La Vareda del Monte
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La Vereda del Monte ( Spanish for "The Mountain Trail") was a backcountry route through remote regions of the Diablo Range, one of the California Coast Ranges. La Vereda del Monte was the upper part of La Vereda Caballo, (Spanish for "The Horse Trail"), used by
mesteñeros Mesteñeros, or mustang runners, were people in Western North America in the 19th and early 20th century, usually vaqueros or cowboys, that caught, broke and drove wild horses, called mesteños or mustangs, to market in the Spanish and later Mexican ...
from the early 1840s to drive
Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
horses to
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 ...
for sale.Frank F. Latta, JOAQUIN MURRIETA AND HIS HORSE GANGS, Bear State Books, Santa Cruz, California. 1980. From its northern beginning at
Point of Timber Point of Timber is a former settlement in Contra Costa County, California. It was located on Indian Slough north of Byron, and about 2.5 miles east of Union Cemetery in Brentwood. It was originally named Point of Timber Landing. The landing was bu ...
on the Sacramento River Delta near modern-day Brentwood, the trail traveled south to the Livermore Valley. It passed nearby east of Alisal (now part of Pleasanton, California) up into the mountains on
Crane Ridge Crane Ridge is a 6 mile long ridge of the Diablo Range in Alameda County, California. Crane Ridge runs southeast from the Livermore Valley The Livermore Valley, historically known as the Valle de San José (Valley of San José), is a valley in Al ...
, then continued south through the
San Antonio Valley The community of San Antonio Valley, also called San Antonio or San Antone, is located along the Diablo Range in eastern Santa Clara County, California. The locale is bordered by Alameda County to the north and Stanislaus County to the east. ...
onto the rugged backcountry divide of the Diablo Range, traversing what is now
Henry Coe State Park Henry W. Coe State Park (often known simply as Henry Coe or Coe Park) is a state park of California, United States, preserving a vast tract of the Diablo Range. The park is located closest to the city of Morgan Hill, and is located in both Sa ...
and crossing Pacheco Pass. It continued southward to a mountain ranch on Cantua Creek where mustangs and stolen horses were gathered by
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 ...
's horse gang before they drove them down the rest of La Vereda Caballo to Sonora for sale. At
Poso de Chane Poso de Chane or Poso Chane (Chane Pool) is a former settlement in Fresno County, California situated around the waterhole of that name, northwest just below the confluence of the Jacalitos Creek with Los Gatos Creek, east of Coalinga and north ...
east of present-day Coalinga, La Vereda del Monte linked to other roads and trails of La Vereda Caballo such as
El Camino Viejo El Camino Viejo a Los Ángeles ( en, the Old Road to Los Angeles), also known as El Camino Viejo and the Old Los Angeles Trail, was the oldest north-south trail in the interior of Spanish colonial Las Californias (1769–1822) and Mexican Alta Cali ...
, or another across the valley to the east to the Kern River and Kern Lake, then through Old Tejon Pass, south through Southern California across Antelope Valley and east along the foot of north side of the
San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains ( es, Sierra de San Gabriel) are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Tr ...
before crossing to a spot near
Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Bernardino County, California, given in 1839 to the dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The grant formed parts of pr ...
. From there the drove went by various routes, depending on available water, to cross the
Colorado Desert California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella and Imperial valleys. It is home to many unique flora and fauna. Geography and geology The Colorado De ...
into Baja California and the crossings of the Colorado River into what was then Sonora (before the
Gadsden Purchase The Gadsden Purchase ( es, region=MX, la Venta de La Mesilla "The Sale of La Mesilla") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effe ...
), then across the Sonoran Desert on the
Camino del Diablo El Camino del Diablo (Spanish, meaning "The Devil's Highway"), also known as El Camino del Muerto, Sonora Trail, Sonoyta-Yuma Trail, Yuma-Caborca Trail, and Old Yuma Trail, is a historic road that passes through some of the most remote and inhos ...
to Caborca and south into Sonora where the horses were sold. La Vereda del Monte was used by mesteñeros and horse thieves most notably by
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 ...
's Five Joaquins Gang as a route for driving mustangs and stolen horses from
Contra Costa County ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...
and the upper Central Valley southward toward Mexico, unobserved by authorities. Murrieta was reportedly killed by California Rangers at 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 ...
