Spanish and Indian place names of California: Their Meaning and Their Romance

by Nellie Van de Grift Sanchez

FINAL LIST AND INDEX

Abalone (the great sea-snail of the Pacific Coast). See page [75].

Acampo (common pasture). See page [282]. This name is used here in the sense of “camp,” and was given by the Southern Pacific Railroad years ago, in reference to a camp of wood choppers and Chinese which was located there.

Acolito (acolyte), is in Imperial County.

Adelante (onward, forward), now changed to Napa Junction, is in Napa County. This place was called Adelante in the hope that its location on Napa River would cause it to become the principal city of the valley.

Adobe (sun-dried brick).

Agua (water), is in very common use in referring to springs, usually accompanied by a qualifying adjective. See page [339]. This word is usually mispronounced by Spanish Americans.

Agua Amargosa (bitter water). See page [154].

Agua Caliente (hot water, hot spring). See pages [76] and [259].

Agua Cayendo (falling water).

Agua Dulce (sweet water, fresh water).

Agua Fria (cold water, cold spring).

Agua Hedionda (stinking water, sulphur spring).

Aguaje del Centinela (water hole, or watering place of the sentinel), the title of a land grant.

Agua del Medio (middle spring).

Aguajito (little water hole). Near Monterey, in a delightful little glen, there were a number of these springs, or water holes, where the women were in the habit of doing the town washing, kneeling upon the ground and washing the clothing directly in the springs. This place was called Los Aguajitos (the water holes), by the Spanish residents, and “washerwoman’s canyon” by the Americans. In the pastoral days of California, entire families climbed into their ox-carts, made with solid wooden wheels, and, provided with a liberal lunch basket, made a picnic of “blue Monday” under the green trees of Los Aguajitos canyon. See page [339].

Agua Mansa (still water, smooth-running current). One writer, for what reason does not appear, defines this as “house water.” This place is in Southern California, near Colton.

Agua Puerca (dirty or muddy water).

Agua Puerca y las Trancas (muddy water and the bars, or stiles). This was the peculiar title of a land grant, based, no doubt, upon some trivial circumstance now forgotten. One writer has translated it as “water fit for pigs and Frenchmen,” a gratuitous insult to the French people of which the Spaniards were not guilty. This writer evidently mistook the word puerca (muddy or dirty) for puerca (sow), and by some strange twist of the imagination, seems to have taken trancas to mean Frenchmen!

Agua Tibia (tepid or warm water, warm spring). See page [36].

Agua de Vida (water of life).

Aguilar (the place of eagles).

Las Águilas (the eagles). Real de las Águilas means the “camp of the eagles.”

Ahwanee (an Indian place name), popularly but not authentically translated as “a deep or grassy valley,” is the name of a place in Madera County.

“A-wa-ni was the name of a large village standing directly at the foot of Yosemite Fall.”—(Powers’ Tribes of California.)

Alameda (an avenue shaded by trees, or a cottonwood grove). This word is derived from álamo, a poplar tree known in the West as cottonwood. See pages [208] and [339].

Los Alamitos (the little cottonwoods). See page [76].

Álamo (cottonwood). See page [227].

Los Álamos (the cottonwoods). See page [105].

Los Álamos y Agua Caliente (the cottonwoods and hot spring), the title of a land grant.

Alcalde (mayor, justice of the peace). This place is in the southern part of Fresno County.

Alcatraz (pelican), see page [203].

Alessandro (Alexander). This place is in Riverside County.

Alhambra, near Los Ángeles, was named for the famous Alhambra of Spain. The Alhambra was an ancient palace and fortress of the Moorish monarchs of Granada in Southern Spain, probably built between 1248 and 1354. The word signifies in Arabic “the red,” and was perhaps given to this building in allusion to the color of the bricks of which the outer walls are constructed. “The marvelous beauty of the architecture of this structure has been greatly injured by alterations, earthquakes, etc., yet it still remains the most perfect example of Moorish art in its final European development.”

El Alisal (alder grove).

Aliso (alder), see page [76].

Los Alisos (the alders).

Almadén (mine, mineral). See page [178].

Alta (high). See page [329].

Alto (high), is near San Francisco.

Los Altos (the heights), is about fifteen miles from Los Gatos.

Altúras (heights). See page [259].

Alvarado (a surname). See page [227].

Alviso (a surname). See page [178].

Amador (a surname). See page [310].

Amargosa (bitter). See page [328].

American River. See page [299].

Anacapa Island. This name is Indian, but the popular story that it means “vanishing island, disappearing island,” is probably not authentic. “Anacapa is a corruption of Vancouver’s Indian name of the island, Enneeapah; the engraver spelled it Enecapah on the chart, and subsequent compilers have endeavored to give it a Spanish form.”—(Geo. Davidson in United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.)

Andrade (a surname). This place is near Calexico.

Los Ángeles (the angels). See pages [51] and [339].

Angel Island. See page [204].

Las Ánimas (the souls). See page [65].

Año Nuevo (new year). See page [157].

Aptos is said to be an Indian name, meaning “the meeting of two streams,” in reference to Valencia and Aptos Creeks. As this was a method of naming very much in vogue among the Indians, it is likely that this is the true explanation of Aptos.

Arena (sand). See page [259].

Las Arenas (the sands).

Punta de Arenas (sandy point), a cape on the coast of Mendocino County.

Argüello (a surname). See page [106].

Armada (fleet, squadron). The Armada was the name of the great fleet sent against England by Philip II in 1588. Whether the name of this town, situated in Riverside County, has this origin has not been ascertained.

Las Aromitas y Agua Caliente (the little perfumes and hot spring), title of a land grant.

Aromas (the odors, perfumes), is in San Benito County.

Arroyo (a creek or small stream). The designation arroyo is sometimes applied to the dry bed of a former stream. It does not, as is sometimes thought, refer only to a bed with steep sides, but is applied as well to shallow streams flowing through level country.

Arroyo de la Alameda (creek of the cottonwood grove).

Arroyo Buenos Aires (creek of the good airs). See page [282].

Arroyo del Burro (jackass creek).

Arroyo Chico (little creek). See page [283].

Arroyo de los Dolores (creek of the sorrows). Dolores Creek in San Francisco was so-named “because this was the Friday of Sorrows.”

Arroyo de los Gatos (creek of the cats—wild-cats).

Arroyo Grande (big creek). See page [127].

Arroyo Hondo (deep creek). See page [179].

Arroyo de la Laguna (creek of the lagoon).

Arroyo Medio (middle creek).

Arroyo de las Nueces y Bolbones (creek of the walnuts and Bolbones). The meaning of Bolbones has not been ascertained, but it may have been the name of an Indian tribe.

Arroyo del Norte (creek of the north).

Arroyo Real de las Águilas (creek of the camp of the eagles).

Arroyo del Rodéo (creek of the cattle round-up).

Arroyo Seco (dry creek). See page [157].

Asfalto (asphalt), incorrectly spelled asphalto, is in southwestern Kern County.

Asunción (ascension). See pages [97] and [339].

Atascadero (bog-mire). See page [127]. The Atascadero is one of the largest ranches in the state, comprising 22000 acres.

Avena (oats), is in Inyo County.

Avenal (a field sown with oats). See page [127].

Avenales (wild oats).

Avila (a surname), eight miles from San Luís Obispo, was probably named for a pioneer family of Los Ángeles.

Azusa. See page [77]. This is the name of a place in Los Ángeles County.

El Bailarín (the dancer). See page [99].

Ballena (whale). See page [39].

Bandini (a surname). See page [77].

Los Baños (the baths), is in Merced County, thirty-five miles southwest of Merced. This place was so-called from the creek, which has large, deep pools of clear water that were used by the early inhabitants as a bathing place.

Barranca (ravine).

La Barranca Colorada (the red ravine).

Barril (barrel).

Barro (clay).

Batata (sweet potato), is in Merced County, and is so-called because it lies in the best sweet potato growing district in California.

Baulines, see page [228].

Bella Vista (beautiful view).

Bellota (acorn), is in San Joaquín County.

Benicia (a surname). See page [223].

Berenda, probably a misspelling of berrenda (female antelope), is in Madera County.

Berrendo (antelope). See page [40].

Berrendos (antelopes). See page [40].

Berros (water-cresses), is in San Luís Obispo County.

Berryessa (a surname).

Blanco (white). See page [157]. In early days an American named Thomas White lived near the present town of Blanco. His name was translated into the Spanish form for white, blanco, by the native residents, and the place became known by that name.

Boca (mouth), in this case refers to the mouth of the Truckee River, in Nevada County.

La Boca de la Cañada del Pinole (the mouth of the valley of the cereal meal). This was a land grant, which received its peculiar name from the fact of the Spaniards having been compelled to live on pinole while they awaited the return of a party with supplies from Monterey. See Pinole, page [231].

Boca de la Playa (mouth of the beach).

Boca de Santa Mónica (mouth of Santa Mónica).

Bodega (a surname). See page [259].

Bolinas, probably a corruption of Baulines, an Indian word. See page [228].

Bolsa (pocket), often used to mean a “shut-in place.” See page [78].

La Bolsa (the pocket), is near Newport Beach.

Las Bolsas (the pockets).

Bolsa de Chamisal (pocket of the wild cane, or reeds). The chamisal, sometimes incorrectly spelled chemisal, is defined in the dictionaries as wild cane, or reed, but in California, at least, it is applied to a “shrub attaining a height of six or eight feet. Its thickets are almost impassable except by bears or similar animals, as the branches are low and very stiff and tough. In some places men are only able to penetrate it by crawling.”—(Mr. Charles B. Turrill.)

Bolsa Chica (little pocket).

Bolsa de las Escorpinas (pocket of the perch.)

Bolsa Nueva y Moro Cojo (new pocket and lame Moor). The word Moro was often used to mean anything black, as, for instance, a lame black horse, for which the Moro Cojo Rancho, near Monterey, is said to have been named.

Bolsa del Pájaro (pocket of the bird).

Bolsa del Potrero, y Moro Cojo ó la Sagrada Familia (pocket of the pasture, and the lame Moor or the Holy Family). This is the combined name of several land grants.

Bolsa de San Felipe (pocket of St. Philip).

Bonito (pretty). See page [228].

La Brea (the asphalt). See page [54].

El Buchón (the big craw). See page [127].

Buena Vista (good view).

Bueyes (oxen).

Los Burros (the donkeys, or jackasses), is in San Luís Obispo County.

Cabeza (head).

Dos Cabezas (two heads).

Cabeza de Santa Rosa (head of St. Rose).

Cabezón (big head). See page [78].

Cabrillo (a surname), the name of a cape on the coast of Mendocino County. See page [259].

