Boat stories! Mt Fav thing in the world!
Ride captain ride, based on a true story.
Captain Gimotearo Chivato, or El Capitan de la Muerte as he was commonly know, sailed into San Francisco Bay with his band of miscreants in search of fortune and fame in the fall of 1851. The local discovery of gold in 1849 had increased the local population from a handful to over 30,000 in just over a year. By 1851 lawlessness abounded. Large caches of gold which were being processed and stored within the city. This was the target of El Capitain.
Fortunately for the citizens of San Francisco, Governor Peter Burnett had received warning from Mariano Arista, President of Mexico. It seems that Captain Chivato was a former military subordinate of President Arista. President Arista was attempting to improve the state of the Mexican Treasury and Chivato told him of his wild idea. President Arista had honorable intentions of improving his country’s economic status by way of trade with his Northern neighbor. As a gesture he sent a team of rides with news of the impending ‘attack’ to Governor Burnett.
The residents of San Francisco were fully prepared for Chivato and his men. Incidentally, the song suggests that there were seventy-three men in his company but more accurate accounts based upon the size of his vessel are more likely to be around forty-five. The song also suggests that the crew actually disembarked their vessel which is also untrue. It seems that while most of the city gave the new-comers a cold shoulder, a greeting committee complete with flintlock muskets and torches was on hand. When the Captain told of his intentions to explore and enjoy the local distillates he was told that his true intentions had preceded him. It was then suggested that he and his crew sail off never to return or risk being shot on site and having his ship burned.
Not being welcomed in his home of Mexico or in California, Chivato continued sailing North. Additional incidents were not recorded so it is assumed that his men either settled somewhere peacefully or their vessel was lost at sea.
