Panoche Creek facts for kids

Panoche Creek formerly known as Arroyo de Panoche Grande (Big Sugarloaf Creek) and later anglicized to Big Panoche Creek and later "Panoche Creek". For a time its lower reaches were called "Silver Creek." It is a creek in San Benito County and Fresno County, central California.

The source of this creek is a pond, just east of Panoche Pass. The creek drains the higher portion of the southern Diablo Range west of Llanada, in San Benito County, flowing easterly through the Panoche Valley into Fresno County and emptying to the northeast into the San Joaquin Valley 7.3 miles west of Mendota near the former site of Hayes Station.

Panoche Creek has the largest drainage area of any stream on the east slope of the Diablo Range.

History

Arroyo de Panoche Grande was part of a route between the Indian settlements of the central coast of California and the San Joaquin Valley. It was also a watering place on El Camino Viejo in the San Joaquin Valley between Arroyita de Panoche (Little Sugarloaf Creek) and Arroyo de Cantua (Cantua Creek).

Spanish soldiers followed Panoche Creek on expeditions to explore the region, to pursue and punish neighboring, unfriendly Indians raiding mission cattle or horses, or to bring in subjects to convert in Indian Reductions. Musteneros followed it into the big valley, to catch wild horses and drive them back, or over the El Camino Viejo to be sold. Some settlers came over the route to establish Las Juntas in 1810. Later vaqueros used it move cattle between the coast and the big valley.

Both Panoche Creek and Panoche Valley, are referred to as the "Big Panoche", distinguishing them from the Little Panoche Creek, and valley.