Cádiz, between Needles and Barstow, was probably named for the well-known Spanish city of the same name. “In naming the stations on the Southern Pacific Railroad from Mojave to Needles going east, an alphabetical order was used, Barstow, Cádiz, Daggett, etc., until Needles was reached.”—(Mr. Charles B. Turrill.)

Cahto, Mendocino County, Indian, probable meaning “lake.”

Cahuenga, near Los Ángeles, is an Indian name, that of a former village.

Cahuilla, is said to be a corruption of the Indian word Ka-wia. See page [78].

El Cajón (the box, or canyon). The name of El Cajón was first given to a valley lying about fifteen miles east of San Diego. The valley comprises about 16,000 acres of level land entirely surrounded by hills several hundred feet high, thus presenting a box-like appearance that gave rise to its name. See pages [41] and [339].

Cajón Pass is in San Bernardino County.

Calabazas (pumpkins), see page [79].

Calaveras (skulls). See page [311].

Calexico, on the border of Lower California, is a hybrid word made up of the first part of California and the last of Mexico. Its counterpart on the Mexican side is Mexicali, in which the process is reversed.

Caliente (hot). See page [282].

Caliente Creek. See page [41]. This creek was so-named because its water is warm.

California, see page [13].

Calistoga, see page [259].

Calneva and Calvada are two more hybrids, made up of syllables from California and Nevada.

Calor, near the Oregon line, is likely to cause confusion by its resemblance to the Spanish word calor, (heat); this Calor is one of those composite words to which Californians are so regrettably addicted, and is made up of the first syllables of California and Oregon.

Calpella was named for the chief of a village situated just south of the present town, near Pomo, in Mendocino County. The chief’s name was Kalpela.

Calzona is another trap for the unwary, through its resemblance to the Spanish word calzones (breeches); it is one more of those border towns bearing names made up of the syllables of two state names, in this case, California and Arizona.

Camanche, a post town in Calaveras County, was so-named in honor of the great Camanche, or Comanche tribe, whose remarkable qualities are thus described by Father Morfi in his Memorias de Texas, a document written about the year 1778: “The Comanche nation is composed of five thousand fighting men, divided into five tribes, each with a different name. They are very superior to all the others in number of people, extent of the territory that they occupy, modesty of their dress, hospitality to all who visit them, humanity towards all captives except Apaches, and their bravery, which is remarkable even in the women. They live by hunting and war, and this wandering disposition is the worst obstacle to their reduction, for it induces them to steal. Nevertheless, they are very generous with what they have, and so proud that one alone is capable of facing a whole camp of enemies if he cannot escape without witnesses to his flight.” Both spellings are used in the original records.

Camaritas (small cabins or rooms). The application of this name has not been ascertained. It may refer to Indian huts seen by the Spaniards, or may have a totally different meaning.

Camino Real (royal road, or the King’s highway). See page [339].

Campo (a level field, a camp, the country). See page [41].

El Campo (the field or camp), places in Marin and San Diego Counties.

Campo de los Franceses (field or camp of the Frenchmen).

Campo seco (dry field or camp), in Calaveras County.

Camulos, or Kamulas. See page [105].

Cañada (valley or dale between mountains). See page [339].

Cañada de los Alisos (valley of the alders).

Cañada del Bautismo (valley of the baptism). See page [41].

Cañada de los Capitancillos (valley of the little captains).

Cañada de la Carpintería (valley of the carpenter-shop). See page [100].

Cañada de los Coches (valley of the pigs). Coche, used in the sense of “pig”, is a Mexicanism, said to have originated in the state of Sonora.

Cañada del Corte de Madera (valley of the wood-cutting place).

Cañada del Hambre y las Bolsas (valley of hunger and the pockets), a name said to have been given to this canyon because some Spanish soldiers nearly perished of starvation there. A bolsa is a pocket, or shut-in place.

Cañada Larga (long valley).

Cañada de los Muertos (valley of the dead).

Cañada de los Nogales (valley of the walnut-trees).

Cañada de los Noques (valley of the tan-pits).

Cañada del Osito (valley of the little bear). See page [127].

Cañada de los Osos y Pecho y Islay, valley of the bears and breast (perhaps referring to Pecho Mountain in San Luís Obispo County), and wild cherry. Islay is said to be a California Indian word meaning wild cherry. Islais Creek, San Francisco, may take its name from the wild cherry.

Cañada de los Pinos (valley of the pines).

Cañada de Raymundo (valley of Raymond).

Cañada del Rincón en el Río San Lorenzo de Santa Cruz (valley of the corner section on the river San Lorenzo of Santa Cruz).

Cañada de Sal si Puedes (valley of “get out if you can”). See page [109].

Cañada de San Felipe y las Ánimas (valley of St. Philip and the souls).

Cañada Segunda (second valley).

Cañada de los Vaqueros (valley of the cow-boys).

Cañada Verde, y Arroyo de la Purísima Concepción (green valley and creek of the immaculate conception).

Capay, in Yolo County, is Indian, but its meaning has not been ascertained.

Capistrano, see page [35].

El Capitán (the captain), the name of a precipice in the Yosemite Valley.

Capitán (captain), the name of a flag station in Santa Bárbara County. It was named for a ranch owned by Captain Ortega, which was called Capitán, in reference to his title.

Capitán Grande (big captain). The origin of this name has not been ascertained.

La Carbonera (the charcoal pit).

Carnadero, a corrupt word used to mean “butchering-place.”

Carne Humana (human flesh). See page [246].

Carneros (sheep). Carnero is especially applied to sheep used for mutton, rather than wool.

Carpintería (carpenter-shop). See pages [100] and [339].

Carquínez. See pages [228] and [339].

Carriso (large water bunch grass or reed-grass). See page [42].

Casa Blanca (white house). See page [79].

Casa Grande (big house). This place was so-called by the Spanish explorers on account of an unusually large Indian house they saw here. They speak of finding a “large village of many houses, and among them one extremely large.” This place is not to be confused with the famous Casa Grande in Arizona.

El Casco (the skull, or outside shell of anything). See page [79]. As casco also has the meaning of potsherd, or fragment of a broken vessel, a theory has been deduced that it was so-called because of a resemblance between the hollow in the hills where the place is located and a potsherd. This is one of those extremely far-fetched theories which are not likely to have any basis in fact.

Castac, an Indian word. The Castake was one of several tribes occupying the country from Buena Vista and Kern Lakes to the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range. Castake Lake in the Tejón Pass region derives its name from this tribe. According to Professor A. L. Kroeber, castac means “my eyes.”

Castroville, a composite word made up of Castro, a surname, and the French ville (town). The Castro family was perhaps the most numerous in California. Its most prominent member was General José Castro, of whom Bancroft says: “The charges against him of mal-treatment of settlers were unfounded. His conduct was more honorable, dignified, and consistent than that of Fremont, and he treated immigrants with uniform kindness. He was not a very able man, but energetic, popular, true to his friends, and in public office fairly honest. An injustice has been done him in painting him as a cowardly, incompetent braggart. He was at one time Commandante General of California.” The town of Castroville, named for this prominent family, is near Monterey.

Catalina, see page [62].

Cayeguas was named for a former Indian village near San Buenaventura. This village was among those mentioned in the mission archives.

The meaning of the word Cayeguas is “my head.”—(A. L. Kroeber.)

Cayucos. See page [127].

Cazadero (hunting-place). See page [260].

Centinela (sentinel).

El Centro (the center), three miles from Imperial and so-named because it is practically the center of the valley. This name is recent.

Cerro (hill), near Sacramento.

Cerro Chico (little hill).

Cerro Gordo (fat, thick hill). See page [329].

Los Cerritos (the little hills), in Los Ángeles County.

Los Cerros (the hills).

Cerro de las Posas (hill of the pools or wells). The translation “hill of the seat” has been given to this by one writer, apparently without any justification. Posa, or poso, was in constant use among the Spaniards in the sense of “pool” or “well.”

Cerro del Venado (hill of the deer).

El Chamisal (thicket of wild cane or reed).

Chico (little). See page [282].

Chileno (Chilean, native of Chile). See page [260].

Las chimeneas (the chimneys), old volcanic rock shaped like chimneys. This place is in San Luís Obispo County.

Chino, a word which may mean a Chinese, or a person with curly hair. The town of Chino, in San Bernardino County, took its name from the land grant called Santa Ana del Chino, but why the grant was so-called has not been ascertained.

Chiquita (little).

Chiquito Peak (little peak), is in Fresno County.

Cholame was the name of an Indian tribe. See page [128].

El Chorro (a gushing stream of water). This place is in San Luís Obispo County.

Chowchilla was the name of a Yokuts tribe of the Central Valley. See page [283].

Chualar. See page [157].

Chula Vista (pretty view). See page [42].

Ciénega (swamp), is in Los Ángeles County.

Las Ciénegas (the swamps).

Las Cienegitas (the little swamps).

Ciénega del Gabilán (the swamp of the hawk).

Ciénega de los Paicines, swamp of the Paicines (Indian tribe).

Cima (summit), between San Bernardino and Las Vegas.

Cimarrón (wild, unruly). The Spaniards applied this word to plants or animals indiscriminately, sometimes using it in reference to the wild grapes which they found growing in such profusion in California, sometimes in reference to wild Indians. The writer who translated it as “lost river” must have drawn upon his imagination for that definition.

Cisco. See page [329].

Los Coches (the pigs).

Codornices Creek (quail creek).

Cojo (lame). See page [106].

Ranchería del Cojo (village of the lame one), so-called from a lame Indian seen there.

Coloma, a town in El Dorado County, so-named from the Koloma tribe, a division of the Nishinam family. It was at this place that Sutter’s Mill, where gold was discovered in 1848, was situated, and it is also there that the native sons erected a monument to John W. Marshall.

Colorado (red).

Colusa, an Indian word, meaning not ascertained. See page [265].

Concepción. See page [106].

Conejo (rabbit), is the name of several places. See pages [79] and [339].

Conejo Peak (rabbit peak), is in Ventura County.

Contra Costa (opposite coast). See page [229].

Cordero (literally “lamb”), but probably a surname here.

Córdova, near Sacramento. Córdova or Córdoba is the name of a province of the Argentine Republic, in South America. Cattle raising is its chief industry. The California town may have been directly named for the city of Córdova in Mexico.

Corona (crown).

Coronado Beach, see page [29].

Corral (yard, enclosed piece of ground). See pages [157] and [339].

Los Corralitos (the little yards).

Corral de Piedra (yard enclosed by a stone fence). See page [158].

Corral de Tierra (earth corral). See page [158].

Cortina, a town in Colusa County. Cortina, the Spanish word for “curtain,” is a corruption of Kotina, the name of the chief of a former village near the east bank of Cortina Creek.

