Imperial County, California




 
Historic and Interpretive Sites
Mission Purísima Conception (Site): Founded by Garcés in 1780 in the area of the campsite of the expedition after it crossed the Colorado River, the mission was destroyed by the Yumas in 1781 and Father Garcés killed. (CRHL No. 350) The mission site may have been the granite bluff where Font and Anza paused to view the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers. St. Thomas Mission, a Catholic church, stands on the site today.

Expedition Camp # 42, Pilot Knob: West of Yuma crossing, in the area between Pilot Knob and the All American Canal, a trace of an ancient Indian foot trail can still be seen crossing the scaly hills, suggesting the historic uses of this area. The Anza expedition passed thorough this area where much of the landscape is preserved. Due to the presence of several very fragile archeological sites in the immediate vicinity, the existence of the trail section is not currently publicized by the Bureau of Land Management which manages it. 

Expedition Camp # 47, Wells of Santa Rosa (Yuha Well): About seven miles northwest of Mount Signal and four miles above the boundary with Mexico, the well is on the southwest side of Dunaway Road in Yuha Wash and is listed as a point of interest by BLM, the land managers. The well, called Santa Rosa de las Lajas (Flat Rocks) by Anza, was used on March 8, 1774 by the Anza exploring expedition. On December 11–15, 1775, the three divisions of Anza’s colonizing expedition used this first good watering spot beyond the Colorado River. The CRHL No. 1008 plaque is placed at the Sunbeam rest stop #54 on Interstate 8.

Expedition Camp #49, San Sebastian Marsh/San Felipe Creek:  Located 18 miles northeast of Westmoreland in the vicinity of the junction of state highways 86 and 78, San Sebastian Marsh is the site of prehistoric villages and represented a stable water source in the desert environment. It was a campsite for both the 1774 and 1775–76 expeditions. On the 1774 expedition, Anza named it for his Indian guide, Sebastian Tarabal. It is managed by the BLM. [See San Felipe Creek, San Diego County]