Chapter VII: Part 7

_Natoma_, is a name about which the romanticists have concocted some pleasing theories upon very slender foundation. According to scientists it is a tribal name, indicating direction, a favorite method of naming among the Indians. It may mean “north people,” or “up-stream,” or “down-stream,” or some such term of direction. By a severe wrench of the imagination, as has been suggested, it may be considered that “up-stream” would eventually lead to the mountains, and that in the mountains there were people, among whom there were undoubtedly girls, and in this “long-distance” manner Mr. Joseph Redding’s definition of Natoma as the “girl from the mountains” might be evolved, but the imagination is likely to suffer from such a violent strain. In the same way, the persons who believe it to mean “clear water” may have acquired this idea from the simple fact that the word contains an indirect reference to the stream in pointing out the direction of its current. It is disappointing perhaps, but nevertheless true, that Californian Indian nomenclature has little of romance behind it. The Indians usually chose names based upon practical ideas, most often ideas of direction, such as “north people,” “south people,” etc.

_Navajo_, also spelled _lavajo_ (a pool where cattle go to drink).

_Navarro_ (a surname). In Mendocino County, west of Ukiah.

_Nevada_ (snowy). See page 293.

_El Nido_ (the nest). See page 46. It is thought that this place was so named because of its location in the hills and mountains suggesting the idea of a nest in the landscape, but there is no definite information about it.

_Los Nietos_ (literally “the grandchildren,” but in this case a surname). See page 81.

_Nimshew_, in Butte County. This is an Indian word, from _Nimsewi_ (big river), a division of Maidu Indians living on upper Butte Creek, in Butte County, near the edge of the timber.

_Nipomo_, in San Luís Obispo County, is probably Indian, but its meaning has not been ascertained.

_Los Nogales_ (the walnut-trees).

_Del Norte_ (of the north). See page 260.

_Novato_ (new, beginning anything, but possibly in this case a surname). The exact origin of the name of this California town has not been ascertained. The place is in Marin County and as there was a land grant there called _El Rancho de Novato_, the probabilities are that it is a surname of some family of early settlers.

_Noyo_, is in Mendocino County. It was the Indian name of a creek, not the one now bearing the name of Noyo, but of another one in the vicinity.

_Nuestra Señora del Refugio_ (our lady of refuge).

_Nuevo_ (new). In San Diego County.

_Oakland_ was originally called _Las Encinas_ (the oaks), having been named by the commandante at Monterey as a result of the report of Lieutenant Vallejo of the great number of those trees growing upon the spot.—(_Memoirs of the Vallejos_, edited by James H. Wilkins, San Francisco Bulletin, January, 1914.)

_Océano_ (ocean), near San Luís Obispo.

_Ojai_, the name of a former Indian village in Ventura County, popularly translated as “nest” or “big tree,” neither of which can be looked upon as authentic. According to Professor A. L. Kroeber, the meaning of the word _Ojai_ is “moon.”

_Los Ojitos_ (little springs). See page 58.

_Ojo de Agua_ (spring of water). See pages 59 and 340.

_Ojo de Agua de Figueroa_ (spring of Figueroa), the last word being a surname. The Figueroa family were among the earliest settlers.

_Ojo Caliente_ (hot spring).

_Ojo de Agua del Coche_ (spring of the pig).

_Olancha_, in Inyo County, just below Owens Lake, was named for the Olanches Indians of southeastern California.

_Olema._ See page 230.

_Oliveras_ (olive-trees), in San Luís Obispo County. Olivera is also a surname.

_Los Olivos_ (the olives). See page 108.

_Olla_ (a round earthen pot, also a whirlpool in a river or sea). Its application here has not been ascertained.

_Olompali_, was named for a former large Moquelumnan village in Marin County, about six miles south of Petaluma.

_Omo_, in El Dorado County, is the name of a Moquel village.

_Oro Fino_ (fine gold), in Siskiyou County. See page 261.

_Oro Grande_ (large or coarse gold), forty-nine miles north of San Bernardino. Also in Madera County.

_Oroville_ (gold-town). See page 288.

_Oso Flaco_ (thin bear). In San Luís Obispo County.

_Los Osos_ (the bears). See page 128.

_Otay_, or _Otai_, was the name of a former Indian village near San Diego. It may have first been applied to the Otey or Otay land grant.

_Otero_ (literally a “hill, or eminence,” but probably a surname here).

_Pachappa_, near Riverside, Indian name, meaning not ascertained.

_Pacheco_ (a surname). See page 230.