Coso Mountains, in Inyo County, were named for the Coso or Cosho Indians.

La Costa (the coast). See page [42].

Cosumne, a word of Indian derivation, said to mean “fish, salmon.” See page [272]. If the theory that the suffix umne means “place of” be correct, then it may be that the meaning of Cosumne is “place of fish,” probably referring to salmon fisheries.

Cotate, in Sonoma County, derived its name from a former Indian village. Mr. George Page, whose family have been in possession of the Cotate ranch since 1849, states that he has never been able to ascertain the meaning of the word.

Coyote (western wolf). See pages [42] and [179].

Los Coyotes (the wolves).

Crucero, a word having several meanings, possibly in this case “cross-roads.”

Las Cruces (the crosses), is in Santa Bárbara County.

Cruz (cross). Santa Cruz (holy cross). See page [153].

Cucamonga, in San Bernardino County, derived its name from an Indian village. See page [80].

Cueros de Venado (hides of deer), the name of a land grant.

Cuesta (hill, ridge, slope of a hill). Cuesta is the name of the old stage road leading from Santa Margarita to San Luís Obispo. It was so named because the road came over the crest of the Santa Lucía range. See page [128].

Cuyamaca. See page [42].

Cypress Point. See page [145].

Dehesa (pasture ground), is in San Diego County.

Delgada Point (thin, or narrow point). See page [260].

De Luz (literally “of light”), but in this case a surname.

Del Mar (of the sea). Modern.

Del Monte (of the wood or hill). The Hotel del Monte, near Monterey, was so called from the grove of magnificent live-oaks in which it stands. Modern.

Del Norte (of the north), is the name of the county in the extreme northwestern corner of the state.

Del Paso (of the pass).

Del Rey (of the king).

Del Río (of the river).

Del Rosa (of the rose). Unless this is a surname, the construction is incorrect, and should be De la Rosa.

Descanso (rest). See page [43].

Diablo (devil). See page [217].

Dolores (sorrows, pains). For Mission Dolores See pages [194] and [339].

El Dorado (the gilded man). See page [300].

Dos (two).

Dos Cabezas (two heads).

Dos Palmas (two palms).

Dos Palos (two sticks, or trees). See page [283].

Dos Pueblos (two towns). See page [106].

Dos Valles (two valleys).

Duarte (a surname). See page [80].

Dulzura (sweetness). See page [43].

Point Duma, on the coast north of San Pedro, was named by Vancouver for “the reverend friar Father Francisco Duma, priest at Buena Ventura,” as an expression of his gratitude for the father’s courtesy in furnishing the explorers with abundant supplies of vegetables from the mission gardens.—(Mr. Charles B. Turrill.)

Eliseo (Elisha).

Embarcadero (landing-place). There were a number of embarcaderos in the state, in Sonoma, Santa Clara and other places. The street skirting the San Francisco water front is now called the Embarcadero, having been recently changed from East Street.

Encanto (enchantment, charm), is in San Diego County. Encanto “was so named on account of its especially pleasant climate, being frostless, and always cool in the summer, with beautiful views of the ocean and bay and the city of San Diego. It was named by Miss Alice Klauber.”—(W. A. Shaules.)

Encinal (oak woods), is in Santa Clara County.

Encinal y Buena Esperanza (oak woods and good hope), the combined name of two land grants.

Las Encinitas (the little live-oaks). See page [43].

El Encino (the live-oak). See page [211].

Ensenada (bay), used often by the Spaniards in referring to a large, wide-open bay.

Entre Napa (between Napa), the name of a land grant referring to the land between Napa Creek and Napa River.

Entre Napa ó Rincón de los Carneros, combined name of two land grants (between Napa or corner of the sheep).

Escalón (step), is the name of a place twenty miles from Stockton, on the Santa Fé Road. According to Mr. Romane Moll, a resident of Escalón, the word is used in the sense of “stepping-stone,” and was taken from a city in Mexico, where an important battle was fought during the recent revolution.

Escondido (hidden). See page [43].

El Escorpión (the scorpion).

Esmeralda (emerald). See page [330].

Espada (sword). See page [102].

Esparto (a sort of tough feather grass). See page [283].

Esperanza (hope). See page [283].

Espinosa (a surname). This place is in Monterey County.

Espíritu Santo (holy ghost).

Esquón (a surname).

Estero (an estuary or creek into which the tide flows at flood time).

Los Esteros (the estuaries). See page [128].

Estero Americano (American Estuary).

Estrada (a surname). This place is in Monterey County.

Estrella (a star). See page [128].

Estudillo (a surname). Near San Leandro.

Etiwanda, in San Bernardino County, is a transplanted Indian name, given in honor of an Indian chief of Michigan, by Mr. George Chaffey, founder of the California colony.

Falda (skirt, slope of a hill). In San Diego County.

Famoso (famous), is in Kern County. The origin of this name has not been ascertained.

Fandango Peak is in Modoc County. The fandango is a Spanish dance. Its application in this case has not been ascertained.

Farallones (small pointed islands in the sea). See pages [212] and [339].

Feather River, see page [297].

Felipe (Philip).

Feliz (happy, fortunate), also a surname.

Fernández (a surname).

Fernando (Ferdinand).

Point Firmin, north of San Pedro, was named by Vancouver for the father president of the Franciscan Order.—(Mr. Charles B. Turrill.)

Las Flores (the flowers). See page [80].

Fortunas (fortunes). Cape Fortunas is on the coast of Humboldt County, north of Cape Mendocino. See page [260].

Fresno (ash tree). See page [277].

Gabilán, or Gavilán (hawk). See page [159].

Las Gallinas (the chickens), in Marin County. A tribe called Gallinomero occupied Dry Creek and Russian River below Healdsburg, and there may be some connection between this name and Las Gallinas Rancho in Marin County. Las Gallinas may be a mere corruption of Gallinomero.

Gamboa Point, on the coast of Monterey County. Gamboa is a surname.

García (a surname). See page [260].

Garvanza (chick-pea). See page [80].

Los Gatos (the cats). See pages [177] and [339].

Gaviota (sea gull). Probably so called from the large number of these birds which frequent the mouth of the little creek that flows into the sea at this point. See page [107].

Germán (a surname of a pioneer family).

Golden Gate. See page [197].

La Goleta (the schooner). This place is said to have been so called because a schooner was stranded there in early days. See page [107].

Gonzales (a surname). See page [159].

Gorda (fat). See page [159].

Graciosa (graceful, witty).

Granada is twenty-seven miles from San Francisco, on the Ocean Shore Line, and was probably named for the province in Spain of the same name. Granada also means pomegranate.

Las Grullas (the cranes). See page [159].

Guadalupe (a Christian name). See pages [107] and [340].

Guadalupe y Llanitos de los Corréos (Guadalupe and the plains of the mails), combined name of two land grants. Corréos (mails), may have been used in reference to mails brought by messenger to the Spaniards while they were encamped upon these plains.

Gualala. See page [260].

Guenoc, an Indian word, meaning not ascertained.

Los Guilicos, in Sonoma County, named for a former Indian tribe living in Napa County, near Santa Rosa.

Guinda (fruit of the wild cherry). This place is in Yolo County, near Woodland.

La Habra (the opening, or pass), here refers to an opening in the hills, and is situated a short distance southeast of Whittier, in Orange County.

Hermosa (beautiful). See page [80].

Hermosillo, probably named for the town of Hermosillo in Mexico.

Hernández (a surname), is in San Benito County.

Hetch Hetchy. A deep valley in the Sierra. See page [330].

Honcut, a place south of Oroville, in Butte County, named from a tribe of Maidu Indians who formerly lived near the mouth of Honkut creek.

Honda (deep). Honda is in Santa Bárbara County, and there is also La Honda, referring to a deep canyon, in San Matéo County. The name is incomplete in this form, and probably in its original form was La Cañada Honda.

Hoopa. See page [261].

Hornitos (little ovens). See page [283].

Huasna, in San Luís Obispo County, received its name from a former Indian village near Purísima Mission in Santa Bárbara County. The signification of the word has not been ascertained.

Hueneme, the name of a former Chumash Indian village on the coast, a few miles south of Saticoy, in Ventura County.

Los Huecos (the hollows).

Huerhuero Creek. Huerhuero is said to be a corruption of güergüero, a stream of water which makes a gurgling noise. An attempt is made to imitate the sound by the word. Huerhuero Creek is in San Luís Obispo County, near Paso de Robles.

Huerta de Romualdo ó el Chorro (orchard of Romualdo, a Christian name, or the gushing stream). This is the combined name of two land grants.

Huichica, the name of a land grant derived from an Indian village called Hutchi, formerly situated near the plaza in the town of Sonoma.

Huililic, the name of a former Indian ranchería near Santa Bárbara. Mentioned in the mission archives.

Hunto (eye), is the Indian name of a mountain in the Yosemite.

Hyampom, in Trinity County, is an Indian name, meaning not ascertained.

Iaquá, the name of a place in Humboldt County, was a sort of familiar salutation, something like our “hello,” with which the Indians of Humboldt and adjacent counties greeted each other when they met. From hearing the word so often the whites finally adopted it as the name of this place.

Ignacio (Ignatius).

Inaja, or Inoje, was the name of a former Indian village near San Diego. Mentioned in the mission archives. The meaning of the word Inaja is “my water.”

Indio (Indian). See page [80].

Inyo. See page [327].

Isleta (small island).

Jacinto (hyacinth), also used as a Christian name.

Jamacha was a former Indian village near San Diego.

Jamón (ham). The application of this peculiar name has not been ascertained, and there is always the possibility that it is a corrupted word and has no such meaning.

Jamul, in San Diego County, is a place name of the Diegueño Indians.

Jarame, the name of a tribe thought to have been natives of the region around San Antonio, Texas.

Jesús María (Jesus Mary).

Jimeno, a surname of a pioneer family.

La Jolla. See pages [44] and [340].

Jolón. See page [159].

La Joya (the jewel). This name is comparatively modern, and has its origin in the fact that the residents, like those of every other California town, thought their place the bright particular “jewel” of the locality. La Joya Peak is in Los Ángeles County. See pages [80] and [340].

Juan (John). Juana (Jane).

Juárez (a surname). The name of Benito Juárez, the Mexican patriot who led the national armies to victory against Maximilian, is one of which every native of that country must be proud. This man was a brilliant example of the triumph of natural genius over tremendous obstacles. He was of pure native blood, and had so few advantages in his youth that at the age of twelve he was still unable to read or write, or even to speak the Spanish language. Yet, his ambition once aroused, he succeeded in acquiring a collegiate education, graduating with the degree of Bachiller (bachelor in science or art), and later became President of the Mexican Republic. Among the early settlers of California is the name of Cayetano Juárez, who was at one time an official at Solano, and who took part in many Indian expeditions.

