Los Baños Creek
Encyclopedia
Los Baños Creek or Los Banos Creek, originally El Arroyo de los Baños, is a tributary
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...

 stream 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...

. Its source drains the slopes 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. Los Baños Creek has its source at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...

 of North Fork Los Banos Creek and South Fork Los Banos Creek. It flows northeast to the west edge of Los Banos
Los Banos, California
Los Banos is a city in Merced County, California, near the junction of State Route 152 and Interstate 5. Los Banos is located southwest of Merced, at an elevation of 118 feet . The population was 35,972 at the 2010 census, up from 25,869 at the 2000 census...

 and then north to Mud Slough 2.5 miles (4 km) upstream from its confluence with 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...

.

History

Los Baños Creek is reported to have taken its name from the pools, near its head, called Los Baños de Padre Arroyo for Padre Felipe Arroyo de las Cuesta, who was at Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista was founded on June 24, 1797 in what is now the San Juan Bautista Historic District of San Juan Bautista, California. Barracks for the soldiers, a nunnery, the Jose Castro House, and other buildings were constructed around a large grassy plaza in front of the church and...

 from 1808 to 1833 and conducted proselytizing
Proselytism
Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. The word proselytize is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix προσ- and the verb ἔρχομαι in the form of προσήλυτος...

 missions 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...

. El Arroyo de los Baños was a watering place on 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...

 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...

 between Arroyo de Quinto
Quinto Creek
Quinto Creek, originally El Arroyo de Quinto, later Kinto Creek, is a tributary stream of the San Joaquin River that now fails to reach the river. Its source drains the slopes of the Diablo Range within the Central Valley of California, USA...

 and Arroyo de San Luis Gonzaga
San Luis Creek (California)
San Luis Creek, originally Arroyo de San Luis Gonzaga, is a stream in Merced County, California. Its source is located in Merced County, about 1000 ft. northwest of 3448 ft. high Mariposa Peak, on the Merced County - San Benito County boundry and 7.4 miles south of Pacheco Pass...

.
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