_Pacoima_, near Los Ángeles, an Indian word, meaning not ascertained.

_Paicines_, also spelled _Pajines_. See page 160.

_Pájaro_ (bird). See pages 152 and 340.

_Pala._ See page 33.

_Palmas_ (palms).

_Dos Palmas_ (two palms), in Riverside County, so called from two giant palms near a spring.

_Palo_, literally “stick,” was used by the Spaniards in the sense of “tree.”

_Palo Alto_ (high tree). See page 172.

_Palo Blanco_ (white stick, or tree).

_Palo Cedro_ (cedar tree), in Shasta County.

_Palo Colorado_ (redwood tree). These trees were first observed and named by Gaspar de Portolá, the discoverer of San Francisco Bay.

_Dos Palos_ (two sticks, or trees). See page 283.

_Paloma_ (dove, pigeon).

_Palo Verde_ (green tree).

_Panamint Range._ See page 332.

_Panocha._ See page 160.

_La Panza_ (the paunch), in San Luís Obispo County, so named by some hunters who placed the paunch of a beef to catch bear. _La Paleta_ (shoulder-blade) and _El Carnaso_ (loin) were put out in other places, and the names still remain.

_Las Papas_ (potatoes) Hill, is in the San Francisco district. _Papa_ (potato), is provincial and American.

_Paraíso_ (paradise). See page 161.

_Paraje de Sánchez_ (place or station of Sánchez).

_Pasadena_ (crown of the valley). See page 82.

_Paskenta_, in Tehama County, is Indian and means “under the bank.”

_Paso_ (pass).

_El Paso_ (the pass), of the Truckee River.

_El Paso Peak_ (the pass peak), in Kern County.

_Del Paso_ (of the pass), near Sacramento.

_Paso de Bartolo_ (pass of Bartolo), the last a Christian name.

_Paso de Robles_ (pass of the oaks). See pages 124 and 340.

_Pastoría de las Borregas_ (pasture of the ewe-lambs).

_La Patera_ (a place where ducks congregate). In early days the fresh water swamps near here abounded with ducks. La Patera is a flag station in Santa Bárbara County.

_La Paz_ (the peace). Probably a peace arranged with the Indians, or it may have been named for La Paz in Lower California.

_Pecho Rock_, near San Luís Obispo. The reason for this name has not been discovered, but it may be a reference to the shape of the rock. _Pecho_ means “breast.”

_Pedernales_ (flints). See page 104.

_Los Peñasquitos_ (the little cliffs), in San Diego County.

_Peralta_ (a surname), that of a pioneer family.

_Peras_ (pears) Creek, in Los Ángeles County.

_Los Perros_ (the dogs), possibly Indian dogs.

_Pescadero Point_ (fishing-place point). See page 231.

_Petaluma._ See page 261.

_Picachos Mountains_, a ridge east of San Francisco Bay. _Pichacos_ are frequent, isolated, conical peaks.

_Picacho_ (top, sharp-pointed summit), is the name of a post village in Imperial County.

_Pico_ (a surname), ten miles from Los Ángeles. José María Pico of Sinaloa was the founder of this family, and its most notable member was his son, Pío Pico, at one time governor of California. According to Bancroft, the character of Pío Pico was a mixture of good and bad, in which the good predominated. “He was abused beyond his deserts; he was a man of ordinary intelligence and limited education; of a generous, jovial disposition, reckless and indolent, fond of cards and women; disposed to be fair and honorable in transactions, but not strong enough to avoid being made the tool of knaves. He did not run away with large sums of money obtained by sales of missions, as has been charged.”

_Piedra_ (stone, rock), near Fresno.

_Piedras Blancas_ (white rocks). See page 128.

_Piedras Grandes_ (big rocks).

_La Piedra Pintada_ (the painted rock). See page 108.

_Pilar_ (literally “pillar of stone”). Point Pilar may have been named for _Nuestra Señora del Pilar_, (Our Lady of the pillar), from a church at Saragossa, Spain, where there is an image of the Virgin on a marble pillar. Pilar is also a surname, that of a pioneer family, for whom this point may have been named.

_Pilarcitos_ (little pillars, or little Pilar Ranch).

_Pilitas_ (basins or water-holes in rock).

_El Pinal_ (the pine grove), in San Joaquín County.

_Pino Blanco_ (white pine), in Mariposa County.

_Pino Grande_ (big pine), in El Dorado County, near Placerville.

