A New Mexican battling the French was killed in modern-day
Nebraska during the 1720 Villasur Expedition. He was Domingo
Pedraza Romero, grandfather of Eduarda Yturrieta (from the
previous two posts). The expedition began in June when Lt. Gov.
and veteran soldier Pedro de Villasur was appointed by New
Mexico Gov. Antonio Valverde to lead a Spanish army into central
Nebraska to investigate French ambitions in territory that Spain
claimed. The expedition 600 miles away included more than 40
soldiers and more than 60 Indian allies. Villasur, 34 of his
soldiers, and 11 Pueblo scouts were killed in an attack by
Pawnee Indians – who were allied with the French – after they
crossed onto the North Platte River in August of that year. The
Spanish called the North Platte the Rio de San Lorenzo, and they
called the South Platte the Rio Jesus María. Romero’s father-in-
law, Santa Fe Presidio Lt. Francisco Montes Vigil, was one of
the survivors of the campaign. Romero was born in Guadalupe del
Paso (modern-day El Paso) in 1