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4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MARCH 7, 2018 O PINION Offbeat Oregon History: The city of Quivira By Finn JD John For The Sentinel In the late 1530s, Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza of the Spanish colony of Mexico started hearing rumors of a string of rich, gold-encrusted cities far to the north. Of course, no 1500s Spanish colonial adminis- trator would ever ignore rumors of more wealthy natives to rob and kill, so Mendoza dispatched a scouting party to see what could be learned about these “Seven Cities of Cibola.” When the party returned, they hadn’t actually seen anything of interest, but they’d heard plenty. “I found a man born in Cibola,” the emissary, Fray (Friar) Marcos de Niza, wrote in his report to the governor. “He told me that Cibola was a great city, inhabited by a great store of people ... He says that the houses are of lime and stone ... and that the gates and small pillars of the prin- cipal houses are of turquoise, and all the vessels wherein they are served, and the other ornaments of their houses, were of gold: and the other six cities are like unto this, whereof some are bigger.” Well, this was most exciting, and Mendoza lost very little time in arranging for an expedition to fi nd and conquer these seven golden cities. To do this, he partnered up with Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, the governor of the “King- dom of New Galicia” (a large patch of coastal south-central Mexico, including modern-day Aguascalientes and Jalisco) to outfi t an expedi- tion. Coronado would lead it personally, and both he and Mendoza invested a great deal of their own money into it. It set forth in 1540. The expedition was not a success. On the great plains near Kansas and Oklahoma, Coronado found what he assumed was the “Great Lime- stone-and-Turquoise City” of Cibola, and found that it was in reality a collection of grass huts oc- cupied by a population of regular, hard-working, non-gold-having Native Americans. But when he arrived, he soon started hearing rumors of another city, off to the east, that was even shinier and more golden than Cibola: The marvelous sunset city of Quivira. Not yet having fi gured out that the natives were simply trying to get rid of them, Coronado set forth in quest of this new store of plunder, follow- ing a Native American guide he called “El Turco” because he looked vaguely Turkish. Later he was told that Quivira was not to the east, but to the north, so Coronado sent most of his army back and, with about 30 men and El Tur- co, headed out in the general direction of Kansas. Eventually Coronado found an Indian village that he could call Quivira, whereupon he declared victory and marched home, considerably poorer in purse. And after that, Quivira started appearing on maps. And this is where things get interesting. Be- cause the legends of Quivira that were fed to Coronado indicated that it was a seaport town, close by a great river two miles wide, full of fi sh the size of horses. Well, Kansas is not exactly richly endowed with seaports; nor does such a river exist there. But transplant Quivira to the West Coast, and it starts to sound a lot like the Columbia River and its sturgeon fi shery. So as the West Coast started getting explored, mapmakers started including Quivira on it. Gen- erally they tended to put it right around 42 degrees north latitude — right on or slightly north of to- day’s Oregon-California border. Of course, today this seems pretty ridiculous. But those early mapmakers, working with the an- ecdotal reports of various explorers, had no idea how much real estate there was between Kansas and Oregon. And there must have been some skep- ticism on the subject of whether the dumpy little village found by Coronado was really the Quivi- ra. Perhaps there were two? Or perhaps Coronado was covering up some secret knowledge that he hoped to exploit later, without having to share it with dozens of big-mouthed soldiers? So Quivira lived on in dozens of maps drawn in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. As late as 1750 — just three decades before the American revolution — it was still being included. Sir Francis Drake, on his famous voyage around the world that may actually have included a stopover in an Oregon bay (“Nova Albion”), had at least one such map in his possession, and surely was keeping an eye out for signs of Quivira. He never saw any, of course. The Oregon Coast at that time was a wilderness. The closest it had to cities were communities of itinerant Native Amer- icans living in portable or makeshift structures. But had it always been so? Was it possible that the city of Quivira was, at one time, real? Did it stand there, on the edge of a little bay just north of Cape Blanco, thriving around the time Rome fell? And did something then happen — perhaps the 300-year Cascadia Subduction Zone earth- quake and tsunami — to close off the mouth of its bay and crush its walls into heaps of rubble and cover them with soil, leaving only a handful of odd-looking mounds and a string of legends to mark what once had been? Legends, perhaps, of a golden city trimmed with turquoise, passed back and forth among its survivors’ descendants until the chance came to use them to lead a gang of rapacious steel-clad Spanish thugs astray? This is all pure speculation, of course — more, it’s romantic tale-spinning of the kind one usually fi nds in pulp-fi ction magazine stories about Atlan- tis and Lemuria. But there is a wisp of supporting evidence for such a theory: On Sept. 8, 1881, the Port Orford Post printed a very curious article. “There have recently been discovered near Floras (Lake) in this county, what appear to be the ruins of an ancient city, built of cut stone,” the article states. “The site of the nu- merous buildings of the ages gone by are indicat- ed by mounds, in and under which, by making ex- cavations, are found masses of cut stone, bearing quite plainly the marks of the stone cutter's chisel, and lying as if the wall had tumbled down. “These relics of ancient masonry were fi rst un- earthed to view by the storm uprooting a large tree which had grown up on one of these mound-like elevations. Thus the blocks of sand stone were ex- posed to view, and thus curiosity excited which led to the prospecting of other mounds (of which there are many) in the same locality, in all of which the phenomena were present. Further ex- plorations will be made with a view to throwing more light if possible on this curious spectacle. “We shall visit and personally inspect these al- leged 'ruins' at no distant day, when we hope to be able to give a detailed description of the ‘town’ and its immediate surrounding,” the article con- cludes. But historian Bill Wallace has found no sign of a follow-up to this story. It just seems to dis- appear. Was it