_Pinole_ (parched corn ground into meal). Point Pinole was so named because the expedition under Lieutenant Vallejo had nothing to eat but pinole while they waited at that spot for the return of the _cargadores_ with provisions from Monterey.—(_Memoirs of the Vallejos_, edited by James H. Wilkins, San Francisco Bulletin, January, 1914.)

_Piñón_ (pine kernel, also the scrub pine, a very picturesque tree bearing a delicious nut).

_Point Pinos_ (point of pines). See page 148.

_Tres Pinos_ (three pines). See page 163.

_Pintado_ (painted, mottled).

_Pinto Range_ (painted or mottled range). See page 332.

_El Piojo_ (the louse), in Monterey County, a short distance south of Jolón.

_Piru_, near Camulos, the name of a former Indian village.

_Pismo._ See page 128.

_Pit River._ See page 294.

_La Pita_, in San Diego County. _Pita haya_ is the fruit of the cactus called “prickly pear.”

_Placer._ See page 304.

_Placerville._ See page 305.

_Planada_ (a plain, level ground), seventy-four miles from Stockton.

_Plano_ (a level surface), in Tulare County.

_La Playa_ (the beach), in Santa Bárbara County.

_Pleito_ (quarrel, lawsuit, bargain). See page 161.

_Plumas_ (feathers). See page 297.

_Las Plumas_ (the feathers), near Oroville.

_Pomo._ See page 261.

_Poncho_ (cloak, blanket).

_Poonkiny_ (wormwood). Poonkiny, sometimes misspelled Pookiny, is from the Yuki Indian language.

_El Portal_ (the gate), the entrance to the Yosemite Valley.

_Portolá_ (a surname). See pages 231 and 340.

_Posa_ (well, pool, also spelled by the Spaniards _pozo_, _poso_). The fact that _posa_ also has the meaning of “passing bell for the dead” has caused some rather ludicrous mistakes. For instance, _La Posa de los Ositos_ (the pool of the little bears), evidently refers to a place where some bears were seen drinking, and certainly would be absurd translated as “the passing bell of the little bears.” When used as names of places the connection makes it quite clear that they were so called in reference to pools of water present on the spot.

_Las Positas_ (the little pools).

_Las Positas y la Calera_ (the little wells, or pools, and the lime-kiln).

_Poso_ (pool, or well), in Kern County, and _Poso_ in San Luís Obispo County.

_Los Posos_ (the pools, or wells), in Ventura County.

_La Posta_ (person who rides or travels post, post-house, military post, etc.). In the case of La Posta, 170 miles from the Mission Tule River Agency, it probably means post-station.

_Potrero_ (pasture, generally for horses). See pages 46, 161 and 231.

_Potrero de los Cerritos_ (pasture of the little hills).

_Potrero Chico_ (little pasture).

_Potrero Grande_ (big pasture).

_Potrero y Rincón de San Pedro de Reglado_ (pasture and corner of St. Peter Regalato). St. Peter Regalato was a Franciscan, and was “especially distinguished for his sublime gift of prayer.” This was the name of a land grant.

_El Potrero de San Carlos_ (the pasture of St. Charles).

_Potrero de San Francisco_ (pasture of St. Francis). This district still goes by the name of “the potrero” in the city of San Francisco.

_Potrero de San Luís Obispo_ (pasture of St. Louis the Bishop).

_El Potrero de Santa Clara_ (the pasture of St. Clara).

_Poway_, in San Diego County, is an Indian place name.

_Pozo_ (pool, well). See page 128.

_Prado_ (meadow), in Riverside County. See page 82. This place was so named on account of its resemblance to a prairie.

_La Presa_ (dam, dike). See page 46. This place is so called from the Sweetwater irrigation dam located there.

_Presidio_ (garrison, prison). See page 231.

_Prieta_ (dark), a place north of San Francisco.

_Los Prietos_ (the dark ones).

_Providencia_ (providence).

_Pueblo_ (town).

_Los Dos Pueblos_ (the two towns). See page 106.

_Puente_ (bridge), near Los Ángeles. See page 82.

_Las Puentes_ (the bridges). See page 161.

_El Puerto_ (the port), of San Diego.

_Pulgas_ (fleas). See pages 82 and 224.

_La Punta_ (the point), in San Diego County.

_Punta Almejas_ (mussel point).

_Punta Año Nuevo_ (point New Year). See page 157.

_Punta Arenas_ (sandy point). See page 340.

_Punta de la Concepción_ (point of the immaculate conception).

_Punta Delgada_ (thin or narrow point). See page 260.