, after they had found and followed the Vereda to his gathering place there on the trail where he and his gang held and organized their horse herd for the drive to Sonora.


Stations Along The Route Of La Vereda del Monte

* Estación primero, Located in
Contra Costa County ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...
northwest of
Point of Timber Point of Timber is a former settlement in Contra Costa County, California. It was located on Indian Slough north of Byron, and about 2.5 miles east of Union Cemetery in Brentwood. It was originally named Point of Timber Landing. The landing was bu ...
on Arroyo del Sur, was the uppermost of the gathering points of mustangs for the drove down the Vereda del Monte to Cantua Creek. * Estación segundo: Las Tinajas, , a watering place and corral with a supply of relief saddle horses, and occasional captured mustangs to add to the drove. The location is at large outcrops of
Vaqueros Sandstone The Vaqueros Formation is a sedimentary geologic unit primarily of Upper Oligocene and Lower Miocene age, which is widespread on the California coast and coastal ranges in approximately the southern half of the state. It is predominantly a medi ...
, called Murrieta Rocks, about a mile northeast of Brushy Peak just within the southern bounds of the
Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros was a Mexican land grant mostly in present day eastern Contra Costa County, California, and partially into northeastern Alameda County, California. Los Vaqueros Reservoir, located between Livermore and Brentwood ...
. From the east the outcrop overlooks a spring in an eastern tributary arroyo to the upper
Kellogg Creek Kellogg Creek is a tributary, about long, of the Willamette River in the Portland metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins near Lake Lenore in Johnson City, Oregon, Johnson City and flows northwest to meet the river at Milwaukie, O ...
that flows down from Brushy Peak. The original name Las Tinajas, (The Jars), refers to the waterholes to be found eroded into the sandstone on top of the outcrops. * Estación tercero: Located along
Crane Ridge Crane Ridge is a 6 mile long ridge of the Diablo Range in Alameda County, California. Crane Ridge runs southeast from the Livermore Valley The Livermore Valley, historically known as the Valle de San José (Valley of San José), is a valley in Al ...
, at a waterhole in the
Arroyo Mocho Arroyo Mocho is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 15, 2011 stream which originates in the far northeastern corner of Santa Clara County and flows northwesterly into ...
, in the vicinity of Mud Springs. Fresh saddle horses were stationed here. Between droves the band gathered in horses from the plain beyond Corral Hollow at La Centinela for the next drove. The arroyo was named Mocho after the nickname of the custodian of this and the next station near the source of the arroyo. * Estación cuarto: Valle de Mocho, 1st overnight stop in what is now known as Blackbird Valley, south of
Mount Mocho Mount Mocho is a summit in the Diablo Range, in Santa Clara County, California Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of th ...
. Horses captured on the plain to the east opposite Lone Tree,
Hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
, Kern and Ingram Canyons were brought here for the drove as well as horses from the lower Santa Clara Valley as far up the east bay side as the Rancho San Antonio (Peralta) and Rancho San Leandro. The Valle de Mocho was named after the man in charge of the station, Avalino Martínez, known by his nickname as "Mocho," (meaning cut off or short) for his diminutive four feet, four inch, stature. The Arroyo Mocho, and the nearby peak, Mount Mocho is also named after him. * Estación quinto: In Adobe Valley was a brush corral that held captured horses taken near Arroyos del Puerto, Salado Grande and
Saladillo Saladillo may refer to: *Saladillo, Buenos Aires, a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina * Saladillo, Córdoba, a municipality in San Luis Province in Argentina * Saladillo, San Luis, a municipality in San Luis Province in central Argentina *Sa ...
and brought up Salado Grande and from near
Latta Creek Latta Creek is a tributary stream of Salado Creek in the Diablo Range in Stanislaus County, California. It has its source at . Its mouth is at its confluence with Salado Creek.Adobe Mountain to Adobe Valley. They were added into the drove in
San Antonio Valley The community of San Antonio Valley, also called San Antonio or San Antone, is located along the Diablo Range in eastern Santa Clara County, California. The locale is bordered by Alameda County to the north and Stanislaus County to the east. ...
along with others held in
Isabel Valley Isabel Valley is a valley in the Diablo Range in Santa Clara County, California. It is also known as Santa Ysabel Valley. The mouth of Isabel Valley lies at an elevation of . Its head is at at an elevation of . History Isabel Valley was used by t ...