La Junta (union, junction, meeting of persons for consultation). See page [340].

Las Juntas (the junctions, or meetings).

Kawia, the name of an Indian tribe near Fresno.

Kings County and River. See page [278].

Klamath. See page [249].

Laguna (lake or lagoon), in Sonoma and Orange Counties. There were many lagunas in the state. See page [80].

Laguna del Corral (lake or lagoon of the yard). See page [44].

Point Laguna (lake or lagoon point). See page [261].

Laguna de las Calabasas (lagoon of the pumpkins). Calabasas in this case may be a corruption of the name of an Indian tribe, Calahuasa. See page [79].

Laguna de la Merced (lagoon or lake of mercy). Lake Merced.

Laguna de los Palos Colorados (lagoon of the redwoods).

KAWEAH MOUNTAINS.

“Kaweah, or Kawia, was the name of an Indian tribe near Fresno.”

Laguna Puerca (muddy lagoon), in the San Francisco district. This name does not mean “Hog Lake,” as has been stated.

Laguna del Rey (lagoon of the king).

Laguna de San Antonio (lagoon of St. Anthony).

Laguna Seca (dry lagoon). See page [340].

Lagunitas (little lagoons or lakes), one in Inyo County and one in Marin County. See page [340].

Lancha Plana (flat-boat). See page [330].

Largo (long). This place is in Mendocino County. The name of this station represents an inversion of the usual order of naming, since it is a translation into Spanish of the name of Mr. L. F. Long, a pioneer of Mendocino County.

Laureles (laurels). See page [159].

León (lion). See page [80]. This name turns out not to be Spanish in origin, but merely the name of an American who first had charge of the post-office there.

Lerdo (a surname), is in Kern County.

La Liebre (the hare, or jack-rabbit).

Linda Rosa (lovely rose), is forty-eight miles from San Bernardino.

Linda Vista (lovely view). See page [45].

Llagas (wounds, or stigmata). See page [179].

Llanada (a wide, level plain). See page [159].

Llanitos de los Corréos (plains of the mails). Corréo was used to mean a King’s messenger, mail or bag of letters, and it is possible that at this point a messenger or mail carrier caught up with the exploring party.

Llano (a flat, level field). There are places bearing this name in Los Ángeles and Sonoma Counties.

Llano de Buena Vista (plain of the good view).

Llano de Santa Rosa (plain of St. Rose).

Llano Seco (dry plain).

Llano de Tequisquite (plain of saltpetre). Tequisquite is an Aztec word.

Llorones (the weepers), a name given to a place in the vicinity of San Francisco Bay, for the reason given in Palou’s account of the expedition to that region in 1776, as follows: “The launch went out again with the pilot Bautista Aguiray to examine the arm of the sea that runs to the southeast; they saw nothing more than two or three Indians who made no other demonstration than to weep, for which reason the place was called La Ensenada de los Llorones (the bay of the weepers).”

Lobitos (little seals), is on the Ocean Shore Line, near San Francisco.

Lobos (wolves, also sea-wolves, or seals). See pages [160] and [226].

Loma (hill).

Point Loma (hill point). See page [45].

Loma Linda (beautiful hill), is in San Bernardino County.

Loma Prieta (dark hill). See page [160].

Lomas de la Purificación (hills of the purification).

Lomas de Santiago (hills of St. James).

Loma Vista (hill view), near Los Ángeles. Modern and improper in construction. It should be Vista de la Loma.

Lomerías Muertas (dead hills), possibly should be Lomerías de los Muertos (hills of the dead).

Lomitas (little hills), north of San Francisco.

Lompoc, an Indian name. See page [108].

López (a surname). See page [128].

Lorenzo (Lawrence).

Lugo (a surname), that of a family of early settlers. This place is thirty miles from San Bernardino.

De Luz (a surname). See page [45].

Madera (wood). See page [277].

Madrone, properly spelled Madroño, a native tree of California. See page [179].

Málaga, the name of a province in Southern Spain celebrated for its exports of grapes, raisins, oranges, lemons, figs and almonds. As raisins are among the chief products of this part of Fresno County, the town of Málaga was so named from the Spanish province.

Manca, or Manka. To prevent the unwary from falling into the erroneous belief that this name is Spanish or Indian, the rather humorous story of Manka is told here. The story goes that it was named for a German who came there in ’67, built a little sixteen by twenty-four foot shanty and sold whiskey. It was his proud boast that in the fifteen years he ran this business he never renewed his stock. The inference may be drawn.

Manteca (lard, butter), is near Modesto. This place was so called by the railroad company in reference to a creamery existing there. In Spanish America butter is called mantequilla.

Manzana (apple), is in Los Ángeles County.

Manzanita (little apple), a native shrub that is one of the most striking objects in the California woods. Fremont says of it: “A new and singular shrub was very frequent to-day. It branched out near the ground, forming a clump eight to ten feet high, with pale green leaves of an oval form, and the body and branches had a naked appearance as if stripped of the bark, which is very smooth and thin, of a chocolate color, contrasting well with the pale green of the leaves.” Towns in Marin, San Diego, and Tehama Counties bear the name of Manzanita.

Powers, in his Tribes of California, describes the method of making manzanita cider practiced by the Indians, as follows: “After reducing the berries to flour by pounding, they carefully remove all the seeds and skins, then soak the flour in water for a considerable length of time. A squaw then heaps it up in a little mound, with a crater in the center, into which she pours a minute stream of water, allowing it to percolate through. In this way she gets about a gallon an hour of a really delicious beverage, clear, cool, clean and richer than most California apple cider. As the Indians always drink it up before it has time to ferment, it is never intoxicating.” Fremont also mentions this as a very delicious drink that he had tasted when among the Indians.

Manzanita Knob, in Tulare County, is near the summit of the Sierras.

Mapache Peak (raccoon peak).

Mar (the sea).

Del Mar (of the sea).

Mare Island. See page [206].

Maricopa is the name of an Arizona tribe. The word is said to mean “bean people,” which is probably the correct definition.—(A. L. Kroeber.)

Marin. See page [219].

Mariposa (butterfly). See page [317].

Martínez (a surname). See page [229].

Matilija. See pages [103] and [340].

Médanos, also spelled Méganos (sand-banks, or dunes). This place is in Contra Costa County.

Media (middle), is in Madera County.

Mendocino. See page [248].

Mendota (a surname), is in Fresno County.

Merced (mercy). See pages [276] and [340].

Mesa (table, table-land). See pages [45] and [340].

La Mesa (the table or table-land), is in San Diego County.

Mesa Grande (big table-land). See page [46].

Mesa de Ojo de Agua (table-land of the spring).

Mesquite (a native shrub of the locust variety).

Milpitas (little patches of corn). This word is said to be the diminutive of milpa (a patch of maize or corn), but in that case must have referred to corn cultivated by Mexicans, since the California Indians raised no cultivated crops, but subsisted entirely on the natural products of the land. Milpitas is a village in Santa Clara County, which for some unexplained reason, has come to be used as a term of derision, the “jumping off place of creation.” It was probably the name of a land grant.

La Mirada (the view). See page [80].

Miramar (sea-view), is the name of a post town in San Diego County and of a summer resort near Santa Bárbara.

Miramontes (a surname). Candelario Miramontes, a native of Mexico, was the grantee of the Pilarcitos Rancho in ’41.

Misión Vieja, or La Paz (old mission or the peace). Land grant.

Misión Vieja de la Purísima (old mission of the Immaculate Conception).

Mocho Peak, in Santa Clara County. Mocho means “cropped, cut off.”

Modesto (modest). See page [288].

Modoc (people of the south). See page [250].

Mojave, or Mohave. Mojave, also spelled Mohave, is an Indian tribal name of disputed meaning. It has been stated that it comes from hamucklihabi (three hills), but this view is positively contradicted by scientists. In the documents of the Spanish explorers the Mojaves are referred to as Amajabas. The Mojave River is remarkable in that it has no true outlet, but sinks into the alkaline soil of the desert near the middle of San Bernardino County.

Mokelumne. See Moquelumne.

Molino (mill, or mill-stone). See page [80].

Los Molinos (the mills, or mill-stones). See page [80].

El Río de los Molinos (the river of the mill-stones), now called Mill Creek, in Tehama County. See page [80].

Mono. See page [324].

Montalvo (a surname), in Ventura County. See page [81].

Monte (hill or wood). Monte was generally used in the sense of “wood” or “forest” by the Spanish-Americans of the eighteenth century.

El Monte (the hill or the wood).

Del Monte (of the wood or hill). In the case of the Hotel del Monte, near Monterey, the name refers to the grove of fine live-oaks in the center of which the hotel stands.

Montecito (little hill or wood). See page [101].

Monterey (hill or wood of the king). See page [133].

Monte Vista (mountain view). Modern and improper in construction. It should be Vista del Monte.

Moquelumne, or Mokelumne. See page [331].

Moreno (a surname). One of the leading members of this numerous family was Antonio Moreno, a native of Lower California.

Moro Cojo (lame Moor). See page [160].

Morón (hillock, mound). This place is near Bakersfield.

Morro (a round headland, bluff). It is upon such a rock that the well-known Morro Castle at Havana is situated. See page [128]. This place receives its name from Morro Rock, a remarkable round rock, 600 feet high, situated at the entrance to the bay. The name has no reference to its grey color, as some people imagine, but refers to its shape—round like a head.

Mugu Point, on the coast of Ventura County. The Mugus were a tribe of Indians. The word mugu means “beach.”

Muñiz (a surname).

Murietta (a surname). See page [81].

Nacimiento (birth), referring in this case to the birth of Christ. See page [128].

La Nación (the nation). See Del Rey, page [371].

Napa, formerly pronounced Napá. See page [242].

Naranjo (orange-tree), in Tulare County.

La Natividad (the nativity). See page [160].

Natoma, is a name about which the romanticists have concocted some pleasing theories upon very slender foundation. According to scientists it is a tribal name, indicating direction, a favorite method of naming among the Indians. It may mean “north people,” or “up-stream,” or “down-stream,” or some such term of direction. By a severe wrench of the imagination, as has been suggested, it may be considered that “up-stream” would eventually lead to the mountains, and that in the mountains there were people, among whom there were undoubtedly girls, and in this “long-distance” manner Mr. Joseph Redding’s definition of Natoma as the “girl from the mountains” might be evolved, but the imagination is likely to suffer from such a violent strain. In the same way, the persons who believe it to mean “clear water” may have acquired this idea from the simple fact that the word contains an indirect reference to the stream in pointing out the direction of its current. It is disappointing perhaps, but nevertheless true, that Californian Indian nomenclature has little of romance behind it. The Indians usually chose names based upon practical ideas, most often ideas of direction, such as “north people,” “south people,” etc.

