Bouquet Canyon, outside of Saugus, in the Santa Clarita Valley (Photo: K. Anderberg, 2008)
As a lover of words, wilderness, and history, I find the names of canyons in the Southern CA area to be romantic and artful. These canyons contain a lot of history and I love the simplicity of their descriptive names. Horsethief Canyon, for instance, surely was a hideout for horse thieves at some point in history. "Holy Jim Canyon" was named after "Cussin' Jim" who lived there, but the land surveyors who noted his homestead, called it "Holy Jim Canyon," as they felt that was more "appropriate." I would most certainly wear shoes, long sleeves, and pants in "Tick Canyon." Upon entering "Lost Canyon," I would feel angst in trying to make sure not to get lost once past the canyon's mouth. Once in "Bear Canyon," I would be hyper-aware of bears. These names really do set a *mood* for these canyons.
Bee Canyon, Coyote Canyon, Dry Canyon, Graveyard Canyon, Apple Canyon, Rattlesnake Canyon - what do you suppose is going on in these canyons? The descriptive names of the canyons that link inland valleys to the ocean, and desert floors to the mountains, all around the CA Southland, form a collective lyricism. The canyon names read like a poetry of the land, and as a genre, canyon names paint the picture of a natural landscape appreciated by indigenous people, early settlers, and modern populations alike. Few things are as pleasant as a Southern CA oak-lined canyon, fed by a mountain stream, in summer at dusk, with balmy temperatures, as mountain lions and rattlesnakes emerge from their dens. The "wild west" is still alive in the canyons surrounding the L.A. area, even as housing continues to encroach upon the foothills, threatening the future of such wilderness so close to the city.
Quail on Ridge Route, overlooking the Tehachapi Mountains (Photo: K. Anderberg, 2009)
Canyons named after predominant wildlife living in them, past or present, are common. Some examples from the Southland include Fox Canyon, Bull Canyon, Turtle Canyon, Horse Canyon, Quail Canyon, Grasshopper Canyon, Fish Canyon, Deer Canyon, Black Rabbit Canyon, Bobcat Canyon, Bighorn Canyon, and Cow Canyon. A 1932 L.A.Times article, reads, "Bear Canyon Justifies Name," and a 1918 Times article speaks of the transport of 250 bee colonies from San Fernando into Bee Canyon. Of Coyote Canyon, a 1923 Times article says, "Not too distant into the valley is a shallow trough where coyotes uncovered the corpse of a man last March, victim of another unsolved murder case, but identified murders and suicides have not been infrequent in the region, most of them cloaked in the brooding mystery of the immense and desolate hollow." A 1940 Times article speaks of Coyote Canyon as a place with an alcohol still and much criminal activity in the hills around that operation. Rattlesnake Canyon was also associated with moonshiners, as a 1923 Times article speaks of the sheriff taking 25 prisoners, "practically all of them liquor violators," to break up rocks on chain gangs in Rattlesnake Canyon. In Horse Canyon in 1914, "scientists uncovered a 3 inch fossilized bone, which was part of the femur of a three-toed horse. Further digging turned up three kinds of three-toed horses, two species of long extinct camels, antelopes, and a catlike animal," and Horse Canyon was also a way station for miners, keeping horses in corral for miners' use during the 1860's, writes the Times.
In 1927, author M. D.Hurley writes, "The landmarks along this journey are of more than passing interest on the Antelope Valley side. "The Devil's Punch Bowl," "Deadman's Creek," "Bob Canyon," and "Boneyard Canyon" are the outstanding ones on the San Bernardino county side of the line. "Dead Horse Canyon," and "Devil's Back Bone" are the only marks of interest until the Mojave River is crossed; there one finds "Horsethief Canyon," "Rattlesnake Mountain," "Deadman's Point," "Old Woman's Well," and "Furnace Canyon," truly a choice assortment of strange names, all of them derived from some happening at its particular point in the days of long ago."