. From here the Vereda followed the divide of the Diablo Range, taking the path now taken by County Line Road as far as the
Fifield Ranch Fifield Ranch is a locale within the Diablo Range in Santa Clara County, California. It lies at an elevation of , west of the head of Romero Creek and the Santa Clara County line, about a mile north of Hagerman Peak. It is at the source of a tribu ...
. * Estación sexto (alternate):
Valle Atravesado Valle Atravesado, (Crossed Valley), a small, east-west running valley that crosses the north-south running valley of the upper reach of Mississippi Creek in the Diablo Range, in Santa Clara County, California. History Valle Atravesado was so name ...
, (Crossed Valley),, so named because it lay across the path of the north-south trending Vereda in an east west direction, was an alternative to Valle Hondo as an overnight camp with a brush corral for the drove if it was slowed while driven from Valle de Mocho to Valle Hondo. Valle Atravesado has been subsequently dammed in the 20th century on its south side and is now a reservoir on the upper reach of
Mississippi Creek Mississippi Creek is a tributary stream to Pacheco Creek in Santa Clara County, California. Its mouth is located at an elevation of at its confluence with the North Fork Pacheco Creek. Its source is located at on the south flank of Bear Mounta ...
and is now called
Mississippi Lake Mississippi Lake is a lake in Lanark County in Ontario, Canada. Ontario's Mississippi River flows northeast and north through the lake. Several small creeks including Cranberry Creek, McCrearys Creek, and McGibbon Creek drain into the lake from ad ...
. * Estación sexto:
Valle Hondo Valle Hondo (Deep Valley), a small flat in the canyon along the course of North Fork Pacheco Creek in Henry W. Coe State Park in Santa Clara County, California. It lies at an elevation of . Formerly a Native American rancheria, then an overnight ca ...
(Deep Valley) a former rancheria below the Vereda on
North Fork Pacheco Creek North Fork Pacheco Creek is a tributary stream of Pacheco Creek, in Santa Clara County, California. Originally it was considered the upper reach of Pacheco Creek. Its source is at an elevation of at on a mountain side in Henry W. Coe State P ...
, was an overnight camp with a brush corral. Valle Atravesado was the alternative overnight spot if Valle Hondo could not be reached. From either location the drove then added in horses taken from Arroyos Orestimba, Garzas and
Mesteño The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once- domesticated animals, the ...
that had been held at either Estación Paraiso or at
Mustang Flat Mustang Flat is a flat in the Diablo Range in Stanislaus County, California. It lies at an elevation of south of the South Fork Orestimba Creek, north of Mustang Peak. History Droves of wild horses were held at Mustang Flat and Paradise Flat an ...
. They were added into the drove where the Vereda passed north of Mustang Peak. * Estación séptimo: Estación Romero, gathered in horses captured opposite Arroyos Quinto,
Romero The name Romero is a nickname type of surname for a Roman or an Italian. The name was originally derived from the Latin word Romaeus and the Greek word Romaios, which mean Roman. #A person on a religious journey or pilgrimage from Rome (possibly t ...
, San Luis Gonzaga and Alamos. This station was a major hangout for the gang, and it had a brush and pole corral for the holding of stolen horses nearby in Bull Heads Canyon that were added into the drove at early daylight. * Pacheco Pass was where La Vereda crossed over the trail through this pass at the head of Pacheco Creek, to the west of its summit. This trail over the Diablo Range, between the coastal valleys and the San Joaquin Valley, was steep and rugged and not heavily traveled until 1857 when a wagon road with a lesser grade than the old trail was built over it. * Frenchs Flat a holding corral for horses to be picked up by the droves, here where the Vereda passed, five miles south of Pacheco Pass. * Estación octavo: Aguaje Caballo Blanco. * Estación noveno: Valle Quien Sabe, on the
Rancho Santa Ana y Quien Sabe Rancho Santa Ana y Quién Sabe was a Mexican land grant in present day San Benito County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Manuel Larios and Juan M. Anzar. The grant, east of present day Hollister, consisted of the one sq ...
