El Camino Viejo facts for kids

El Camino Viejo a Los Ángeles (which means "the Old Road to Los Angeles" in English), also known as El Camino Viejo or the Old Los Angeles Trail, was a very old and important road. It was the main north-south trail inside Spanish California (from 1769 to 1822) and later Mexican California (from 1822 to 1848). Today, this area is part of California.

This trail became a well-known inland route. It was an alternative to the famous coastal El Camino Real trail, which had been used since the 1770s.

The Old Road started near San Pedro Bay and the Pueblo de Los Ángeles (an early settlement that grew into Los Angeles). It crossed the Transverse Ranges through Tejon Pass and went down through the San Emigdio Mountains. Then, it reached the San Joaquin Valley.

In the valley, the trail followed the eastern side of the Coast Ranges. It connected different aguajes (watering places) and arroyos (small creeks). The road then left the valley, crossing the Diablo Range at Corral Hollow Pass into the Livermore Valley. It finally ended at the Oakland Estuary on the eastern side of San Francisco Bay.

History of the Old Road

The route of El Camino Viejo was well-known by the 1820s. However, parts of it were used even earlier, around 1780. Spanish colonial "carretas" (which were ox carts) traveled this path. It was a more direct way to reach the newly built Mission Santa Clara de Asís and Mission San Francisco de Asís than the coastal El Camino Real.

At first, the part of the road near the Bay Area went southwest from Arroyo Las Positas. It crossed several creeks like Arroyo Mocho and Arroyo Valle to Arroyo de la Laguna. From there, it followed the creek south to Arroyo de la Alameda. Then, it crossed hills through Mission Pass to the flat coastal area, eventually reaching Mission Santa Clara and the El Camino Real. The Los Angeles part of the road left the El Camino Real in the San Fernando Valley.

Later, after the Mission San José was founded in 1797, the road changed. It turned north from Mission San José, crossing Arroyo de San Leandro and Arroyo de San Lorenzo. It led to a place where ships could anchor in what is now the Oakland Estuary. From there, goods could be moved by ferry across the bay to the Mission and Presidio of San Francisco much faster than by land.

This inland route became popular with people who wanted to avoid the Spanish authorities. The authorities were mostly along the more settled coastal El Camino Real. Settlements like Las Juntas and Rancho Centinela (started in 1810) began to grow along El Camino Viejo. Later, Californios (people of Spanish or Mexican heritage living in California) who were vaqueros (cowboys) made El Camino Viejo a famous trail. It connected Rancho San Antonio with the Pueblo de Los Ángeles.

In the 1840s, vaqueros used the trail to move cattle. They also started building inland Mexican land grant ranchos (large ranches) along the route. Californio mesteñeros (wild horse catchers) also went into the San Joaquin Valley. They caught thousands of mesteños (mustangs or wild horses) that roamed there. They kept the horses in temporary corrals before herding them to the Bay Area, Southern California, or even to Sonora and other parts of northern Mexico to sell them.

During the California Gold Rush, a shortcut was made at the northern end of El Camino Viejo. This shortcut was part of the Oakland to Stockton Road, used by stagecoaches and teamsters (people who drove wagons). It went from Oakland, east through Castro Valley and Rancho San Ramon, to the San Joaquin Valley and Stockton.

Key Places Along the Route

El Camino Viejo connected many important locations across California. Here are some of the main areas it passed through:

Alameda County

• Oakland Estuary: The northern end of the trail.
• Mission San José: An important mission founded in 1797.
• Mission Pass: A mountain pass the trail crossed.
• Arroyo de la Laguna: A creek that was part of the route.
• Livermore's Ranch: A significant ranch along the way.
• Portezuela de Buenos Ayres: A pass through the Diablo Range.

San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties

• Arroyo de los Buenos Ayres: A creek in San Joaquin County.
• Arroyo del Ospital: A creek in Stanislaus County.
• Arroyo de La Puerta: Another important creek.
• Arroyo Orestimba: Known as "Meetingplace Creek."

Merced and Fresno Counties

• Arroyo de las Garzas: "Creek of the Herons."
• Arroyo de Mesteño: "Mustang Creek," named after the wild horses.
• Rancho de Centinella: An early ranch established in 1810.
• Arroyo de San Luis Gonzaga: A significant creek and ranch area.
• Arroyo de Los Baños: "Creek of The Baths."
• Arroyo de Panoche Grande: "Big Sugarloaf Creek" in Fresno County.
• Poso de Chane: A watering hole known as "Chane Pool."

Kern County

• Alamo Solo Spring: "Lone Cottonwood Spring."
• Aguaje La Brea: "The Tar Watering Place."
• Arroyo de Matarano: "Matarano Creek."
• Arroyo San Emigdio: A creek leading into the San Emigdio Mountains.
• Tejon Pass: A key pass through the Tehachapi Mountains.

Los Angeles County

• Rancho El Tejon: A large ranch near Tejon Pass.
• Gorman's Station: A stopping point along the trail.
• Elizabeth Lake: A notable lake on the route.
• San Francisquito Pass: A pass through the Sierra Pelona Mountains.
• Santa Clara River: A major river the trail crossed.
• San Fernando Pass: A pass through the San Gabriel Mountains.
• San Fernando Valley: A large valley with important missions and ranches.
• Pueblo de Los Ángeles: The southern end of the trail, leading to the harbor.
• San Pedro Bay: The final destination at the harbor of Los Ángeles.

Eastern Route of El Camino Viejo

There was also an "Eastern Route" that branched off the main El Camino Viejo.

Fresno and Kings Counties

• Arroyo de Panoche Grande: Where the Eastern Route connected to the main trail.
• Pueblo de Las Juntas: A settlement from 1810.
• Kingston: A town that grew from Whitmore's Ferry.
• Tulare Lake: A large lake that the Eastern Route passed by.

Kern County

• Alamo Solo Spring: Where the Eastern Route rejoined the main trail.