A hilarious story, dated 1901, entitled, "Town Near Los Angeles Almost Depopulated by the Trout Craze a Drummer Says," speaks of a town where everywhere the reporter goes, the businesses are shut down as everyone is fishing up in Fish Canyon. The reporter goes to the general store, it is closed for fishing, he goes to the drug store, but the pharmacist was seen digging bait an hour earlier and was gone fishing, the reporter even tries to buy a ride out of the town to the next town where something might be open but he cannot get anyone to take him anywhere as the only person he can find in town is a lone "Indian" and he is on his way to go fish in Fish Canyon as well! But in a 1905 article entitled, "Fished Out is Fish Canyon," reports of gross mismanagement of the area and a marked reduction of fish in the canyon, while it was also reported that gold was found in fisherman's shoes while they waded in the sand to fish. This is an example of how a land can outgrow its canyon name of old. In 1916, forest rangers discovered a waterfall back in Fish Canyon, and again, people flocked to the area, buying little cottages, etc. nearby.
There are also canyons associated with animal activities such as Beartrap Canyon, Corral Canyon, and Livestock Canyon. Some canyons are named after geologic features and natural resources within the canyons, such as Oil Canyon, Blue Mud Canyon, Limestone Canyon, Iron Canyon, Gold Canyon, Carbon Canyon, Boulder Canyon, Stone Canyon, Salt Canyon, Sand Canyon, and Black Rock Canyon. Many canyon names describe features such as Long Canyon, Broad Canyon, Circle Canyon, Deep Canyon, and Wide Canyon. Furnace Canyon, for instance, sounds really hot, due to its name alone. Many canyon names deal directly with water, as these are hot lands, after all. Dry Canyon is mentioned in a 1913 Times article, that says, "Owens River water reached Dry Canyon reservoir at 11:30 o'clock yesterday morning." This historic route that brought water to the Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley, left only the canyon's namesake to document some of its dry past. Some of the canyons named after water include Coldwater Canyon, Hot Springs Canyon, Dry Canyon, Clearwater Canyon, Sweet Water Canyon, and Water Canyon. Trees and plants are also used in canyon names commonly. Pine Canyon, Oak Canyon, Bartlett Canyon, Palm Canyon, Plum Canyon, Sycamore Canyon, Grapevine Canyon, Fern Canyon, Willow Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, Mint Canyon, Oakgrove Canyon, and Cherry Canyon are local examples in this vein.
Vasquez Rocks in Vasquez Canyon (Photo: K. Anderberg, 2009)
Some canyons are named after people or mythologies based on people. Vasquez Canyon, for instance, a place best known for its scenery in episodes of classic TV shows such as Star Trek and Lost in Space, was named after a famous bandit who hid out in the area. Tiburcio Vasquez's "fantastic career," as described in a 1949 article, was "confused and intermingled with legend. And the legend persists in making of him a localized Robin Hood, with a Latin, early-California glamour that far surpasses the storied benefactor of Sherwood Forest." A 76 year old man, Antonio Suraco, is interviewed in the 1949 article about Vasquez. He says, "But understand, he was liked, more than feared by we people of the canyons. In his dealings with us, he was righteous." Antonio recalls his father speaking of meeting Vasquez in one of the local canyons one day. Vasquez came upon some hay and asked if he could have it. Antonio's father told Vasquez he could take it if he had to but it belonged to a local farmer so he should pay what it was worth. Vasquez replied that if the hay belonged to a simple farmer, he did not need it enough to take it from him. Antonio went on to say, "You cannot speak evil of a man who conducts himself so." Vasquez's crime spree predominated from 1873-1874 and since he conducted only daylight robberies and murders, it was odd he escaped capture for as long as he did. Many conclude he was protected by local people like Antonio's father, who saw him as a man of virtue. The 1949 Times article writes, "One commentator of the time writes: "The bitterness and hate engendered by the Mexican War was as strong as when Gen. Scott entered the City of Mexico. The influx of Yankees to California after the discovery of gold make the evil that they brought felt exquisitely among native Californians. They viewed with sympathy and gave practical aid to a man of their language who preyed on the interlopers."
