Eugène Duflot de Mofras (born 5 July 1810,

Toulouse, France Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

—30 January 1884,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) was a 19th-century French naturalist, botanist, diplomat, and explorer. He was the 7th son of Vost Cosme Nicolas Duflot and Anne Julie Mofras. In the latter 1830s he became an attaché of the French legation to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Pacific Coast

In 1839 Duflot de Mofras was dispatched from his French legation post in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

to explore the Pacific Coast of North America from 1840−1842, to access the Mexican Alta California and American

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. O ...

regions for French business interests. He travelled along and documented the western coast of mainland

, the Colorado River mouth, the Baja California Peninsula coasts, and the present day

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

.; Google Books. While stationed at

Yerba Buena Yerba buena or hierba buena is the Spanish name for a number of aromatic plants, most of which belong to the mint family. ''Yerba buena'' translates as "good herb". The specific plant species regarded as ''yerba buena'' varies from region to regi ...

(present day San Francisco), he traveled inland to see the

Rancho New Helvetia Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California **List of California Ranchos *Ranchos, Buenos Ai ...

agricultural colony of

John Sutter John Augustus Sutter (February 23, 1803 – June 18, 1880), born Johann August Sutter and known in Spanish as Don Juan Sutter, was a Swiss immigrant of Mexican and American citizenship, known for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area th ...

. The 1848 discovery of gold on the rancho set off the California Gold Rush. Duflot de Mofras completed his journey in 1842.

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The report of Duflot de Mofras was significant at the time, and remains a detailed description of aspects of the northern Pacific Coast before American dominance.Jstor.org: Review of "Duflot de Mofras' Travels on the Pacific Coast, by Eugène Duflot de Mofras", translated, annotated, and edited by Margaret Eyer Wilbur
published by The Fine Arts Press, Santa Ana, California, 1937; reviewed by George Verne Blue, Oregon Historical Quarterly Vol. 39, No. 3; September 1938. ::He wrote in 1840 "…''it is evident that California will belong to whatever nation chooses to send there a man-of-war and two hundred men''." His account was published in 1844 as the 2-volume work ''Exploration du territoire de l’Orégon, des Californies et de la mer Vermeille, exécutée pendant les années 1840, 1841 et 1842'' (Exploring the Oregon Territory, California and the Pacific Coast), by the Arthus Bertrand press in Paris.Biodiversitylibrary.org: ''Exploration du territoire de l'Orégon, des Californies, et de la mer Vermeille'' summary
/ref> It recorded the commercial, political, and military significance of the regions, and activities of the Spanish, English, and Americans there. It includes descriptions of life at some of the

Spanish missions in California The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests ...

, including the

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo, or Misión de San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, first built in 1797, is one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California. Located at the mouth of Carmel Valley, Californi ...

and

Mission Santa Cruz Mission Santa Cruz (''La Misión de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz'', which translates as the Mission of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross), was the twelfth of twenty-one Spanish missions in California (today's U.S. state), established by the Fr ...

References

External links

*
Google Books: ''Exploration du territoire de l'Orégon, des Californies, et de la mer Vermeille''
— ''complete scan of book, from the collection of New York Public Library''.
Biodiversitylibrary.org: ''Exploration du territoire de l'Orégon, des Californies, et de la mer Vermeille''
— ''title pages and high resolution period maps''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mofras, Eugene Duflot De French botanical writers French naturalists 1810 births 1884 deaths Botanists active in California French explorers of North America Explorers of California Explorers of Oregon French diarists French emigrants to Mexico Foreign residents of Mexican California History of the West Coast of the United States Scientists from Toulouse People of Oregon Territory 1840 in Alta California 1841 in Alta California 1842 in Alta California 1844 books 18th-century French botanists 19th-century French botanists 19th-century French diplomats 19th-century French writers 19th-century diarists

Pacific Coast

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External links