Joaquin Rocks are a group of three
pillars
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression (physical), compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column i ...
of rock, originally known as "Las Tres Piedras" (The Three Rocks), located on
Joaquin Ridge, in the
Diablo Range
The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges in northern California, United States. It stretches from the eastern San Francisco Bay area at its northern end to the Salinas Valley are ...
, in
Fresno County, California
Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populous city in Cali ...
. The Joaquin Rocks are at an elevation of , and are the most distinguishing feature of Joaquin Ridge. The three pillars of rock are clearly visible on the ridge for many miles from many directions in the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...
and from their summits have a view of much of the valley. It is located, west-northwest of Black Mountain (Anticline Ridge) and southwest of
Ragged Valley.
History
The rocks were named for
Joaquin Murrieta
Joaquin Murrieta Carrillo (sometimes spelled Murieta or Murietta) (1829 – July 25, 1853), also called the Robin Hood of the West or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a Mexican-American figure of disputed historicity. The novel '' The Life and A ...
(1830-1853), a
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
n 49'er turned bandit during the
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
after his death at the hands of the
California Rangers The California Rangers were California's first statewide law enforcement agency, formed in 1853 to deal particularly with the outlaw gangs troubling the Gold Country during the early 1850s, and was commanded by Harry Love (lawman), Captain Harry Lov ...
in the
Arroyo de Cantua
Cantua Creek, formerly in Spanish Arroyo de Cantúa, was named for José de Guadalupe Cantúa, a prominent Californio Ranchero in the 19th-century Mexican era of Alta California.
The creek was formerly a tributary of the Fresno Slough, in years ...
. He and his gang used this region as a base and a refuge for their business of horse theft and robbery.
[ The Rocks themselves were used as a lookout, overlooking the approaches to their rancho in the Arroyo de Cantua.
]
References
{{coord, 36, 19, 11, N, 120, 27, 32, W, display=title
Landforms of Fresno County, California
Diablo Range