Navajo, also spelled lavajo (a pool where cattle go to drink).

Navarro (a surname). In Mendocino County, west of Ukiah.

Nevada (snowy). See page [293].

El Nido (the nest). See page [46]. It is thought that this place was so named because of its location in the hills and mountains suggesting the idea of a nest in the landscape, but there is no definite information about it.

Los Nietos (literally “the grandchildren,” but in this case a surname). See page [81].

Nimshew, in Butte County. This is an Indian word, from Nimsewi (big river), a division of Maidu Indians living on upper Butte Creek, in Butte County, near the edge of the timber.

Nipomo, in San Luís Obispo County, is probably Indian, but its meaning has not been ascertained.

Los Nogales (the walnut-trees).

Del Norte (of the north). See page [260].

Novato (new, beginning anything, but possibly in this case a surname). The exact origin of the name of this California town has not been ascertained. The place is in Marin County and as there was a land grant there called El Rancho de Novato, the probabilities are that it is a surname of some family of early settlers.

Noyo, is in Mendocino County. It was the Indian name of a creek, not the one now bearing the name of Noyo, but of another one in the vicinity.

Nuestra Señora del Refugio (our lady of refuge).

Nuevo (new). In San Diego County.

Oakland was originally called Las Encinas (the oaks), having been named by the commandante at Monterey as a result of the report of Lieutenant Vallejo of the great number of those trees growing upon the spot.—(Memoirs of the Vallejos, edited by James H. Wilkins, San Francisco Bulletin, January, 1914.)

Océano (ocean), near San Luís Obispo.

Ojai, the name of a former Indian village in Ventura County, popularly translated as “nest” or “big tree,” neither of which can be looked upon as authentic. According to Professor A. L. Kroeber, the meaning of the word Ojai is “moon.”

Los Ojitos (little springs). See page [58].

Ojo de Agua (spring of water). See pages [59] and [340].

Ojo de Agua de Figueroa (spring of Figueroa), the last word being a surname. The Figueroa family were among the earliest settlers.

Ojo Caliente (hot spring).

Ojo de Agua del Coche (spring of the pig).

Olancha, in Inyo County, just below Owens Lake, was named for the Olanches Indians of southeastern California.

Olema. See page [230].

Oliveras (olive-trees), in San Luís Obispo County. Olivera is also a surname.

Los Olivos (the olives). See page [108].

Olla (a round earthen pot, also a whirlpool in a river or sea). Its application here has not been ascertained.

Olompali, was named for a former large Moquelumnan village in Marin County, about six miles south of Petaluma.

Omo, in El Dorado County, is the name of a Moquel village.

Oro Fino (fine gold), in Siskiyou County. See page [261].

Oro Grande (large or coarse gold), forty-nine miles north of San Bernardino. Also in Madera County.

Oroville (gold-town). See page [288].

Oso Flaco (thin bear). In San Luís Obispo County.

Los Osos (the bears). See page [128].

Otay, or Otai, was the name of a former Indian village near San Diego. It may have first been applied to the Otey or Otay land grant.

Otero (literally a “hill, or eminence,” but probably a surname here).

Pachappa, near Riverside, Indian name, meaning not ascertained.

Pacheco (a surname). See page [230].

Pacoima, near Los Ángeles, an Indian word, meaning not ascertained.

Paicines, also spelled Pajines. See page [160].

Pájaro (bird). See pages [152] and [340].

Pala. See page [33].

Palmas (palms).

Dos Palmas (two palms), in Riverside County, so called from two giant palms near a spring.

Palo, literally “stick,” was used by the Spaniards in the sense of “tree.”

Palo Alto (high tree). See page [172].

Palo Blanco (white stick, or tree).

Palo Cedro (cedar tree), in Shasta County.

Palo Colorado (redwood tree). These trees were first observed and named by Gaspar de Portolá, the discoverer of San Francisco Bay.

Dos Palos (two sticks, or trees). See page [283].

Paloma (dove, pigeon).

Palo Verde (green tree).

Panamint Range. See page [332].

Panocha. See page [160].

La Panza (the paunch), in San Luís Obispo County, so named by some hunters who placed the paunch of a beef to catch bear. La Paleta (shoulder-blade) and El Carnaso (loin) were put out in other places, and the names still remain.

Las Papas (potatoes) Hill, is in the San Francisco district. Papa (potato), is provincial and American.

Paraíso (paradise). See page [161].

Paraje de Sánchez (place or station of Sánchez).

Pasadena (crown of the valley). See page [82].

Paskenta, in Tehama County, is Indian and means “under the bank.”

Paso (pass).

El Paso (the pass), of the Truckee River.

El Paso Peak (the pass peak), in Kern County.

Del Paso (of the pass), near Sacramento.

Paso de Bartolo (pass of Bartolo), the last a Christian name.

Paso de Robles (pass of the oaks). See pages [124] and [340].

Pastoría de las Borregas (pasture of the ewe-lambs).

La Patera (a place where ducks congregate). In early days the fresh water swamps near here abounded with ducks. La Patera is a flag station in Santa Bárbara County.

La Paz (the peace). Probably a peace arranged with the Indians, or it may have been named for La Paz in Lower California.

Pecho Rock, near San Luís Obispo. The reason for this name has not been discovered, but it may be a reference to the shape of the rock. Pecho means “breast.”

Pedernales (flints). See page [104].

Los Peñasquitos (the little cliffs), in San Diego County.

Peralta (a surname), that of a pioneer family.

Peras (pears) Creek, in Los Ángeles County.

Los Perros (the dogs), possibly Indian dogs.

Pescadero Point (fishing-place point). See page [231].

Petaluma. See page [261].

Picachos Mountains, a ridge east of San Francisco Bay. Pichacos are frequent, isolated, conical peaks.

Picacho (top, sharp-pointed summit), is the name of a post village in Imperial County.

Pico (a surname), ten miles from Los Ángeles. José María Pico of Sinaloa was the founder of this family, and its most notable member was his son, Pío Pico, at one time governor of California. According to Bancroft, the character of Pío Pico was a mixture of good and bad, in which the good predominated. “He was abused beyond his deserts; he was a man of ordinary intelligence and limited education; of a generous, jovial disposition, reckless and indolent, fond of cards and women; disposed to be fair and honorable in transactions, but not strong enough to avoid being made the tool of knaves. He did not run away with large sums of money obtained by sales of missions, as has been charged.”

Piedra (stone, rock), near Fresno.

Piedras Blancas (white rocks). See page [128].

Piedras Grandes (big rocks).

La Piedra Pintada (the painted rock). See page [108].

Pilar (literally “pillar of stone”). Point Pilar may have been named for Nuestra Señora del Pilar, (Our Lady of the pillar), from a church at Saragossa, Spain, where there is an image of the Virgin on a marble pillar. Pilar is also a surname, that of a pioneer family, for whom this point may have been named.

Pilarcitos (little pillars, or little Pilar Ranch).

Pilitas (basins or water-holes in rock).

El Pinal (the pine grove), in San Joaquín County.

Pino Blanco (white pine), in Mariposa County.

Pino Grande (big pine), in El Dorado County, near Placerville.

Pinole (parched corn ground into meal). Point Pinole was so named because the expedition under Lieutenant Vallejo had nothing to eat but pinole while they waited at that spot for the return of the cargadores with provisions from Monterey.—(Memoirs of the Vallejos, edited by James H. Wilkins, San Francisco Bulletin, January, 1914.)

Piñón (pine kernel, also the scrub pine, a very picturesque tree bearing a delicious nut).

Point Pinos (point of pines). See page [148].

Tres Pinos (three pines). See page [163].

Pintado (painted, mottled).

Pinto Range (painted or mottled range). See page [332].

El Piojo (the louse), in Monterey County, a short distance south of Jolón.

Piru, near Camulos, the name of a former Indian village.

Pismo. See page [128].

Pit River. See page [294].

La Pita, in San Diego County. Pita haya is the fruit of the cactus called “prickly pear.”

Placer. See page [304].

Placerville. See page [305].

Planada (a plain, level ground), seventy-four miles from Stockton.

Plano (a level surface), in Tulare County.

La Playa (the beach), in Santa Bárbara County.

Pleito (quarrel, lawsuit, bargain). See page [161].

Plumas (feathers). See page [297].

Las Plumas (the feathers), near Oroville.

Pomo. See page [261].

Poncho (cloak, blanket).

Poonkiny (wormwood). Poonkiny, sometimes misspelled Pookiny, is from the Yuki Indian language.

El Portal (the gate), the entrance to the Yosemite Valley.

Portolá (a surname). See pages [231] and [340].

Posa (well, pool, also spelled by the Spaniards pozo, poso). The fact that posa also has the meaning of “passing bell for the dead” has caused some rather ludicrous mistakes. For instance, La Posa de los Ositos (the pool of the little bears), evidently refers to a place where some bears were seen drinking, and certainly would be absurd translated as “the passing bell of the little bears.” When used as names of places the connection makes it quite clear that they were so called in reference to pools of water present on the spot.

Las Positas (the little pools).

Las Positas y la Calera (the little wells, or pools, and the lime-kiln).

Poso (pool, or well), in Kern County, and Poso in San Luís Obispo County.

Los Posos (the pools, or wells), in Ventura County.

La Posta (person who rides or travels post, post-house, military post, etc.). In the case of La Posta, 170 miles from the Mission Tule River Agency, it probably means post-station.

Potrero (pasture, generally for horses). See pages [46], [161] and [231].

Potrero de los Cerritos (pasture of the little hills).

Potrero Chico (little pasture).

Potrero Grande (big pasture).

Potrero y Rincón de San Pedro de Reglado (pasture and corner of St. Peter Regalato). St. Peter Regalato was a Franciscan, and was “especially distinguished for his sublime gift of prayer.” This was the name of a land grant.

El Potrero de San Carlos (the pasture of St. Charles).

Potrero de San Francisco (pasture of St. Francis). This district still goes by the name of “the potrero” in the city of San Francisco.

Potrero de San Luís Obispo (pasture of St. Louis the Bishop).

El Potrero de Santa Clara (the pasture of St. Clara).

Poway, in San Diego County, is an Indian place name.

Pozo (pool, well). See page [128].

Prado (meadow), in Riverside County. See page [82]. This place was so named on account of its resemblance to a prairie.

La Presa (dam, dike). See page [46]. This place is so called from the Sweetwater irrigation dam located there.

Presidio (garrison, prison). See page [231].

Prieta (dark), a place north of San Francisco.

Los Prietos (the dark ones).

Providencia (providence).

Pueblo (town).

