Los Baños Creek or Los Banos Creek, originally El Arroyo de los Baños, is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
stream of the
San Joaquin River. Its source drains the slopes of 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 ...
within the
Central Valley of
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, United States. Los Baños Creek has its source at the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of
North Fork Los Banos Creek and
South Fork Los Banos Creek. It flows northeast to the west edge of
Los Banos and then north to
Mud Slough 2.5 miles (4 km) upstream from its confluence with the
San Joaquin River.
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 la Cuesta, who was at
Mission San Juan Bautista from 1808 to 1833 and conducted
proselytizing missions into the
San Joaquin Valley. El Arroyo de los Baños was a watering place on
El Camino Viejo in the
San Joaquin Valley between
Arroyo de Quinto and
Arroyo de San Luis Gonzaga.
[Mildred B. Hoover, et al. Historic Spots in California. 3rd edition, Stanford University Press, Stanford, 1966, p.202, 204-205.]
Los Baños de Padre Arroyo is registered as
California Historical Landmark #550.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Los Banos Creek
Tributaries of the San Joaquin River
Rivers of Merced County, California
El Camino Viejo
Rivers of Northern California