The Five Joaquins were an outlaw

Outlaw

In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...

 gang in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 led by Joaquin Murrieta

Joaquin Murrieta

Joaquin Carrillo Murrieta , also called the Mexican or Chilean Robin Hood or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a semi-legendary figure in California during the California Gold Rush of the 1850s...

 and composed of himself, Joaquin Botellier, Joaquin Carrillo, Joaquin Ocomorenia, and Joaquin Valenzuela. Between 1850 and 1853, the gang, joined by Murrieta's right hand man, "Three-Fingered Jack"

Manuel Garcia

Manuel Garcia may refer to:*Manuel García , singer & voice pedagogue; son of Manuel García *Manuel García , Spanish singer and composer, father of Manuel Patricio Rodríguez García...

, were reported to have been responsible for most of the cattle rustling

Cattle raiding

Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle.In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the person as a duffer...

, robberies, and murders committed in the Mother Lode

Gold Country

Gold Country is a region in the central and northeastern part of California, United States. It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines that attracted waves of immigrants, known as the 49ers, during the 1849 California Gold Rush.-Geography:State Route 49 was built through the Gold Country,...

 area of the Sierra Nevadas. They are credited with stealing more than $100,000 in gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 and over 100 horses, killing at least 19 people, and having outrun three posses

Posse comitatus (common law)

Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...

 and killed three lawmen. The gang is believed to have killed up to 28 Chinese and 13 Anglo-Americans.

On May 11, 1853, Governor of California John Bigler

John Bigler

John Bigler was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Democrat, he served as the third Governor of California from 1852 to 1856 and was the first California governor to complete an entire term in office successfully, as well as the first to win re-election...

 signed a legislative act creating the "California State Rangers

California State Rangers

The California Rangers, or the California State Rangers, was California's first state wide law enforcement agency formed in 1853 to deal with the outlaw gangs troubling the Gold Country during the early 1850s. The force was disbanded following the success in suppressing the Five Joaquins gang...

," led by Captain Harry Love

Harry Love (lawman)

Harry Love was the head of California's first law enforcement agency, the California State Rangers, and became famous for allegedly killing the notorious bandit Joaquin Murrieta.-Early life:...

 (a former Texas Ranger

Texas Ranger Division

The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...

). Their mission was to capture the "Five Joaquins". The California Rangers were paid $150 a month and stood a chance to share a $5000 reward for the capture of Joaquin Murrieta. On July 25, 1853, a group of Rangers encountered a band of armed Mexican men near Panoche Pass

Panoche Pass

Panoche Pass is a landform feature within a mountainous area of San Benito County, California. The location is the legendary location of a gun battle in which the Mexican bandit Joaquin Murrieta was slain...

 in San Benito County, 50 miles from Monterey

Monterey, California

The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...

. A confrontation took place, and two of the Mexicans were killed. One was claimed to be Murrieta, and the other was thought to be Three-Fingered Jack. A plaque (California Historical Landmark

California Historical Landmark

California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...

 #344) near the intersection of State Routes 33

California State Route 33

State Route 33 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California. SR 33 replaced part of U.S. Route 399 in 1964 during the "great renumbering" of routes. In the unincorporated sections of Kern County it is known as the West Side Highway...

 and 198

California State Route 198

State Route 198 is an east–west state highway that connects the California Central Coast to the mid-Central Valley at Visalia, although the most-traveled portion is in the Central Valley itself....

now marks the approximate site of Murrieta's headquarters in Arroyo de Cantua, where he was presumably killed.