Santiago Canyon is an unincorporated community in Silverado

Silverado, California

Founded in 1878, Silverado , a California Historical Landmark, is an unincorporated community in Silverado Canyon, which is located in the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California. Portions of the town sit on a former Mexican land grant Rancho Lomas de Santiago. The majority 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...

. According to the 2000 census, Santiago Canyon has several hundred residents living within its borders. Two canyons that border Santiago Canyon include Trabuco Canyon and Modjeska Canyon. Modjeska and Santiago Canyon are both sections of Silverado. One of a few neighborhood communities in Santiago Canyon include the Santiago Canyon Estates and the Falcon View Estates. The landmark Cook's Corner

Cook's Corner

Cook's Corner is a Southern California bar built in 1884 that is popular with motorcyclists. It is located near Silverado in Trabuco Canyon, Orange County, California.-History:...

 motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 restaurant is also located within Santiago Canyon.

The ZIP Code is 92676, and the community is inside area code 949

Area code 949

Area code 949 is an area code in California that is contained mostly within the southern areas of Orange County. It also includes a small adjacent area of northwest San Diego County, specifically parts of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and San Onofre State Park...

.

History

Within the canyons, geology

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

 students will find excellent examples of exfoliation

Exfoliation (geology)

Exfoliation joints or sheet joints are surface-parallel fracture systems in rock often leading to erosion of concentric slabs.- General characteristics of exfoliation joints :* Commonly follow topography ....

, in which rock layers peel back like layers of an onion, and of frost wedging, in which ice trapped in a crack expands to split a rock. Paleontology

Paleontology

Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...

 students will see fossils of millions of clams, snails, and small-shelled, squid-like creatures left behind during the five times that seas washed over the ground.

Appearing more than 12 million years ago, the highest points surrounding the canyons are Santiago Peak

Santiago Peak

Santiago Peak is the southern mountain of Orange County's Saddleback formation. It is the highest and most prominent peak of both the Santa Ana Mountains and Orange County, and also marks a border point with Riverside County. The top of it is covered with many microwave and telecommunication antennas...

 at 5689 feet (1,734 m) and Modjeska Peak

Modjeska Peak

Modjeska Peak is the northern mountain of Orange County's Saddleback formation. It is the second highest peak of the Santa Ana Mountains.The peak is named for Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska, who lived in its shadow near the end of her life....

 at 5481 feet (1,671 m). Together the pair forms "Old Saddleback," an easily recognizable landmark.

The first people to live in the canyons were Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

(the Acjachemem

Juaneño

The Juaneño or Acagchemem are a Native American group from Southern California. The Juaneño lived in what is now part of Orange and San Diego Counties and received their Spanish name from the priests of the California mission chain due to their proximity to Mission San Juan Capistrano...

). They arrived to find dense woods filled with live oak

Live oak

Live oak , also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States...

s, sycamore

Sycamore

Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....

s, mountain ash

Sorbus

Sorbus is a genus of about 100–200 species of trees and shrubs in the subfamily Maloideae of the Rose family Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus are commonly known as whitebeam, rowan, service tree, and mountain ash...

, and pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

s buffeted by winds. Dependent on acorns as their staple food, the Native Americans cut paths through the wilderness to reach oak groves. After collecting the acorns, they carried them to canyon streams and immersed the nuts in the running water to leach out the bitter tannic acid

Tannic acid

Tannic acid is a specific commercial form of tannin, a type of polyphenol. Its weak acidity is due to the numerous phenol groups in the structure...

. Once done, they carried the acorns to a large boulder or rock outcropping, where they used mortars to grind the nuts into powder. Over open fires, they cooked a porridge called "atole."

Recreation

Hiking

Hike

Hike may refer to:* Hiking, walking lengthy distances in the countryside or wilderness* Hiking , moving a sailor's body weight as far to windward as possible, in order to counteract the force of the wind pushing sideways against the boat's sails* Alternative spelling for Heka , an Egyptian god*...

 and mountain biking

Mountain biking

Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...

 are the two common forms of recreation in Santiago Canyon, due to the area's mountainous terrain. Some popular trails include the Modjeska Trail and Live Oak Canyon Trail, both available for hiking and mountain biking. Santiago Canyon's signature recreation trail is the Santiago Truck Trail

Santiago Truck Trail

The Santiago Truck Trail is a scenic trail in the Santa Ana Mountains and is known for mountain biking. It is located in Orange County, California, and is served by Santiago Canyon Road. The nearest urban area is the Portola Hills portion of Lake Forest....

, ideal for hiking, running, and mountain biking. The Santiago Truck Trail stretches 8 miles (12.9 km), to the trail end, "Old Camp". Bird watching is also a prominent activity in the canyon; native birds in the area include the Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vulture

The Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...

, Red Tailed Hawk, and Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...

, all of which can be seen in the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary

Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary

Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary is a non-profit nature reserve in Orange County, California in the United States, located near the end of Modjeska Canyon, at the foot of Modjeska Peak and adjacent to the Cleveland National Forest. The Sanctuary is owned and operated by California State University,...

 in neighboring Modjeska Canyon as well. Motorcyclists and Bicyclists are common sights in Santiago Canyon. A popular bicycle ride is Como Street, which passes through the canyon main road every Sunday morning. The California historic landmark site Cooks Corner restaurant is a favorite among motorcyclists. It is one of the more famous sites in Orange County.

Wildfires of 2007

Santiago Canyon was home to one of the major California wildfires of October 2007. The "Santiago Fire" endangered the Santiago Canyon Estates, as well Falcon View Estates, and nearby Modjeska Canyon, Trabuco Canyon, and other areas. All homeowners in those communities were placed under mandatory evacuation

Emergency evacuation

Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...

, with the roads Plano Trabuco and Live Oak Canyon being temporarily closed for the use of emergency personnel. The fire was ignited on October 21, 2007, and was attributed to arson

Arson

Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...

ists. It has burned over 27000 acres (109.3 km²), and the cost of rebuilding is estimated to be $5.5 million.