Garzas Creek
Encyclopedia
Garzas Creek, originally Arroyo de las Garzas (Creek of the Herons), is a tributary
of the San Joaquin River
draining the eastern slopes of part of the Diablo Range
within the Central Valley of California
, USA. The Creek has its source 0.8 km (0.5 mi) south of Hog Canyon and 1.6 km (1 mi) northwest of Bullhead Reservoir, and its mouth at the confluence with Los Banos Creek
4.8 km (3 mi) northeast of Ingomar
in Merced County. The closest populated place was the former settlement and railroad station of Linora
that is 0.38 miles south of Garzas Creek. The town of Gustine
, is 4.35 miles from Garzas Creek.
in the San Joaquin Valley
and its first settler was a deserter from the Spanish cavalry in 1820. Later the same year Spanish cavalry attempting to recover the deserter and a group of fugitive neophytes from the missions, fought an action with them. In 1852, American pioneers found the meztizo son of the Spanish deserter living in an adobe house on Arroyo de las Garzas several miles west of what is now Gustine
just over the county line in Madera County.
The creek was the water source for the southern part of Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas
. Jesse Hill one of the owners of Hills Ferry
built a house on Garzas Creek. It was a frame house built with lumber shipped around Cape Horn and hauled to the site with oxen. The location was later a sheep camp for the Simon Newman Company.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
draining the eastern slopes of part of the Diablo Range
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:...
within the Central Valley of 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...
, USA. The Creek has its source 0.8 km (0.5 mi) south of Hog Canyon and 1.6 km (1 mi) northwest of Bullhead Reservoir, and its mouth at the confluence with Los Banos Creek
Los Baños Creek
Los Baños Creek or Los Banos Creek, originally El Arroyo de los Baños, is a tributary stream of the San Joaquin River. Its source drains the slopes of the Diablo Range within the Central Valley of California, USA. Los Baños Creek has its source at the confluence of North Fork Los Banos Creek and...
4.8 km (3 mi) northeast of Ingomar
Ingomar, California
Ingomar is an unincorporated community in Merced County, California. It is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad northwest of Los Banos, at an elevation of 92 feet ....
in Merced County. The closest populated place was the former settlement and railroad station of Linora
Linora, California
Linora is a former settlement in Merced County, California. It was located on the Southern Pacific Railroad north-northwest of Los Banos, at an elevation of 92 feet . Linora still appeared on USGS maps as of 1919....
that is 0.38 miles south of Garzas Creek. The town of Gustine
Gustine, California
Gustine is a city in Merced County, California, United States. Gustine is located west of Merced, at an elevation of 98 feet . As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 5,520, up from 4,698 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, is 4.35 miles from Garzas Creek.
History
Arroyo de las Garzas was a watering place on El Camino ViejoEl 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...
in 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...
and its first settler was a deserter from the Spanish cavalry in 1820. Later the same year Spanish cavalry attempting to recover the deserter and a group of fugitive neophytes from the missions, fought an action with them. In 1852, American pioneers found the meztizo son of the Spanish deserter living in an adobe house on Arroyo de las Garzas several miles west of what is now Gustine
Gustine, California
Gustine is a city in Merced County, California, United States. Gustine is located west of Merced, at an elevation of 98 feet . As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 5,520, up from 4,698 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
just over the county line in Madera County.
The creek was the water source for the southern part of Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas
Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas
Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas was a Mexican land grant in present day Stanislaus County and Merced County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Sebastián Nuñez. The grant was originally in a part of Tuolumne County that became part of Stanislaus County in 1854...
. Jesse Hill one of the owners of Hills Ferry
Hills Ferry, California
Hills Ferry is a small unincorporated town in Stanislaus County. It is on the border of Stanislaus County and Merced County and is 3 miles northeast of Newman, California....
built a house on Garzas Creek. It was a frame house built with lumber shipped around Cape Horn and hauled to the site with oxen. The location was later a sheep camp for the Simon Newman Company.