Los Dos Pueblos (the two towns). See page [106].

Puente (bridge), near Los Ángeles. See page [82].

Las Puentes (the bridges). See page [161].

El Puerto (the port), of San Diego.

Pulgas (fleas). See pages [82] and [224].

La Punta (the point), in San Diego County.

Punta Almejas (mussel point).

Punta Año Nuevo (point New Year). See page [157].

Punta Arenas (sandy point). See page [340].

Punta de la Concepción (point of the immaculate conception).

Punta Delgada (thin or narrow point). See page [260].

Punta Gorda (fat or thick point). See pages [108] and [260].

Punta Guijarros (pebble or boulder point).

Punta de la Laguna (point of the lagoon). See page [261].

Punta Loma (hill point), near San Diego. See page [45]. It should be Punta de la Loma.

Punta de Pinos (point of pines). Near Monterey. Page [148].

Punta de los Reyes (point of the kings). See page [232].

Punta de las Ritas (point of the rites). See page [108].

Purísima Point (point of the most pure conception). On the Santa Bárbara Coast.

Purísima (most pure), in San Matéo County.

Point Sal (a surname). See page [108].

Point Sur (south point). See page [162].

La Quemada (the burned place), from the verb quemar (to burn). This name refers to a custom prevalent among the Indians of burning over large tracts of land for the purpose of killing the under-brush and encouraging the growth of grass, which resulted in attracting game. The diaries of the Spaniards refer frequently to this custom, and speak of finding a great deal of country burned over in this way. One writer has offered to his astonished readers the translation of La Quemada as “the over-full, having enough to eat.”

Quién Sabe (who knows), a familiar expression among the Spaniards.

Quintín. See page [235].

Quinto (a surname). Simón Tadéo Quinto was one of the members of this pioneer family.

Raimundo (Raymond).

Ramírez (a surname), near Marysville.

Ramona (a Christian name), well known as that of the heroine of Mrs. Helen Hunt Jackson’s romance.

THE MISSION OF PURÍSIMA CONCEPCIÓN, FOUNDED IN 1880.

Ranchería, a word meaning “settlement,” but generally used by the Spaniards to mean an Indian village.

Ranchería del Baile de las Indias (village of the dance of the Indian women). See page [100].

Ranchería del Corral (village of the yard).

Ranchería de la Espada (village of the sword). See page [102].

Ranchería del Río Estanislao (village of the river Stanislaus).

Ranchita de Santa Fé (little ranch of holy faith).

Rancho del Puerto (ranch of the pass).

Ratón (mouse).

Real de las Águilas (camp of the eagles).

Redondo (round). See page [82].

Refugio (refuge), is in Santa Bárbara County. Refugio is also a Christian name.

Represa (dam), so called on account of a dam at that point, west of the state prison at Folsom.

Del Rey (of the king), also known as El Rancho Nacional because it was used to provide meat and horses for the military. This ranch was in Fresno County.

Reyes (kings). See page [232].

Ricardo (Richard), is in Kern County.

Rincón is the interior angle formed by the junction of two walls or lines, and is one of the terms used in the apportionment of land grants.

Rincón (corner), is in San Bernardino County.

El Rincón (the corner), is in Los Ángeles County, and comprises rich agricultural land on either side of the Santa Ana River.

Rinconada is the corner formed by two houses, streets, roads, or between two mountains.

Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito (corner of the creek of little St. Francis). Land grant.

Rincón de los Carneros (corner of the sheep). Land grant.

Rinconada de los Gatos (corner of the cats—wild-cats). Land grant.

Rincón de la Brea (corner of the asphalt). Land grant.

Rincón de los Bueyes (corner of the oxen). Land grant.

Rincón del Diablo (corner of the devil). Land grant.

Rincón de los Esteros (corner of the estuaries). Land grant.

Rincón Point (corner point). See page [108].

Rincón de la Puente del Monte (corner of the bridge of the wood, or hill). Land grant.

Rincón de las Salinas (corner of the salt marshes). Land grant.

Rincón de las Salinas y Potrero Viejo (corner of the salt marshes and the old pasture). Land grant.

Rincón de San Francisquito (corner of little San Francisco). Land grant.

Rincón del Sanjón (corner of the slough). Land grant.

Río (river).

El Río de los Berrendos (the river of the antelopes). See page [40].

Río Grande (big river).

Río Jesús María (River Jesus Mary). Land grant.

El Río de los Molinos (the river of the mill-stones). See page [80].

El Río del Nido (the river of the nest), referring to the nest of an eagle once seen in a tree on the banks of this stream. The name is now shortened into Río Nido, or Rionido.

El Río de Santa Clara (the river of St. Clara). Land grant.

El Río de los Santos Reyes (the river of the holy kings). See page [278].

Río Seco (dry river).

Río Vista (river view). See page [289]. Improper construction. It should be Vista del Río.

El Rito (the rite, ceremony).

Rivera, literally “brook, creek,” but also a surname. The Rivera family were among the pioneers. See page [82].

Roblar de la Miseria, (oak grove of poverty, wretchedness). It is likely that in this grove the Spaniards suffered from a shortage of food supplies, and named it in memory of their sufferings. Land grant.

Los Robles (the oaks), ten miles from Los Ángeles.

Rodéo (cattle round-up). See pages [232] and [340]. The town of Rodéo was first laid out to maintain a large packing-house for meat, but this was abandoned, and it has become an oil-refining town.

Rodéo de las Aguas (gathering of the waters). See page [82].

Del Rosa (of the rose), in San Bernardino County. If this is not a surname it is improper in construction, and should be De la Rosa.

Los Rosales (the rose-bushes).

Rosario (rosary), procession of persons who recite the rosary. Also a Christian name.

Sacate (grass, hay).

Sacramento (sacrament). See page [271].

Sal, in the case of Point Sal a surname. See page [108].

Salada (salted, salty, saline land). Near San Francisco.

Salazar (a surname), that of a pioneer family.

Salida (exit, out-gate), village in Stanislaus County, seven miles northwest of Modesto.

Salinas (salt-marshes). See pages [148] and [340].

Sal si Puedes (“get out if you can”). See page [109].

La Salud (health). See page [174].

San Andreas (St. Andrew). See page [333].

San Andrés (St. Andrew). See page [333].

San Anselmo (St. Anselm). See page [232].

San Antonio (St. Anthony).

San Antonio de Padua (St. Anthony of Padua). See page [141].

San Ardo (St. Ardo), is in Monterey County. St. Ardo, in Latin Smaragdus, was a Benedictine monk who wrote a life of St. Benedict which is considered reliable. He died in 843.

San Augustine (properly Agustín), born in Numidia, was the son of Santa Mónica. “In his youth he was so devoted to pleasure that his mother feared the destruction of his character,” but he became converted by the preaching of St. Ambrose, and it is thought that the Te Deum was composed in honor of the occasion of his baptism. It is told of him that “while walking on the sea-shore, lost in meditation on his great theme, the Discourse on the Trinity, he saw a little child bringing water and endeavoring to fill a hole which he had dug in the sand. Augustine asked him the motive of his labors. The child said he intended to empty all the water of the sea into this cavity. ‘Impossible!’ exclaimed St. Augustine. ‘Not more impossible,’ answered the child, ‘than for thee, O Augustine, to explain the mystery on which thou art now meditating.’ St. Augustine is the patron of theologians and learned men.”—(Stories of the Saints.)

San Benito (St. Benedict). See page [161].

San Bernabé (St. Barnabas, or Barnaby). This saint was a native of Cyprus, and a cousin of St. Mark. “He labored with Paul at Antioch, and tradition says he preached from the gospel of St. Matthew, written by the Evangelist himself, which he carried always with him, and that it had power to heal the sick when laid upon their bosoms. He was seized by the Jews and cruelly martyred, while preaching in Judea.”—(Stories of the Saints.)

San Bernardino (St. Bernardinus). See page [74].

San Bernardo (St. Bernard). There were two saints of this name, one born in 1190 at Fontaine, and the other in Savoy. The latter, St. Bernard of Menthon, is famous as the founder of the St. Bernard hospitals in the Alps, where “the monks, assisted by their dogs, search out and care for travelers who are lost in the passes of the mountains, where the storms are severe, and the cold intense.”

San Bruno (St. Bruno). See page [232].

San Buenaventura (St. Bonaventure). See page [95].

San Carlos (St. Charles). See page [138].

San Clemente (St. Clement). See page [83].

San Diegito (little St. James).

San Diego (St. James). See page [21].

San Dimas “probably St. Dismas, is popularly supposed to have been the good or converted robber on the right side of Christ on Good Friday. In places he is celebrated by the Latins on March 25. The Greeks have him on a much later date.”—(Fray Zephyrin Engelhardt, O. F. M). San Dimas is the name of a post-village in Los Ángeles County.

San Domingo (St. Dominick). St. Dominick was a Castilian of noble descent, and was the originator of the Dominican Order of barefoot priests, and of the use of the rosary.

Sanel, the name of a former Indian village called variously Se-nel, Sah-nel, Sai-nel and Sanel. “Sanel is derived from cané (sweathouse), and was the name of a very large village situated south of the town of Sanel, on the eastern side of Hopland Valley.”—(Barrett, in Univ. Publ. in Arch. and Tech.)

San Emygdio, “English or Latin St. Emygdius, Bishop and Martyr, feast August 5. The Roman Martyrology has this on him: ‘St. Emygdius, Bishop and Martyr, was consecrated Bishop by Pope St. Marcellus and sent to preach the Gospel at Ascoli. He received the crown of Martyrdom for confessing Christ, under Diocletian.’ He is invoked against earthquakes.”—(Fray Zephyrin Engelhardt).

San Felipe (St. Philip). See page [180].

San Fernando (St. Ferdinand). See page [69].

San Francisco (St. Francis). See page [185].

San Francisco de las Llagas (St. Francis of the “stigmata”). See page [179].

San Francisquito (little St. Francis). Land grant.

San Gabriel (St. Gabriel). See page [66].

San Gerónimo (St. Jerome). See pages [233] and [340].

San Gorgonio Mountains and Pass are in the Coast Range in Southern California. Their patron saint, Gorgonius, suffered martyrdom in 304 at Nicomedia during the persecution of Diocletian. Gorgonius, who had held a high position in the Emperor’s household, was subjected to most frightful torments, and was finally strangled and his body thrown into the sea. It was, nevertheless, secured by the Christians and was afterwards carried to Rome.

San Gregorio (St. Gregory). See page [233].

