The
Pirate Hippolyte Bouchard
The peace of all Hispanic America was unsettled when royal officials were ousted in Argentina and Chile in 1810, and political leaders in those countries aspired to rule independently of Spain. In that same year, an unsuccessful but violent revolt broke out in Mexico under the leadership of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Soon, Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin began a long series of battles to achieve the independence of the nations of South America. Early in 1818, the independence of Chile was proclaimed, and naval operations along the Pacific coast became warlike. The captain of an American vessel in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) discovered two ships being fitted out there. Their captain intended to sail to the California coast. The larger of the two ships would become known by Californians as the fragata negra, “the black ship,” and it was captained by Hippolyte Bouchard, a Frenchman by birth. It is believed by some that he was an agent of the independence movement in South America and that he wished to test the residents of Upper California to determine where their loyalties were placed. He was to discover that their loyalties remained with Spain. The captain of the American vessel had previously been in California, and he sailed away to Santa Barbara, where he informed Jose de la Guerra, the commander of the presidio, of the threat. Word went out immediately from Santa Barbara, northward to Monterey and southward to San Diego; and Governor Pablo Vicente de Sola at Monterey rapidly issued orders. Each of the missions situated in an exposed location along the coast was to withdraw its population inland. Valuables of the missions were to be buried. The missions in the Santa Barbara district were to send armed men to the presidio. Measures were to be taken for the safety of persons, stock and property. The Franciscan missionary, Fr. Jose Senan, at Mission San Buenaventura responded immediately. One hundred archers were sent to Santa Barbara, and the population of the mission was moved to a location northward and inland. Hippolyte Bouchard landed at Monterey, where after a few days, he left the town plundered and burning. He then sailed south to Rancho Refugio (in the Goleta area) and there once again plundered and burned ranch buildings. However, Commander de la Guerra at Santa Barbara made an effective military stand, and Bouchard withdrew and disappeared to the south. Movement of the population inland from Mission San Buenaventura extended over several months, probably from October to December 1818. Father Senan wrote on January 4, 1819, that “We spent three weeks and three days at the place called La Nueva Purisima.” The “we” here may apply only to himself, as he was probably preceded to the refuge at an earlier date by others. Father Senan added, “In our temporary quarters, about three leagues from here, in a valley beyond the mountains, we suffered considerably from the heavy snowfall, which almost every day came to the very doors of our huts.” “Three leagues” would have placed the refugees near the present-day Rancho Arnaz or possibly at a site now occupied by Casitas Dam. Some have questioned Father Senan’s ability to judge distances. So much snow suggests that he was in higher altitudes in what today is Los Padres National Forest. This overlooks the fact, however, that within historic times, substantial snowfall has occasionally occurred in the Casitas area (Rancho Arnaz/Casitas Dam). There is no real reason why the Franciscan father’s judgment about the distance must be discounted. We do not know specifically where the refugees camped, but it seems safe to conclude that they used the valley as a refuge. Many who have followed have done the same. 06 by Richard Hoye |