Shiells Family gravestone in Bardsdale Cemetery in Santa Paula, off Torrey Road (Photo: K. Anderberg, 2009)
Santa Felicia Canyon is named after a Catholic saint. Verdugo Canyon is named after a family of early settlers to the region, and Shiells Canyon is named after an oil-rich family of local settlers. Indian Canyon sounds like a canyon name settlers created. I am sure there must be canyon names in native populations' tongues that mimic Indian Canyon, such as "White Man's Canyon," as well. Human titles for canyons certainly include elements of political, economic and cultural history in the area. Many canyons in the Southland have Spanish names, due to California's Spanish and Mexican heritage. Again, the canyons are mostly named after animals, plants, trees, water, and other natural features of the area. Some Spanish canyon names in the Los Angeles area include El Toro Canyon, Las Flores Canyon, Los Lobos Canyon, Bonita Canyon, Nuevo Canyon, La Paz Canyon, Agua Dulce Canyon, and Agua Alta Canyon. Native populations' canyon names include Tujunga Canyon, Topanga Canyon, Castaic Canyon, Zuma Canyon, and more.
Topanga Canyon as seen through the back porch window of the now abandoned Topanga Ranch Motel. (Photo: K. Anderberg, 2009)
Canyon names sometimes tell a story, sparking one's curiosity. "Graveyard Canyon" must have a story to it. Likewise, "Happy Camp Canyon" harks to someone's personal story. "White House Canyon," must have a story behind it, as must "Boundary Canyon." Descriptive names like these color Southern California history. In one 1928 article, the author speaks of Mint Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, Death Valley, Lone Pine, Zinc Hill, Stove Pipe Wells, Devil's Cornfield, Funeral Range Mountains, Boundary Canyon, Corkscrew Mountain, Hell's Gate, Devil's Golf Course, and Emigrant Wash, all in one story about new "autoist" trips following a road into Death Valley. One has to wonder who named "Cozy Canyon," and why, and is "Long Dave Canyon" named after someone named "Long Dave," or is it a long canyon named after "Dave?" And it is clear that something lethal happened in "Massacre Canyon."
According to a 1930 article by Lee Shippey, Massacre Canyon is a place "where the Temecula Indians massacred the Ivah tribe." In a 1931 article by the same Lee Shippey, he writes, "In Massacre Canyon the great battle of Indian tradition was fought between Temeculas and the Sobobas. Yet all along its edges were healing waters, put there, the Indians believed, by the Great Spirit for the healing of wounds and the many affliction of body which Tahquitz imposed on men." In another 1931 Times article, it is written that, "Massacre Canyon on the road near Gilman Hot Springs, was the scene of an Indian battle waged over a crop of chia, a wild grain which grows even now on nearly all mesa lands of the valley. This battle brought about the destruction of the village of I-vah. There had been a drought that year and in the Temecula Valley the chia crop had been a failure. The Temeculas, who were a tribe distinctly separate from the 7 tribes of the Hemet and Valley of Living Waters district, were warlike, and came in search of grain. They gathered in the crop belonging to the village of I-vah. The battle was on. The I-vahs were outnumbered and fled up the canyon until they reached a perpendicular wall. With their backs to this they fought till all were dead."
Certainly I could spend many more days and weeks researching these canyon names and seeking out the history behind these names, but honestly, that is not the purpose of this article. This article is meant to inspire *you* to research some of these canyon names, perhaps to incite you to *remember* some old site names, even, and the places they described. The purpose is to inspire you to explore our beautiful wilderness areas surrounding the L.A. area, and to perhaps name a canyon or two, yourself. Names and places change over time, as voiced in a Times article dated 1932: "Bacon Rind, Bear Heaven, Dog Town, Graveyard, Hell Creek, Hog Pen Springs, Hobo Hot Springs, Murderer's Bar, Pie Canyon, Poison Meadow, Toad Wells, and Whiskey Creek. Why such names were applied to the beauty spots of the national forests, where now the summer visitors find recreation and rest, is usually unknown. Once given, these designations have remained to record some forgotten incident in the early history of the State."
While place names do remain as forgotten records of local history, new names will replace old names, as lamented about in a 1911 Times article entitled, He Mourns Dad's Gulch." In this article, an old-timer says "the old places are gone and instead there is a modern development undreamed of before the railroads came. The old names are gone, too. I have been laughed at when I inquired for Brandy Flat, Poverty Bar, Moonlight Flats or Blanket End. I did find the You Bet Camp in Nevada but who would have thought that Chivalry Hill, Rough and Ready Camp, Dad's Gulch, Greenhorn Bar or Hangtown could fade from the map? Roaring River, Jackass Gulch, Piety Hill, Red Dog, Boneyard, Dead-Horse, Whiskey Slide, and Poker Flat, are now mere names instead of centers of a more or less lively population."