San Ignacio (St. Ignatius). St. Ignatius Loyola was the founder of the order of the Jesuits. “In his youth he was a page in the court of Ferdinand the Catholic, and later a brave and gay soldier.” He became a permanent cripple through being severely wounded in both legs. While confined by these sufferings, he devoted himself to reading the life of Christ, and was thus induced to take up religious work. After some years of study, he induced five men to join him in forming a community under the title of the “Company of Jesus,” whose especial duties are “first, preaching; second, the guidance of souls in confession; third, the teaching of the young.”

San Isidro, also spelled Ysidro (St. Isidore). There were two saints bearing this name. St. Isidore the ploughman could neither read nor write, but performed many miracles. His master objected to the time wasted by Isidore in prayer, but his objections were silenced when he found, upon entering the field one day, the plough being drawn by two angels, while St. Isidore knelt at his devotions. The other St. Isidore was Bishop of Seville, and in the church in that city bearing his name, there is a “magnificent picture which represents him dying on the steps of the altar, having given all his property to the poor.” See page [341].

San Jacinto (St. Hyacinth). See pages [83] and [340].

San Jacinto Viejo (St. Hyacinth the Old).

San Joaquín (St. Joachim). See pages [274] and [340].

Sanjón (deep ditch or slough). Also spelled zanjon.

Sanjón de los Moquelumnes (Moquelumne slough).

San José (St. Joseph). See pages [168] and [340].

San José de Buenos Aires (St. Joseph of good airs).

San José y Sur Chiquito (St. Joseph and little south). These are the names of two creeks near Monterey.

San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). See pages [154] and [340].

San Juan Cajón de Santa Ana (St. John canyon, literally “box,” of St. Anne). Deep canyons were often called cajones (boxes).

San Juan Capistrano. See page [35].

San Juan Point (St. John Point). See page [83].

San Julián (St. Julian). This seems to have been a favorite name for saints, since there were twelve who bore it. Only two, however, are of special importance, St. Julian Hospitator, and St. Julian of Rimini. The first had the fearful misfortune to kill his own father and mother through an error, and to make reparation, he built a hospital on the bank of a turbulent stream in which many persons had been drowned. “He constantly ferried travelers over the river without reward, and, one stormy night in winter, when it seemed that no boat could cross the stream, he heard a sad cry from the opposite bank. He went over, and found a youth, who was a leper, dying from cold and weariness. In spite of his disease the saint carried him over, and bore him in his arms to his own bed, and he and his wife tended him till morning, when the leper rose up, and his face was transformed into that of an angel, and he said: ‘Julian, the Lord hath sent me to thee; for thy penitence is accepted, and thy rest is near at hand’.... St. Julian is patron saint of ferrymen and boatmen, of travelers and of wandering minstrels.” Little is known of St. Julian of Rimini except that he “endured a prolonged martyrdom with unfailing courage.”—(Stories of the Saints.) See page [340].

San Justo (St. Justus). Little authentic is known of this saint, except that he was the fourth archbishop of Canterbury, and died there about 627.

San Leandro (St. Leander). See page [233].

San Lorenzo (St. Lawrence). See page [234].

San Lucas (St. Luke). See page [162].

San Luís Gonzaga (St. Louis Gonzaga). This saint, also known as St. Aloysius, was the son of a noble Italian lady, the Marchesa di Castiglione. “He entered the Society of Jesus when not yet eighteen years old, and became eminently distinguished for his learning, piety and good works. He died at Rome in 1591 of fever, which he contracted while nursing the sick.”—(Stories of the Saints.)

San Luís Obispo (St. Louis the Bishop). See pages [117] and [340].

San Luís Rey (St. Louis the king). See page [30].

San Marcial (St. Martial) was the Bishop of Limoges, and is especially noted for the conversions he accomplished, in particular that of the beautiful virgin St. Valerie, who suffered martyrdom for her faith.

San Marcos (St. Mark). “This evangelist was a disciple of St. Peter. He founded the church at Alexandria, and on account of his miracles the heathen accused him of being a magician; and at length, while celebrating the feast of their god Serapis, they seized St. Mark and dragged him through the streets until he died. Then immediately there fell a storm of hail, and a tempest of lightning came with it which destroyed his murderers.” His remains were removed in A. D. 815 to Venice, where the splendid cathedral of St. Mark was erected over them. Many legends are told of this saint, among them the story of his having saved the city of Venice from destruction by demons, who raised a great storm and came in a boat for that purpose, but were driven away by St. Mark, who went to meet them and held up a cross.

San Marino, near Los Ángeles, was named for a saint who was born in Dalmatia in the fourth century. He was a poor laborer and was employed in the reconstruction of the bridge of Rimini. His piety attracted the attention of the Bishop of Brescia, who ordained him as a deacon. Marino retired to Mount Titano, and gave himself up entirely to religious practices. His cell attracted others, and this was the origin of the city and republic of San Marino, the smallest republic in the world.

San Martín (St. Martin). See pages [181] and [340].

San Matéo (St. Matthew). See pages [234] and [340].

San Matéo Point (St. Matthew Point). See page [83].

San Miguel (St. Michael). See page [123].

San Miguelito (little St. Michael).

San Nicolás (St. Nicholas). Little that is authentic can be obtained concerning the history of this saint, but there are numerous legends of miracles performed by him, several of them connected with raising children from the dead, and similar stories. St. Nicholas is the chief patron of Russia and of many sea-port towns, and is the protector against robbers and violence. He is also the patron of children and schoolboys in particular, and of poor maidens, sailors, travelers, and merchants.

San Onofre (St. Onophrius). See page [83].

San Pablo (St. Paul). See page [234].

San Pasqual (St. Pascal). This saint was a Spanish peasant, born in Aragón in 1540. He was a member of the Franciscan order, and was remarkable for his unfailing courtesy and charity to the poor.

San Pedro (St. Peter). See page [84].

San Pedro, Santa Margarita, y las Gallinas (St. Peter, St. Margaret, and the chickens), combined names of three land grants.

San Quentín (St. Quentin). See pages [235] and [341].

San Rafael (St. Raphael). See page [220].

San Ramón (St. Raymond). See page [235].

San Simeón (St. Simeon). See page [128].

Santa Ana (St. Anne). See page [59].

Santa Ana y Quién Sabe (St. Anne and “who knows”), combined names of two land grants.

Santa Anita (St. Annie, or little St. Anne).

Santa Bárbara. See page [89].

Santa Catalina (St. Catherine). See page [62].

Santa Clara (St. Clara). See page [167].

Santa Clara del Norte (St. Clara of the north).

Santa Cruz (holy cross). See page [153].

Santa Fé (holy faith), near Los Ángeles. See page [341].

Santa Cruz Island. See page [101].

Santa Gertrudis (St. Gertrude). St. Gertrude the Great was a benedictine nun and mystic writer, born in Germany in 1256. She is especially noted for her learning and religious writings, all of which were written in Latin. She was charitable to the poor and had the gift of miracles.

Santa Inez, also spelled Ynez (St. Agnes). See pages [109] and [341].

Santa Lucía (St. Lucy). See page [129].

Santa Margarita (St. Margaret). See page [129].

Santa Margarita y las Flores (St. Margaret and the flowers), combined names of two land grants.

Santa María (St. Mary). See page [110].

Santa Mónica (St. Monica). See page [61].

Santa Paula (St. Paula). See page [113].

Santa Rita is the name of a village in Monterey County, near Salinas. The patron saint of this place was born at Rocca Porena in 1386 and died in 1456. Her feast day is May 22, and she is represented as holding roses, or roses and figs. When but twelve years of age Santa Rita was compelled by her parents to marry a cruel, ill-tempered man. This man was murdered, and after his death, his widow desired to enter the convent at Cascia, but was at first refused admission on account of her widowhood. She was finally received, however, and so many miracles were reported to have been performed at her intercession that she was given in Spain the title of La Santa de los Imposibles (the saint of the impossibilities).

Santa Rosa (St. Rose). See page [246].

Santa Susana (St. Susanna). This saint, who was remarkable for her beauty and learning, was a relative of the Emperor Diocletian, who desired her as a wife for his adopted son Maximus. St. Susanna, having made a vow of chastity, refused this offer, and Diocletian, angered by her refusal, sent an executioner to kill her in her own house.

Santa Teresa, was born at Avila in Castile, March 28, 1515. During her earliest youth, through reading the lives of the saints and martyrs, she formed a desire to take up religious work. In accordance with this desire, at the age of twenty years, she entered the convent of Carmelites, and chose as her life work the reforming of the order of Mount Carmel, as well as the establishment of a number of convents for men. It was she who made the Carmelites go barefoot, or sandalled. Santa Teresa had distinct literary gifts, and her history of her life is a work of absorbing interest, which is still read with genuine pleasure by students of the literature of Spain. She attained a position of such authority in that country that Philip III chose her for its second patron saint, ranking her next to Santiago (St. James).

Santa Ynez. See Santa Inez. See pages [109] and [341].

Santa Ysabel, also spelled Isabel (St. Isabella of France), who founded the convent at Longchamps, was sister to the saintly King Louis. She was educated with her brother by their mother, Blanche of Castile. St. Isabel dedicated her convent to the “humility of the Blessed Virgin,” and gave to it all her dowry. As long as the convent existed the festival of this saint was celebrated with great splendor. (Stories of the Saints.)

Santiago de Santa Ana (St. James of St. Anne). Land grant.

San Timotéo (St. Timothy). St. Timothy was the beloved disciple of St. Paul, whom he accompanied on many journeys. It is said that he was Bishop of Ephesus, until at the age of eighty years he suffered the cruel fate of being beaten to death by pagans.

San Tomaso (St. Thomas), was a Galilean fisherman and one of the apostles. “So great was his incredulity that he has always been remembered for that rather than for his other characteristics,” and it was in this way that the familiar expression “a doubting Thomas” arose. At the time of the ascension of the Virgin, Thomas refused to believe in the event, and the legend relates that in order to convince him the Virgin dropped her girdle to him from the heavens. Three other saints also bear this name, St. Thomas á Becket, the celebrated English historical character; St. Thomas Aquinas, a grandnephew of Frederick I and a man of great learning; and St. Thomas the Almoner, who was so charitable that “as a child he would take off his own clothes to give away to children in the street.” It is related of the last named that he wore the same hat for twenty-six years, and that his whole life was “but a grand series of beneficent deeds. When the hour of his death came he had given away everything except the pallet on which he lay, and this was to be given to a jailer who had assisted him in executing his benevolent designs.” There is a remarkably beautiful picture of him by Murillo, representing him as a child, dividing his clothing among four ragged little ones.

