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los-banos History
los-banos
THE BEGINNINGS
The gallant Gabriel Moraga, with his troop of Spanish Calvary from the Presidio
of San Francisco came riding through the Pacheco Pass under orders from the
Spanish Governor of California to explore the San Joaquin Valley in 1805. This
jaunty leader and his party on reaching the floor of the valley cantered right
across the area where the City of Los Banos now stands.
These explorers were astonished to note the great wealth of natural life
everywhere. Gazing in every direction these Spaniards saw ducks, geese, cranes,
herons, pelicans, curlew, antelope, deer, elk and grizzly bears all living their
lives undisturbed. Prior to their visit only the local Indians had ventured into
the area.
The next Spanish explorer to leave his name stamped indelibly on the region was
Padre Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta. He was a Franciscan monk who was stationed at
Mission San Juan Bautista from 1808 to 1833. On his missionary visits to the
Indians he discovered pools of water in the rocks at the summit of the mountains
in a little creek bed that flowed down into the San Joaquin Valley. At these
baths or pools he camped overnight with his band of friendly Indians from the
Mission. Reports of these baths led to the local ranchers naming the creek "El
Arroyo de Los Banos del Padre Arroyo." In time that lengthy moniker was reduced
to "Los Banos Crick."
In 1873 a pioneer to the area named Gus Kreyenhagen ran a trading post near Los
Banos Creek. The Post Office Department decided to establish a Post Office at
the trading post and named it after the creek, hence the name "Los Banos."
Henry Miller arrived in San Francisco in 1850 with $6.00 in his pocket. After
working as a butcher he became aware of the need for a better grade of cattle
than that which was available at that time in California.
He came to the San Joaquin Valley and began his land acquisitions and cattle
empire. He acquired land on both sides of the San Joaquin River ultimately
owning that land for a distance of 120 miles. In 1871 he formed the San Joaquin
and Kings River Canal and Irrigation Company. He is credited with being the
first to introduce the crops of cotton, rice and alfalfa to the valley.
Miller made a great effort to get the railroad to extend through the West Side
and that eventually decided the present day location of Los Banos. Agriculture
remains the number one industry in and around Los Banos and this is due mainly
to the early success of Henry Miller.
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