically on Africa, the Caribbean, and North and South America.

U.S. I Standard 1.4:

Students will identify how the period of exploration has affected the current human geography of the Americas, and in particular the role their own cultural background has played.

Guidance for Teachers:

Objectives

1. Students will use sourcing, corroboration, and contextualization to analyze evidence.
2. Students will experience how historians use evidence to construct an understanding of past events.
3. Students will use evidence to determine which modern lake was called Laguna de los Timpangos by Spanish explorers.

Time

These materials are expected to take approximately 50 minutes of instructional time. If students have extra time, they can be assigned to try to identify Rio de Aguas Calientes, Rio de San Nicolás, Rio de San Antonio de Padua, and Rio de Santa Ana from Dominguez and Escalante’s journals.

Materials

1. Student Graphic Organizer: this worksheet was designed to help students to keep a record as they analyze the documents, supporting students use of evidence to make a claim.
2. Document Packet: A collection of three documents found on the archive page related to Dominguez and Escalante’s expedition that will help the students determine which modern lake is the Laguna de los Timpangos.
3. Background Information: A list of basic information that introduces the students to the background needed to work effectively with the documents and to understand the context of the Dominguez and Escalante expedition. Teachers might use this to create a PowerPoint presentation or students could read this list to prepare for the activity.
4. Maps of Utah: A map, either hung on the classroom wall, found online, or taken from the local DMV, will help students become familiar with Utah’s geography and engage in the activity.

Preparation

• Review the materials to build background knowledge on Dominguez and Escalante and their expedition.
• Create a PowerPoint presentation on that material or prepare reading materials for students.
• Make a classroom set of the Document Packet.
• Make a copy of the Student Graphic Organizer “Tracking Dominguez and Escalante: Where is Laguna de los Timpangos?” for each student.
• Consider appropriate groups of students that would allow those with greater skills in reading and historical thinking to help those with weaker skills.

Procedures

1. Provide students with background knowledge on the Dominquez and Escalante Expedition. This can be done through a brief lecture with PowerPoint slides or a by reading the background information list. It is important that these sources do not give away the modern “identity” of Laguna de los Timpangos.
2. Explain to students the instructions for completing the Student Graphic Organizer. These instructions are found in the paragraph directly above the graphic organizer. You might model your thought processes as you analyze the source of the first document, showing them how to complete the graphic organizer as you do.
3. To aid in the graphic organizer, you might provide a model or project a version of the worksheet that is finished.
4. Continue reading the document, pausing to analyze it and talk about what you would record on your graphic organizer as you go. (You might model this using PowerPoint slides by projecting the graphic organizer as you have taken notes on it).
5. Depending on the students’ reaction to the first document and their understanding of the process of historical analysis, you can model the analysis of the second document as you did the first one. Or you might have students work with a partner to analyze the second document then regroup as a class and discuss what they came up with. You might display the next column of the graphic organizer associated with Document 2 and see whether the students came up with the same ideas you did.
6. Once you are confident the students understand the process you can give them time to work in teams on the remaining document, circulating as they work to give support as needed. Give students time to answer the questions at the bottom of their graphic organizer.
7. After all the documents have been analyzed, bring the entire class back together for a debriefing session. Ask the students questions and allow them to discuss and respectfully critique others’ responses.

Assessment

1. Use the first column in the graphic organizer to assess students’ understanding of geography and their ability to read a map.
2. Use students’ answers to the questions on their graphic organizer to assess students’ ability to gather evidence from the documents to support a claim.
3. During the debriefing session assess the students’ ability to engage in contextualization – the ability to understand the physical context (the physical distances), the historical context (travel was difficult), and social context (the area was unknown to the Spaniards).

Adaptations

For students who have trouble writing, instead of having them fill out the graphic organizer you might have them highlight the documents with different colors for those parts that provide specific information about a lake. They could also take notes in the margin of the documents.