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Nathan, Paul D. (Translator); Simpson, Lesley Byrd (Editor and Introduction); Kennedy, Lawton (Printer) : The San Saba Paper: A Documentary of the Founding and Destruction of San Saba Mission

John Howell--Books, San Francisco, CA, 1959

Original publisher's red cloth binding with gilt lettering on spine and black emblem of Don Juan Joseph Flores on front cover. 6 3/4" x 10." 157 pages, complete. One black-and-white folding map in a tipped-in pocket on inside of back cover, complete. Bibliography in front. Pages are virtually pristine and intact except for occasional age toning limited to edges of the paper. Covers are pristine and intact. Binding is tight. A Fine copy. A beautiful book about the founding and destruction of the short-lived San Saba Mission near present-day Menard, Texas. Mission San Saba, also known as Mission Santa Cruz de San Saba, was built in April 1757 for the Lipan Apache amid complex relations between the Apache and Comanche tribes and Spanish and French settlers. The Apache and Comanche were centuries-old enemies while the Spanish wanted to ward off further land expansion by the French. Both the Apache and Comanche were also at odds with European settlers but became temporary allies with the Spanish and French, respectively. The construction of Mission San Saba marked a rare opportunity for peace between the Apache (namely, the Lipan Apache) and Spanish settlers. The Lipan Apache initially expressed interest in living at Mission San Saba so they could receive protection by the Spanish. However, upon seeing the completed Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas (now known as Presidio de San Saba) nearby, they became unimpressed with its fortifications and refused to stay at the mission. The Lipan Apache keenly observed the vulnerability of the mission and presidio's location so close to Comanche territory. Colonel Diego Ortiz Parrilla (c. 1715-c. 1775), commandant of Presidio San Luis, was also vehemently opposed to the mission's location. Less than one year later on March 16, 1758, Mission San Saba was destroyed by Comanche and Wichita warriors and abandoned forever. Presidio San Luis, while spared in the initial raid, was abandoned not long after in 1770 due to it being repeatedly attacked. The history of Mission San Saba is well-documented, but it was not until 1993 that historians and researchers rediscovered its exact location. Today, visitors can visit the ruins of the mission and the partially-reconstructed presidio. This book contains the reprinted text of a manuscript volume in the Galvin Family papers that documents the destruction of Mission San Saba and the concerns of Colonel Parrilla and others had about its location and defensibility. Edited with an Introduction by Lesley Byrd Simpson. Epilogue in back. Translated by Paul D. Nathan. Designed and printed by Lawton Kennedy.. Book. Book Condition: Fine. Binding: Hardcover

1st Edition

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