_Punta Gorda_ (fat or thick point). See pages 108 and 260.

_Punta Guijarros_ (pebble or boulder point).

_Punta de la Laguna_ (point of the lagoon). See page 261.

_Punta Loma_ (hill point), near San Diego. See page 45. It should be _Punta de la Loma_.

_Punta de Pinos_ (point of pines). Near Monterey. Page 148.

_Punta de los Reyes_ (point of the kings). See page 232.

_Punta de las Ritas_ (point of the rites). See page 108.

_Purísima Point_ (point of the most pure conception). On the Santa Bárbara Coast.

_Purísima_ (most pure), in San Matéo County.

_Point Sal_ (a surname). See page 108.

_Point Sur_ (south point). See page 162.

_La Quemada_ (the burned place), from the verb _quemar_ (to burn). This name refers to a custom prevalent among the Indians of burning over large tracts of land for the purpose of killing the under-brush and encouraging the growth of grass, which resulted in attracting game. The diaries of the Spaniards refer frequently to this custom, and speak of finding a great deal of country burned over in this way. One writer has offered to his astonished readers the translation of _La Quemada_ as “the over-full, having enough to eat.”

_Quién Sabe_ (who knows), a familiar expression among the Spaniards.

_Quintín._ See page 235.

_Quinto_ (a surname). Simón Tadéo Quinto was one of the members of this pioneer family.

_Raimundo_ (Raymond).

_Ramírez_ (a surname), near Marysville.

_Ramona_ (a Christian name), well known as that of the heroine of Mrs. Helen Hunt Jackson’s romance.

_Ranchería_, a word meaning “settlement,” but generally used by the Spaniards to mean an Indian village.

_Ranchería del Baile de las Indias_ (village of the dance of the Indian women). See page 100.

_Ranchería del Corral_ (village of the yard).

_Ranchería de la Espada_ (village of the sword). See page 102.

_Ranchería del Río Estanislao_ (village of the river Stanislaus).

_Ranchita de Santa Fé_ (little ranch of holy faith).

_Rancho del Puerto_ (ranch of the pass).

_Ratón_ (mouse).

_Real de las Águilas_ (camp of the eagles).

_Redondo_ (round). See page 82.

_Refugio_ (refuge), is in Santa Bárbara County. Refugio is also a Christian name.

_Represa_ (dam), so called on account of a dam at that point, west of the state prison at Folsom.

_Del Rey_ (of the king), also known as _El Rancho Nacional_ because it was used to provide meat and horses for the military. This ranch was in Fresno County.

_Reyes_ (kings). See page 232.

_Ricardo_ (Richard), is in Kern County.

_Rincón_ is the interior angle formed by the junction of two walls or lines, and is one of the terms used in the apportionment of land grants.

_Rincón_ (corner), is in San Bernardino County.

_El Rincón_ (the corner), is in Los Ángeles County, and comprises rich agricultural land on either side of the Santa Ana River.

_Rinconada_ is the corner formed by two houses, streets, roads, or between two mountains.

_Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito_ (corner of the creek of little St. Francis). Land grant.

_Rincón de los Carneros_ (corner of the sheep). Land grant.

_Rinconada de los Gatos_ (corner of the cats—wild-cats). Land grant.

_Rincón de la Brea_ (corner of the asphalt). Land grant.

_Rincón de los Bueyes_ (corner of the oxen). Land grant.

_Rincón del Diablo_ (corner of the devil). Land grant.

_Rincón de los Esteros_ (corner of the estuaries). Land grant.

_Rincón Point_ (corner point). See page 108.

_Rincón de la Puente del Monte_ (corner of the bridge of the wood, or hill). Land grant.

_Rincón de las Salinas_ (corner of the salt marshes). Land grant.

_Rincón de las Salinas y Potrero Viejo_ (corner of the salt marshes and the old pasture). Land grant.

_Rincón de San Francisquito_ (corner of little San Francisco). Land grant.

_Rincón del Sanjón_ (corner of the slough). Land grant.

_Río_ (river).

_El Río de los Berrendos_ (the river of the antelopes). See page 40.

_Río Grande_ (big river).

_Río Jesús María_ (River Jesus Mary). Land grant.

_El Río de los Molinos_ (the river of the mill-stones). See page 80.

_El Río del Nido_ (the river of the nest), referring to the nest of an eagle once seen in a tree on the banks of this stream. The name is now shortened into Río Nido, or Rionido.

_El Río de Santa Clara_ (the river of St. Clara). Land grant.