San Vicente (St. Vincent). Three saints bear this name. St. Vincent of Saragosa was martyred during the persecution of the Christians by Diocletian. Legend has it that his remains were guarded by crows or ravens, and when in the year 1147 Alonzo I removed them to Lisbon, two crows accompanied the vessel, one at the prow and one at the stern. In pictures St. Vincent is always represented as accompanied by a crow or raven. St. Vincent Ferraris was born at Valencia in 1357. He was a celebrated preacher and missionary, and “so moved the hearts of his hearers that he was often obliged to pause that the sobbing and weeping might subside.” The third of this name, St. Vincent de Paul, was the son of a Gascon farmer, and his charities were so various and so many as to cause his name to be revered by all, irrespective of religious differences. He established the Hospital La Madeleine for the Magdalens of Paris, a foundling hospital, and numerous other charities. In truth, the practical good done by this man during his life makes him well worthy of the title of “saint.”

San Ysidro. See San Isidro. See page [341].

Saticoy. See page [84].

Saucito (little alder).

Saucos (alder-trees).

Sausal (willow-grove).

Sausalito (little willow-grove). See page [218].

Sausal Redondo (round willow-grove). See Redondo Beach, page [82].

El Segundo (the second), so called because at that place the Standard Oil Company’s second refinery on the Pacific Coast is located. Modern.

Sequoia, the giant tree of California, was named for the Cherokee, Sequoyah, who invented an alphabet for his tribe. Sequoyah, also known as George Gist, or Guess, was the son of a white man and a Cherokee woman of mixed blood, and was, after all, more white man than Indian. He had a natural genius for mechanical invention, and, having been crippled for life in a hunting accident, he occupied his time in devising the alphabet, which was accepted with such enthusiasm by his people that every Cherokee, of whatever age, had learned to read and write in a few months. Sequoia, although not a place name, is given here for the interest it may have for tourists and other persons unacquainted with the origin of the name of the famous “big trees.”

Serena (serene). See page [113]. This name is spelled on some maps as Sereno, but is called Serena by the people of the neighborhood.

Serra (a surname). See page [84].

Sespe, named for a former Chumash Indian village said by Indians to have been on Sespe Creek, in Ventura County.

Shasta. See page [251].

Sierra (saw, saw-toothed mountains). See page [293].

Sierra Madre (mother sierra). See page [293].

Sierra Morena (brown range) is the name of a spur of the Coast Range commencing about ten miles south of San Francisco and running through San Francisco County into Santa Clara County. This mountain range, which contains some very charming scenery, may have been so named on account of its color, or it may be the namesake of the Sierra Morena of Spain. The name is sometimes spelled Moreno, and one of the possibilities is that it was named for the pioneer Moreno family.

Sierra Nevada (snowy sierra). See page [293].

Simi, in Ventura County, is an Indian place name.

Siskiyou. See page [256].

Sis Quoc, a town and river in Santa Bárbara County, named from Souscoc, a former Chumash village near the Santa Inez Mission.

Sobrante (residue, surplus), a term applied to a piece of land left over after measuring off land grants.

Sobrante de San Jacinto, residue of the grant called St. Hyacinth.

Solano. See page [268].

Soledad (solitude). See page [151].

Somis, in Ventura County, is an Indian place name.

Sonoma. See page [241].

Sonora. See page [333].

Soquel, or Souquel, was probably derived from Usacalis, a Costanoan Indian village situated in 1819 within ten miles of the Santa Cruz Mission.

Soscol. See Suscol.

Sotoyome, a former Chumash Indian village near Santa Inez Mission, in Santa Bárbara County.

Stanislaus. See page [275].

Suerte, a word of many meanings (luck, chance, lot of ground). In the apportionment of land by the Spaniards a suerte was a cultivable lot of land granted to colonists near the pueblos and within the four leagues assigned to the pueblo. Each suerte consisted of two hundred varas of length and two hundred of breadth, a vara being about thirty-three inches. Thus one suerte is one lot (of land), and not, as one writer has translated it, “one chance.” Dos suertes is two lots.

Suisún. See page [269].

Suñol (a surname). See pages [236] and [341].

Sur (south). For Point Sur see page [162]. In this vicinity the scenery is remarkably picturesque.

Del Sur (of the south), is in Los Ángeles County.

Suscol was the name of a Moquelumnan tribe who lived in a village on the east bank of Napa River. See Soscol.

Tahoe. See page [306].

Tallac, an Indian word, meaning not ascertained.

Tamalpais. See page [213].

Tambo, South American for inn, or hotel, so called because in early days there was a stopping place in this vicinity for travelers crossing the continent. Near Marysville.

Tenaya Peak, in Yosemite Valley, named for Ten-ei-ya, chief of the Yosemite Indians.

Tasajara, the name of a resort near Monterey, is probably a corruption of tasajera, a place where jerked meat is hung up to cure. Tassajara in Contra Costa County, and Tasajero creek in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties are probably different spellings of the same word.

Tecolote (owl).

Tehachapi. See page [289].

Tehama. See page [265].

El Tejón (the badger), is in Kern County. Tejón Pass is badger pass.

Temécula. See page [47]. Temécula is in the southern part of Riverside County.

Temescal (sweathouse). See page [70].

Tequisquite is an Aztec word, probable meaning saltpetre.

Tía Juana. See page [47].

Tiburón (shark). See page [220].

Tierra Seca (dry land).

Tocaloma. See page [236].

Todos Santos (all saints).

Todos Santos y San Antonio (all saints and St. Anthony).

Tolenos, in Yolo County, is probably a misspelling of Yolenos, from the Indian Yolo. See page [268].

THE TALLAC TRAIL TO TAHOE.

Toluca, near Los Ángeles, is probably derived from Tolujaa, or Tilijaes, a tribe among the original ones at San Juan Capistrano in 1731, although there is also a place named Toluca in Mexico.

Tomales. See page [236].

Topo Creek (gopher creek).

Toro (bull). See pages [85] and [163].

Toros (bulls).

Tortuga (turtle, tortoise).

Trabuco (blunderbuss, a sort of wide-mouthed gun), but it may not be used in that sense in this case. See page [85]. Trabuco Canyon is in Orange County.

Trampa del Oso (bear trap).

Trampas (traps, snares), perhaps named in reference to traps which were in common use among the Indians to catch game, as well as their human enemies. In Contra Costa County.

Tranquillón Mountain is in Santa Bárbara County. Tranquillón is a mixture of two kinds of grain, such as wheat and rye, called in English “mastlin,” or “maslin.”

Tres Ojos de Agua (three springs of water).

Tres Pinos. See page [163].

Trigo (wheat), is 128 miles from Stockton.

Trinity County. See page [257].

Trinidad Bay and town. See page [257].

Triunfo (triumph), is in Los Ángeles County.

Trópico (tropical), near Los Ángeles.

Truckee. See page [305].

Tulare (place of rushes). See page [281].

Tularcitos (little rushes, little Tulare ranch).

Tulucay Rancho, near Napa State Hospital, is derived from the Indian word tuluka (red).

Tunitas is a place near San Francisco on the Ocean Shore Road. The tunita is a beach plant sometimes called the “beach apple.” Tuna is the Spanish name for the common cactus known as “prickly pear.”

Tuolumne. See page [315].

Tustín (a surname), a place in Orange County, near Santa Ana. Fernando Tustín was one of the early settlers, and came to California in 1845.

Ukiah. See page [262].

Usal, in Mendocino County. This is an Indian word, derived from yosal, or yusal, the name of a tribe of Pomos, living on the coast from Usal northward.

Las Uvas (the grapes). See page [163].

Vacaville. See page [289].

Valencia Peak, near San Luís Obispo. Valencia is a surname.

Valle (valley).

Vallecito (little valley) is the name of places in Calaveras and San Diego Counties. See page [334].

Los Vallecitos de San Marcos (the little valleys of St. Mark).

Vallejo (a surname). See pages [236] and [341].

Valle Mar (sea valley), on the Ocean Shore, near San Francisco. Improper construction. It should be Valle del Mar (valley of the sea).

Valle de San Felipe (valley of St. Philip).

Dos Valles (two valleys).

Valle de San José (valley of St. Joseph).

Valle Verde (green valley). See page [85].

Valle Vista (valley view). See page [85]. Improper construction. It should be Vista del Valle (view of the valley).

Vega, an open plain, or tract of level land. Vega is also a surname.

Las Vegas (the meadows). Fremont refers to the vegas of the Southern Central Valley in these terms: “We encamped in the midst of another very large basin, at a camping ground called Las Vegas, a term which the Spaniards use to signify fertile or marshy plains, in contradistinction to llanos, which they apply to dry and sterile plains.”

Vega del Río del Pájaro (plain of the river of the bird).

Venado (deer), is in Colusa County.

Ventura (fortune). See page [113].

Verano (summer), is west of Napa.

Verde (green), twelve miles from San Luís Obispo.

Verdugo (a surname in this case). See page [85].

Los Vergeles (flower gardens, beautiful orchards).

Vicente Point (Point Vincent). See page [85].

Viento (wind), is in San Bernardino County.

Las Vírgenes (the virgins). See page [341].

Vista (view), in San Diego County.

Bella Vista (beautiful view).

Buena Vista (good view).

Chula Vista (charming view). See page [42].

Vista Grande (large view), is in San Matéo County.

Monte Vista (mountain view). Improper construction. It should be Vista del Monte (view of the mountain).

Río Vista (river view). See page [289]. Improper construction. It should be Vista del Río (view of the river).

Vizcaíno Cape, named for the celebrated Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno, who touched at various points on the California coast in the year 1602.

Volcán (volcano).

Wahtoque is an Indian word meaning “pine nut,” the name of a place near Fresno.

Wawona, an Indian word of disputed meaning. See page [334].

Weitchpec, near Hoopa valley, Humboldt County. “The Weitspekan family consisted of the Yurok tribe alone, inhabiting the lower Klamath River and adjacent coast. The name is adapted from Weitspekw, the name of a spring in the village. At the site of the present post-office of Weitchpec was one of the most populous Yurok villages, and one of only two or three at which both the Deerskin dance and the Jumping dance were held.”—(A. L. Kroeber in Handbook of American Indians.)

Las Yeguas (the mares), referring to a pasture where mares were kept.

Yerba Buena (good herb). See page [205].

Yokohl, in Tulare County. This was the name of a Yokuts tribe formerly living on the Kaweah River, Tulare County.

Yolo. See page [268].

Yorba (a surname). This was the name of one of Captain Fages’ original Catalán volunteers. Yorba is near Los Ángeles.

Yosemite (grizzly bear). See page [321].

Yreka. See page [258].

Yuba. See page [266].

Yucaipe, in San Bernardino County, is an Indian place name.

Zamora, probably named for the province of the same name in the ancient kingdom of León, in Spain. There is an old proverb about this place which says: “No se ganó Zamora en una hora” (Zamora was not taken in an hour), the same idea as expressed in “Rome was not built in a day.”

Zapatero Creek (shoemaker creek).

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