The Route Home

The captain’s own route home was for the most part direct, while he sent his troops here and there. The Franciscan put the expedition on the main salt trail leading from the desert “Agua Caliente” or “old pueblo of Zuni” to the salt lake. From the salt lake Zúñiga was back on his road and found the main body in the Valle de San Francisco seemingly no father than Lucero at three in the afternoonon May 14.

On May16 the captain, distressed over the lack accomplishments, sent Ensign, Don Marcial with 103 soldiers on a 10 day scouting trip with plans to meet again at la Ciénega Salada. The captain, this time with the main body, moved directly down river and camped at the mouth of Cañada de los Janeros (the exit of Whitewater Creek at Glenwood, New Mexico).

The following day they made la Ciénega de Santa Leogarda and on May 18, snow forced the captain to seek shelter in the Sierra de los Ayudantes. With the weather clearing the main body continued through Carlisle Canyon to the Gila River.

On May 22 the captain crossed the river but finding five mules and one horse missing from the herd he set camp and sent a party out to retrieve the animals. In the evening the party retuned with two mules and the horse.

At sunrise on May 23, the expedition continued southwest and arrived at the Ciénega Salada at two in the afternoon. Here they met the fatigue party led by Don Marcial with news that they had attacked one rancheria.

The following day with everyone accounted for the captain dispatched two squads to various sierras, one to look for the three mules still missing. Zúñiga diverted his course away from the road so he could investigate the Sierra de la Florida and by nightfall halted in Puerto de las Jarilla. This may be the pass on the southern end of the Pinaleño range (La Florida) where State route 266 passes between Kane Spring Mountain and Maverick Mountain.

At day break the expedition continued across the northern end of the Sulphur Springs Valley to the opening of the Sierra de Santa Teresa where he camped in the Cañada de Pima. At this point the expedition was in the opening between the Little Dragoon Mountains and the Winchester Mountains know as Allen Flat.

The two squads reunited with Zúñiga’s camp the next day one reporting that they followed the tracks of the missing mules as far as Puerto de Dado before giving up the chase. They ensured the captain that the animals would return to the Presidio de Fronteras on their own.

On May 27 Zúñiga made a decision to end the campaign and dispatched the companies to their distant presidios. Accompanied by the men from Tubac the captain and his men spent the night at Tres Alamos.

On May 28 the men from Tubac turned south probably taking a short cut up Cienaga Creek to Sonoita and home. The captain and his men camped one more night, travelled four leagues and reached Tupson on May 29, ending the ordeal. In his final diary notations the captain makes few comments about his accomplishment and admits that he was ashamed that the campaign did not produce more results.