_El Río de los Santos Reyes_ (the river of the holy kings). See page 278.

_Río Seco_ (dry river).

_Río Vista_ (river view). See page 289. Improper construction. It should be _Vista del Río_.

_El Rito_ (the rite, ceremony).

_Rivera_, literally “brook, creek,” but also a surname. The Rivera family were among the pioneers. See page 82.

_Roblar de la Miseria_, (oak grove of poverty, wretchedness). It is likely that in this grove the Spaniards suffered from a shortage of food supplies, and named it in memory of their sufferings. Land grant.

_Los Robles_ (the oaks), ten miles from Los Ángeles.

_Rodéo_ (cattle round-up). See pages 232 and 340. The town of Rodéo was first laid out to maintain a large packing-house for meat, but this was abandoned, and it has become an oil-refining town.

_Rodéo de las Aguas_ (gathering of the waters). See page 82.

_Del Rosa_ (of the rose), in San Bernardino County. If this is not a surname it is improper in construction, and should be _De la Rosa_.

_Los Rosales_ (the rose-bushes).

_Rosario_ (rosary), procession of persons who recite the rosary. Also a Christian name.

_Sacate_ (grass, hay).

_Sacramento_ (sacrament). See page 271.

_Sal_, in the case of Point Sal a surname. See page 108.

_Salada_ (salted, salty, saline land). Near San Francisco.

_Salazar_ (a surname), that of a pioneer family.

_Salida_ (exit, out-gate), village in Stanislaus County, seven miles northwest of Modesto.

_Salinas_ (salt-marshes). See pages 148 and 340.

_Sal si Puedes_ (“get out if you can”). See page 109.

_La Salud_ (health). See page 174.

_San Andreas_ (St. Andrew). See page 333.

_San Andrés_ (St. Andrew). See page 333.

_San Anselmo_ (St. Anselm). See page 232.

_San Antonio_ (St. Anthony).

_San Antonio de Padua_ (St. Anthony of Padua). See page 141.

_San Ardo_ (St. Ardo), is in Monterey County. St. Ardo, in Latin _Smaragdus_, was a Benedictine monk who wrote a life of St. Benedict which is considered reliable. He died in 843.

_San Augustine_ (properly Agustín), born in Numidia, was the son of Santa Mónica. “In his youth he was so devoted to pleasure that his mother feared the destruction of his character,” but he became converted by the preaching of St. Ambrose, and it is thought that the _Te Deum_ was composed in honor of the occasion of his baptism. It is told of him that “while walking on the sea-shore, lost in meditation on his great theme, the _Discourse on the Trinity_, he saw a little child bringing water and endeavoring to fill a hole which he had dug in the sand. Augustine asked him the motive of his labors. The child said he intended to empty all the water of the sea into this cavity. ‘Impossible!’ exclaimed St. Augustine. ‘Not more impossible,’ answered the child, ‘than for thee, O Augustine, to explain the mystery on which thou art now meditating.’ St. Augustine is the patron of theologians and learned men.”—(_Stories of the Saints._)

_San Benito_ (St. Benedict). See page 161.

_San Bernabé_ (St. Barnabas, or Barnaby). This saint was a native of Cyprus, and a cousin of St. Mark. “He labored with Paul at Antioch, and tradition says he preached from the gospel of St. Matthew, written by the Evangelist himself, which he carried always with him, and that it had power to heal the sick when laid upon their bosoms. He was seized by the Jews and cruelly martyred, while preaching in Judea.”—(_Stories of the Saints._)

_San Bernardino_ (St. Bernardinus). See page 74.

_San Bernardo_ (St. Bernard). There were two saints of this name, one born in 1190 at Fontaine, and the other in Savoy. The latter, St. Bernard of Menthon, is famous as the founder of the St. Bernard hospitals in the Alps, where “the monks, assisted by their dogs, search out and care for travelers who are lost in the passes of the mountains, where the storms are severe, and the cold intense.”

_San Bruno_ (St. Bruno). See page 232.

_San Buenaventura_ (St. Bonaventure). See page 95.

_San Carlos_ (St. Charles). See page 138.

_San Clemente_ (St. Clement). See page 83.

_San Diegito_ (little St. James).

_San Diego_ (St. James). See page 21.

_San Dimas_ “probably St. Dismas, is popularly supposed to have been the good or converted robber on the right side of Christ on Good Friday. In places he is celebrated by the Latins on March 25. The Greeks have him on a much later date.”—(Fray Zephyrin Engelhardt, O. F. M). _San Dimas_ is the name of a post-village in Los Ángeles County.

