Corral Hollow Pass
Encyclopedia
Corral Hollow Pass, originally Portezuela de Buenos Ayres (Pass of Good Winds) is a mountain pass of the Diablo Range
southeast of Livermore
, in Alameda County, California
. This pass, at the elevation 1600 feet, was the point where the El Camino Viejo
crossed the Diablo range over the Arroyo Seco
in the southwestern part of the Livermore Valley
and drops down a deep canyon into Corral Hollow
near the former mining town of Tesla, then passes eastward along Corral Hollow Creek
into the San Joaquin Valley
. Today the Tesla Road, County Hwy J2, follows this route.
The name Portezuela de Buenos Ayres appears on the Diseño del Rancho Las Positas
. Portezuela means "small door" in Spaniah and in Mexico can mean "a pass between hills". By 1873, the name of the pass had changed and appeared on a California State Geological Survey map as Corral Hollow Pass.
Diablo Range
The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges. It is located in the eastern San Francisco Bay area south to the Salinas Valley area of northern California, the United States.-Geography:...
southeast of Livermore
Livermore, California
Livermore is a city in Alameda County. The population as of 2010 was 80,968. Livermore is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisco Bay Area....
, in Alameda County, California
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
. This pass, at the elevation 1600 feet, was the point where the El Camino Viejo
El Camino Viejo
El Camino Viejo à Los Angeles , also known as the Old Los Angeles Trail, established in 1820's, was the oldest north-south trail in the interior of Alta California...
crossed the Diablo range over the Arroyo Seco
Arroyo Seco (Alameda County)
Arroyo Seco is an watercourse in Alameda County, California, that traverses through the city of Livermore. Arroyo Seco means "dry stream" in Spanish. Arroyo Seco lies above the Arroyo Seco watershed, which includes the eastern part of the city of Livermore and also the Lawrence Livermore...
in the southwestern part of the Livermore Valley
Livermore Valley
The Livermore Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Alameda County, California, surrounding the city of Livermore in the Tri-Valley region. Both the AVA and the city are named after Robert Livermore, a landowner whose holdings encompassed the valley. The groundwater basin underlying the...
and drops down a deep canyon into Corral Hollow
Corral Hollow
Corral Hollow, formed by Corral Hollow Creek, is a canyon with part in Alameda County and parts in San Joaquin County, 6.5 miles Southwest of Tracy, California...
near the former mining town of Tesla, then passes eastward along Corral Hollow Creek
Corral Hollow Creek
Corral Hollow Creek, origainally El Arroyo de los Buenos Ayres , later Buenos Ayres Creek, is a tributary stream of the San Joaquin River with part in Alameda County and parts in San Joaquin County draining the eastern slopes of part of the Diablo Range within the Central Valley of California, USA...
into the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
. Today the Tesla Road, County Hwy J2, follows this route.
The name Portezuela de Buenos Ayres appears on the Diseño del Rancho Las Positas
Rancho Las Positas
Rancho Las Positas was a Mexican land grant in present day Alameda County, California given in 1839 by governor Juan Alvarado to Robert Livermore and Jose Noriega. Las Positas means "little watering holes" in Spanish...
. Portezuela means "small door" in Spaniah and in Mexico can mean "a pass between hills". By 1873, the name of the pass had changed and appeared on a California State Geological Survey map as Corral Hollow Pass.
External Links
- Composite: Map Of The Region Adjacent To The Bay Of San Francisco, 1873 from www.davidrumsey.com accessed November 24, 2011. Shows name change to Corral Hollow Pass.