Visit Los Banos

Before its founding, the land on which Los Banos is now located was part of the Yukut Native American hunting grounds. The wetlands in and around the area provided everything the native people needed, including salmon, sturgeon, and game such as elk and deer. For many years the confluence of Beer Creek, Los Banos Creek, and the San Joaquin River with its large watershed, protected the region from early Spanish exploration. As such, the Yokuts were able to live in relative seclusion until the 18th century.

In 1805 Gabriel Moraga, with his troop of Spanish Calvary from the Presidio of San Francisco came riding through the Pacheco Pass under orders from the Spanish Governor of California to explore the San Joaquin Valley. This jaunty leader and his party reached the valley floor and cantered right across the area where the City of Los Banos now stands.

From 1808 to 1833, Spanish missionaries discovered the area when they traveled over the mountains from Mission San Juan Bautista on missionary visits with the Yokut Tribes in the region. Padre Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta on such visits discovered pools of water in the rocks of the summit of the mountains in a little creek bed that flowed down into the San Joaquin Valley. On account of these pools he named the area “Los banos”, which meant “The Baths”. Reports of these baths led to the local ranchers naming the creek “El Arroyo de Los Banos del Padre Arroyo”. In time that lengthy moniker was reduced to “Los Banos Crick”

In 1873 a pioneer to the area named Gus Kreyenhagen ran a trading post near Los Banos Creek. The Post Office Department decided to establish a Post Office at the trading post and named it after the creek, hence the name “Los Banos.”

Henry Miller arrived in San Francisco in 1850 with $6.00 in his pocket. After working as a butcher he became aware of the need for a better grade of cattle than that which was available at that time in California.

He came to the San Joaquin Valley and began his land acquisitions and cattle empire. He acquired land on both sides of the San Joaquin River ultimately owning that land for a distance of 120 miles. In 1871 he formed the San Joaquin and Kings River Canal and Irrigation Company. He is credited with being the first to introduce the crops of cotton, rice and alfalfa to the valley.

Miller made a great effort to get the railroad to extend through the West Side and that eventually decided the present day location of Los Banos. Agriculture remains the number one industry in and around Los Banos and this is due mainly to the early success of Henry Miller.

Los Banos’ population began to grow more quickly after World War II owing to returning veterans and highway construction. A series of irrigation and dam projects in the 1960s brought farmers in search of arable land. From 1970 to 1985, population growth began to stagnate. The City had reached a point where agriculture was no longer a growth factor. Fortunately, Los Banos is close to major employment centers in the Bay Area. Regional dynamism from 1990 onwards fueled a population boom. Even today, many residents have moved to Los Banos because of low home prices and close proximity to the Bay Area.

This post was last modified on Tháng mười một 19, 2024 4:13 chiều