. It was a watering place and sometime gathering point for large numbers of horses from the valleys to the west. * Estación décimo: Aguaje Panochita gathered in horses captured opposite Arroyos Los Banos, Ortigalita, Panochita and Panoche Grande. * Estación undécimo: Corral Redondo located a little ways above the mouth of Arroyo de Corral on the Arroyo Panoche Grande at the eastern foot of the trail over Panoche Pass to the west. Corral Redondo was (and still is) a natural, high banked, almost round loop in the arroyo channel that the vaqueros finished enclosing with drag lines, poles and brush. At this station horses were added in that had been taken from the Upper San Benito, Bitterwater and Salinas Valleys. Also a change of horses was kept there at all times. * Deposito: Rancho de Cantua, on Arroyo Grande (Arroyo de Cantua). The rancho of the Cantua brothers, used to gather and brand and organize the gang's droves of horses. Location of an adobe building, used as a warehouse for the gang. **
Murrieta Spring Murrieta Spring is a historic spring flowing from the south bank of Cantua Creek, about 100 yards above where El Camino Viejo crossed the Creek in the San Joaquin Valley. The Spring formed a pool in the arroyo where it emerged from the foot of t ...
a historic spring flowing from the south bank of Cantua Creek, about 100 yards above where
El Camino Viejo El Camino Viejo a Los Ángeles ( en, the Old Road to Los Angeles), also known as El Camino Viejo and the Old Los Angeles Trail, was the oldest north-south trail in the interior of Spanish colonial Las Californias (1769–1822) and Mexican Alta Cali ...
crossed the Creek in the San Joaquin Valley. The Spring formed a pool in the arroyo where it emerged from the foot of the western mountains southwest of the Rancho de Cantua. This is where Harry Love and his detachment of California Rangers found the gang at the spring and attacked them on July 25, 1853. *
Joaquin Ridge Joaquin Ridge is a ridge in the Diablo Range in Fresno County, California. The ridge is named for Joaquin Murietta (1830-1853), a California Gold Rush bandit, leader of the Five Joaquins Gang, who used this region as a rendezvous and camp that o ...
**
Joaquin Rocks Joaquin Rocks are a group of three pillars of rock, originally known as "Las Tres Piedras" (The Three Rocks), located on Joaquin Ridge, in the Diablo Range, in Fresno County, California. The Joaquin Rocks are at an elevation of , and are the mos ...
Also known by the name "Tres Piedras" meaning "three rocks". It was a lookout, a meeting place and campsite for the gang and its leaders, and also sometimes the route of droves of horses being sent to Sonora. **
Joaquin Spring Joaquin Spring, originally known as Valenzuela Spring, is a spring on Joaquin Ridge in the Diablo Range in Fresno County, California. The spring is located on the southwestern slope of the ridge, about 500 feet below Joaquin Rocks, at an elevation ...
This spring below Joaquin Rocks to the west along Joaquin Ridge was originally known as Valenzuela Spring until about 1950. This original name probably commemorates
Joaquin Valenzuela Joaquin Valenzuela (c. 1820 – 1853 or 1858) was a Sonoran fortyniner who came to California in 1849, during the California Gold Rush, with a small band of people from the vicinity of their hometown with Joaquin Murrieta. He subsequently became o ...
, one of the Joaquins of the Five Joaquins Gang, leader in charge of the Gang's horse trade to Sonora, and one of the men said to have been killed in the battle of the Cantua at Murrieta Spring.{{rp, 134,547,572,574,608,612,647 The spring, located in a mountainside meadow, would also supply water and grazing for droves of horses.


References

* Frank F. Latta, JOAQUIN MURRIETA AND HIS HORSE GANGS, Bear State Books, Santa Cruz, California. 1980. xv,685 pages. Illustrated with numerous photos. Index. Photographic front endpapers. Latta devoted chapter eight of this work to the Vereda del Monte. Diablo Range Historic trails and roads in California Geography of Alameda County, California Geography of Contra Costa County, California Geography of Fresno County, California Geography of San Benito County, California Geography of Santa Clara County, California Geography of Stanislaus County, California Geography of the San Joaquin Valley Livermore Valley Pleasanton, California San Joaquin Valley Five Joaquins Gang