Missionary Activity

[mdog]

Dear Friends,

I'm posting this in the Treasure Marks/Signs forum because I know many of you wander around out in the sticks and many of you are accomplished researchers and historians.

In my research I have read that the missionaries of New France would often raise large crosses at Native American villages where they intended to establish missions. Some of these crosses were over 20 feet high. I assume they were made of wood because wood was plentiful in the northeast.

I've been to west Texas and southwest Colorado before and it seems to me that wood is scarce in these areas and I assume, from a lot of the pictures I've seen on this forum, that wood is scarce in a lot of the areas of the southwest.

Has anybody ever read of missionaries from any order using iron crosses about 3-4 feet high and attaching them high on a bluff near a Native American village? When I say high on a bluff, I mean about 45-75 feet. If you have read about such a thing I would appreciate a link or a book title. And if you have seen it in the field, I would appreciate a description or picture.

I've never seen such a thing myself but I have read one story about such a cross and I was wondering if it was a common practise in the southwest. The story I read has nothing to do with treasure.

Thanks for your help.

Rick

[cw0909]

mdog,i ran across this awhile back,when i was looking at some stuff
about the jesuit missions in north america,not sure it is what your talking
about,sounds close
http://tinyurl.com/7go3sms

[mdog]

cw0909,

Thanks for the link. I spent over two hours reading through it. I think this is the monument mentioned in your link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ol...adison,_ME.jpg

The cross I read about was fastened to a rock bluff about 40 feet above a creek. Could have been Spanish or French, but it was there before the first American settlers moved into the area.

Thanks again.

Rick

[desertmoons]

I have not. One thing I read mentions such a wooden cross in a pueblo here in New Mexico.. Iron I believe was a scarce commodity.

[Old Dog]

Iron was so scarce that it was at one time easier to find silver horseshoes than it was to find iron ones...

[Casca]

I would like to hear more. The crosses I have come across are not the ones you see today.

The traditional Christian Cross you may be referring too is not that old.

I am by no means a expert or learned man. But anything jesuit or french in the SouthWest gets my attention.

[mdog]

Thanks Desertmoons and Old Dog.

The French had plenty of iron. They would take iron with them on exploration and trade expeditions.

Casca, here's a link to the Mallet brother's expedition to Santa Fe. If you haven't read it, you will find
it very interesting. It has the only account I've read where early explorers mention Spanish carvings.

http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-092/index.asp

Thanks again everyone.

Rick

[mdog]

I didn't know where to put this link so I put it in one of my threads. If there are any other places on treasurenet where you think this information might be helpful, please post it. It's about the El Camino Real in California.


http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journ...r/bajaroad.htm

[mdog]

This link shows a trailmarker to a mission.

http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/b.../crosby03.html

[Casca]

Last link was very informative. TY mdog

[mdog]

Iron was so scarce that it was at one time easier to find silver horseshoes than it was to find iron ones...

The Spanish Fight