a mistake? A rumor started by a trouble- maker? Most likely, it is something like that. But there is always the possibility — a remote and unlikely possibility, but a possibility nonethe- less — that the broken bones of a lost civilization lie buried beneath the loam and sod between Port Orford and Bandon, waiting even yet to be redis- covered. Dr. Fuhrman: Can fi ber help prevent breast cancer? By Joel Furhman, MD Breast cancer - two words that strike fear in every woman. The good news is women can help lessen their risk. One important defense is to consume a high fi ber diet. A 2011 meta-analysis of 10 scientifi c studies found that higher fi ber intake is associated with lower risk of breast cancer. In 2012, another meta-analysis of 16 studies came to the same conclusion. In the Nurses’ Health Study, higher fi ber intake during childhood and adolescence was linked to a decrease in the risk of breast cancer in adulthood. Given that animal products, refi ned grains, sugars and oils con- tain little or no fi ber, fi ber intake is a marker for greater intake of natural plant foods, many of which are known to have a variety of anti-cancer phytochemicals. Some breast cancer protective sub- stances that have already been discovered include isothiocyanates from cruciferous vegetables4, organosulfur compounds from on- ions and garlic, aromatase inhibitors from mushrooms, fl avonoids from berries, lignans from fl ax, chia and sesame seeds, and inositol pentakisphosphate (an angiogenesis inhibitor) from beans. High-fi ber foods help to slow emptying of the stomach and ab- sorption of sugars, which decreases the after-meal elevation in glu- cose. This is meaningful because elevated glucose levels lead to elevated insulin levels, which can send pro-cancer growth signals For The Sentinel C ottage G rove S entinel throughout the body, for example via insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). As such, high dietary glycemic index and glycemic load (characteristic of refi ned grains and processed foods) are associated with an increase in breast cancer risk. Accordingly, a study on Ko- rean women found that higher white rice intake was associated with higher breast cancer risk. Increased exposure to estrogen is known to increase breast cancer risk. A woman may be exposed to estrogen via her ovaries’ own production, estrogen production by excess fat tissue, or environ- mental sources such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (like BPA, a chemical added to many consumer products). Fiber can reduce circulating estrogen levels, thereby reducing breast cancer risk, because it helps to remove excess estrogen from the body via the digestive tract. Fiber binds up estrogen in the digestive tract, accel- erates its removal, and prevents it from being reabsorbed into the body. In addition, soluble fi ber (as shown in studies using prunes and fl axseed) seems to alter estrogen metabolism so that a less danger- ous form of estrogen is produced, whereas insoluble fi ber (wheat bran) did not have the same effect. For this reason, beans, oats, chia seeds and fl axseeds may provide some extra protection due to their high soluble fi ber content. Although most people probably just associate whole grains with fi ber, beans contain more fi ber than whole grains, and vegetables and fruits (and some seeds) contain comparable amounts – here are a few examples: 1 cup cooked quinoa – 5 grams fi ber 1 cup cooked brown rice – 4 grams fi ber 1 cup cooked kidney beans – 11 grams fi ber 1 cup cooked broccoli – 6 grams fi ber 1 cup blueberries – 4 grams fi ber 1 tablespoon chia seeds – 6 grams fi ber Fiber, by defi nition, is resistant to digestion in the human small intestine. This means that during the digestive process, fi ber arrives at the large intestine still intact. Fiber takes up space in the stomach but does not provide absorbable calories, and it also slows the emp- tying of the stomach. These properties of fi ber make meals more satiating, slow the rise in blood glucose after eating and promote weight loss. In the colon, fi ber adds bulk and accelerates movement, factors that are benefi cial for colon health. Soluble fi ber (primarily from legumes and oats) is effective at removing cholesterol via the digestive tract, resulting in lower blood cholesterol levels. Some types of fi ber are fermented by intestinal bacteria. The fermenta- tion products, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as butyrate and propionate, have anti-cancer effects in the colon and also serve as energy sources for colonic cells. These SCFA are also thought to contribute to promoting insulin sensitivity and a healthy weight. Fermentable fi ber also acts as a prebiotic in the colon, promoting the growth of benefi cial bacteria. Fiber intake is associated with a multitude of health benefi ts, including healthy blood pressure levels and reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Yes, fi ber itself has some breast cancer-protective properties, like limiting glycemic effects of foods and assisting in estrogen remov- al, but we get optimal protection when we focus on foods that are both rich in fi ber and rich in micronutrients and phytochemicals. For more information, visit DrFuhrman.com. Letters to the Editor policy IN BRIEF MARCH 7-MARCH 19 In order to ensure that your letter will be printed, letters must be under 300 words and submitted by Friday at 5 p.m. Letters must be signed and must include an address, city and phone number or e-mail address for verifi cation purposes. No anonymous letters will be printed. Letters must be of interest to local readers. Personal attacks and name calling in response to letters are uncalled for and unnecessary. To avoid transcription errors, the Sentinel would prefer editorial and news content be sent electronically via email or electronic media. Handwritten submissions will be accepted, but we may need to call to verify spelling, which could delay the publishing of the submission. The Sentinel reserves the right not to print letters that may contain libelous content. Art Space at The Crafty Mercantile (Open Studio) at 517 East Main Street on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (donation) For more inforomation call (541) 514-0704. The East Lane County Commissioner Candidiate Forum will be held on March 19 at the Pleasant Hill Community Center. Four of the six candidates running in the May 15 election will be attending. Bohemia Elementary and Cottage Grove High School have community garden spaces open. The rate for one year is $15. Contact South Lane School District for more information. Our Lady of Perpetual Help will host a St. Patrick's Day din- ner from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 18. Tickets are $12 for adults and $25 for families. Do you have an event, class or workshop coming up? 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