The miner in the Dad's Gulch article goes on to say he has prospected his way through the Rockies, Black Hills, and "up and down and through the desert lands in the Western slope and through the Sierras, and along the Coast and down the valleys." The miner continues on to say, "You can't find Sublimity, Fiddletown, Hungry Hollow, Last Chance, Two Cent Ranch, Nary Red Diggins, Happy Camp or Shirt Tail Canyon in any railroad or postal guide. Yuba Dam, Jimtown and Poor Man's Creek only exist now in the imagination of some writer of early day lore. Mad Mule, Yankee Jim, Nip and Tuck, Sky High Diggins, Mugginsville, Duty Bar, and a score or more of others are only gone and forgotten mining camps." Within my short lifetime, I, too, have seen names I knew, replaced by the new. Does anyone remember "Hang Glider Hill" in Sylmar? Or "Fall Hill" at the "Blue Ridge" Ski Area in Big Pines? How about "Freeloader Falls" in Tujunga Canyon? Maybe someday they will name a canyon after you!
Sources used in this article:
* Holy Jim Canyon - http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/ca/hik1_cle.htm
* Bee Canyon - L.A.Times, Says He Was Stung in Bee-Hauling Contract, July 19, 1918.
* Bear Canyon - L.A.Times, Bear Canyon Justifies Its Name, March 9, 1932.
* Coyote Canyon Murders - Ben A. Markson/L.A.Times, Mysterious Auto Visits Lonely Spot of Murder, Oct. 22, 1923
* Coyote Canyon Stills - Tom Caton/L.A.Times, Balked Hunt for Grave, April 28, 1940.
* Dry Canyon - L.A.Times, Flows Into Dry Canyon, Oct. 3, 1913.
* Rattlesnake Canyon - L.A.Times, Rock Pile Has Been Restored, April 12, 1923.
* Horse Canyon - Lynn Rogers/L.A.Times, Antelope Valley Holds Interest, Nov. 24, 1957.
* Fish Canyon - L.A.Times, Up in Fish Canyon, April 18, 1901.
* Fish Canyon - L.A.Times, Fished Out in Fish Canyon, May 4, 1905.
* Fish Canyon - L.A.Times, Many Seek Sites Near Waterfall, March 10, 1916
* Fish Canyon - L.A.Times, Orphans at Picnic, May 30, 1918.
* Boneyard Canyon, Horsethief Canyon, Dead Horse Canyon - M.D.Hurley/L/A/Times, Cattle May Again Rove Over Old range, Feb. 2, 1927, p. k14.
* Massacre Canyon - L.A.Times/Lee Shippey, Lee Side O'L.A., Apr 14, 1930, p. A4.
* Massacre Canyon - L.A.Times/Lee Shippey, Lee Side O'L.A., May 19, 1931, p. A4.
* Massacre Canyon - L.A.Times, Mockingbird Canyon Ideal For Day Jaunt, Sept. 20, 1931
* Vasquez Canyon - L.A.Times, Trapping of "Fox" Vasquez Long and Tedious Affair, July 24, 1949, p. A1
* Canyon Names - L.A.Times, Names of Long Ago Retained, Mar. 27, 1932, p. F5.
* Dad's Gulch - L.A.Times, He Mourns Dad's Gulch, April 8, 1911, p. I15.
* Boundary Canyon, etc. - L.A.Times/Alma Overholt, Death Valley Offers Autoist Unique Trip, Mar 25, 1928, p. G1.
Kirsten Anderberg is a CA State University graduate student in history, with a Southern CA history focus. You can read more of her articles at www.kirstenanderberg.com.
Kirsten Anderberg. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint/publish, please contact Kirsten at kirstena@resist.ca.
Kirsten Anderberg. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint/publish, please contact Kirsten at kirstena@resist.ca.