Brief by Central Staff
History – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine
When Juan Bautista de Anza came through here in 1779, he observed that “we suffered cruelly from the cold.” Thus there was a historical flavor to his return to Poncha Springs 225 years later, because it was sure chilly at the presentation of Anza by Don Garate in Chipeta Park on Aug. 27.
It was part of the annual Anza World Conference, a gathering of scholars and history buffs which is held in various places that the Spanish officer and colonial administrator visited during his career. The 2005 conference will be in Arizpe, Sonora, Mexico, next May.
The 2004 gathering here attracted from 40 to 80 people, depending on the activity, which ranged from scholarly presentations to a field trip up Ute Trail from Salida, which explored the most probable route for Anza’s army of 800 soldiers in 1779.
While Anza gets some recognition around here, things are different in Colorado Springs. After leaving the Salida area on Aug. 27, Anza crossed South Park and then Ute Pass to reach the plains.
On Aug. 31, 1779, he fought his first battle with the Comanche at the confluence of Fountain and Monument creeks in present-day Colorado Springs – right where the city is building a new park, one that will include plaques about historic events.
But that battle won’t be among the events, according to Colorado Springs officials quoted in the Sept. 5 edition of the Gazette.
“No one knows this guy,” said Matt Mayberry, curator of the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum, which is in charge of park exhibits. “It is hard to fit such a complex story of clashing cultures onto a 150-word plaque. The theme is probably going to be a confluence of cultures. Trappers, early Spanish, the gold rush, everyone who came through. I just don’t think we’ll find a place for Anza in that.”
Plus, there’s political correctness: “The Spanish killing the Indians? You couldn’t win with that no matter what you said. We’re planning to just gloss over it,” according to Jim Rees, the city’s head of urban redevelopment, who oversees the park.
It wasn’t just the Spanish killing Indians, however, since Anza rode with Ute allies and guides, and thereby honored a promise he’d made to protect them from marauding Comanche. Anza’s intent was to establish peace between the various tribes in his region, and he succeeded. The Comanche eventually signed a treaty and lived peacefully with neighboring tribes and the Spanish. But that’s too complicated for Colorado Springs.