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By the way, it was Hernando Alarcon, and not Cabrillo (1542), who is generally accepted as the first European to have glimpsed what would one-day be the State of California. He arrived in the region in 1540 as part of the Coronado Expedition. However, having visited the less-well known Yuma area, he has remained in relative obscurity. A long list of explorers of the Colorado River, including people like the Jesuit Eusebio Kino (1701), Juan de Onate (1605), and Melchior Diaz (1540) should also be accepted as figures of Alta California History. However, they are largely ignored because they failed to walk along the Pacific edge of the State. I guess that the lesson to be learned from all this is that if you want to be remembered as an explorer, pray to God that the obscure future will bring high population concentrations and economic prosperity to the places that you visit.

 Jack S. Williams

Presidio of San Diego

Conquistadors y Soldados
at
Yuma Crossing Day






     I've been doing Spanish Conquistador living history since the early 1990's, mostly in Florida.  The number of people and events involved in this era of reenactment are pretty limited.   Florida has about three or four major 16th C. events a year with more than fifty reenactors in attendance.   To help minimize this living historian's burnout, over the past couple of years I've been expanding my geographic horizons by taking to the air and visiting some of my compadres across the United States.  In September of 1998 I went to Parkin, Arkansas to visit the group doing an impression of the De Soto expedition
west of the Mississippi.  I had so much fun that I'll be be returning for De Soto 2000, this coming September. In October of 1999 I went out to the Cabrillo Landing reenactment in San Diego, California.   I've found that meeting with fellow reenactors of like mind has been a most rewarding experience.  Through exchanges of letters, photos, email and the occassional phone call we've gotten to know each other, but nothing beats watching someone in action dealing with the public or the bull session over a beer or two around a campfire or after the event.  My latest foray as the airbourne conquistador took place at the end of February 2000 in Yuma, Arizona at the Yuma Crossing Day Festival.
 
Tim Burke (left) of Calderon's Company and Eric Thing of the Arizona Medieval Society

 
 


 

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De Soto 2000  The 16th Century Spanish equivalent of the ACW "Gettysburg," well, with 100 living historians at least!

 Calderon's Company - Home














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Timothy Burke