Eugène Duflot de Mofras facts for kids
Eugène Duflot de Mofras (born July 5, 1810, in Toulouse, France—died January 30, 1884, in Paris) was a French naturalist, botanist, diplomat, and explorer from the 1800s.
He was the seventh son of Vost Cosme Nicolas Duflot and Anne Julie Mofras. In the late 1830s, he started working for the French government in Mexico.
Exploring the Pacific Coast
In 1839, Duflot de Mofras was sent from his post in Mexico City. His mission was to explore the Pacific Coast of North America between 1840 and 1842. He wanted to check out the Mexican area of Alta California and the American Oregon Territory. This was to see if these places would be good for French businesses.
He traveled along the western coast of mainland Mexico. He also explored the mouth of the Colorado River and the coasts of the Baja California peninsula. Then, he went north to what is now the West Coast of the United States, including California and Oregon.
While he was in Yerba Buena (which is now San Francisco), he went inland. He visited the Rancho New Helvetia farm, owned by John Sutter. A few years later, in 1848, gold was found on this ranch. This discovery started the famous California Gold Rush. Duflot de Mofras finished his long journey in 1842.
His Important Discoveries
Duflot de Mofras wrote a very important report about his travels. It gave a lot of details about the northern Pacific Coast before the United States became the main power there.
In 1840, he wrote, "…it is clear that California will belong to any country that sends a warship and two hundred men there." This showed how important he thought the region was.
His detailed account was published in 1844. It was a two-volume book called Exploration du territoire de l’Orégon, des Californies et de la mer Vermeille, exécutée pendant les années 1840, 1841 et 1842. This translates to "Exploring the Oregon Territory, California and the Pacific Coast." It was printed in Paris.
The book described how important these regions were for trade, politics, and military reasons. It also talked about what the Spanish, English, and Americans were doing there. He included descriptions of daily life at some of the Spanish missions in California. These included Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo and Mission Santa Cruz.