_San Domingo_ (St. Dominick). St. Dominick was a Castilian of noble descent, and was the originator of the Dominican Order of barefoot priests, and of the use of the rosary.

_Sanel_, the name of a former Indian village called variously Se-nel, Sah-nel, Sai-nel and Sanel. “Sanel is derived from _cané_ (sweathouse), and was the name of a very large village situated south of the town of Sanel, on the eastern side of Hopland Valley.”—(Barrett, in Univ. Publ. in Arch. and Tech.)

_San Emygdio_, “English or Latin _St. Emygdius_, Bishop and Martyr, feast August 5. The Roman Martyrology has this on him: ‘St. Emygdius, Bishop and Martyr, was consecrated Bishop by Pope St. Marcellus and sent to preach the Gospel at Ascoli. He received the crown of Martyrdom for confessing Christ, under Diocletian.’ He is invoked against earthquakes.”—(Fray Zephyrin Engelhardt).

_San Felipe_ (St. Philip). See page 180.

_San Fernando_ (St. Ferdinand). See page 69.

_San Francisco_ (St. Francis). See page 185.

_San Francisco de las Llagas_ (St. Francis of the “stigmata”). See page 179.

_San Francisquito_ (little St. Francis). Land grant.

_San Gabriel_ (St. Gabriel). See page 66.

_San Gerónimo_ (St. Jerome). See pages 233 and 340.

_San Gorgonio_ Mountains and Pass are in the Coast Range in Southern California. Their patron saint, Gorgonius, suffered martyrdom in 304 at Nicomedia during the persecution of Diocletian. Gorgonius, who had held a high position in the Emperor’s household, was subjected to most frightful torments, and was finally strangled and his body thrown into the sea. It was, nevertheless, secured by the Christians and was afterwards carried to Rome.

_San Gregorio_ (St. Gregory). See page 233.

_San Ignacio_ (St. Ignatius). St. Ignatius Loyola was the founder of the order of the Jesuits. “In his youth he was a page in the court of Ferdinand the Catholic, and later a brave and gay soldier.” He became a permanent cripple through being severely wounded in both legs. While confined by these sufferings, he devoted himself to reading the life of Christ, and was thus induced to take up religious work. After some years of study, he induced five men to join him in forming a community under the title of the “Company of Jesus,” whose especial duties are “first, preaching; second, the guidance of souls in confession; third, the teaching of the young.”

_San Isidro_, also spelled _Ysidro_ (St. Isidore). There were two saints bearing this name. St. Isidore the ploughman could neither read nor write, but performed many miracles. His master objected to the time wasted by Isidore in prayer, but his objections were silenced when he found, upon entering the field one day, the plough being drawn by two angels, while St. Isidore knelt at his devotions. The other St. Isidore was Bishop of Seville, and in the church in that city bearing his name, there is a “magnificent picture which represents him dying on the steps of the altar, having given all his property to the poor.” See page 341.

_San Jacinto_ (St. Hyacinth). See pages 83 and 340.

_San Jacinto Viejo_ (St. Hyacinth the Old).

_San Joaquín_ (St. Joachim). See pages 274 and 340.

_Sanjón_ (deep ditch or slough). Also spelled _zanjon_.

_Sanjón de los Moquelumnes_ (Moquelumne slough).

_San José_ (St. Joseph). See pages 168 and 340.

_San José de Buenos Aires_ (St. Joseph of good airs).

_San José y Sur Chiquito_ (St. Joseph and little south). These are the names of two creeks near Monterey.

_San Juan Bautista_ (St. John the Baptist). See pages 154 and 340.

_San Juan Cajón de Santa Ana_ (St. John canyon, literally “box,” of St. Anne). Deep canyons were often called _cajones_ (boxes).

_San Juan Capistrano._ See page 35.

_San Juan Point_ (St. John Point). See page 83.

_San Julián_ (St. Julian). This seems to have been a favorite name for saints, since there were twelve who bore it. Only two, however, are of special importance, St. Julian Hospitator, and St. Julian of Rimini. The first had the fearful misfortune to kill his own father and mother through an error, and to make reparation, he built a hospital on the bank of a turbulent stream in which many persons had been drowned. “He constantly ferried travelers over the river without reward, and, one stormy night in winter, when it seemed that no boat could cross the stream, he heard a sad cry from the opposite bank. He went over, and found a youth, who was a leper, dying from cold and weariness. In spite of his disease the saint carried him over, and bore him in his arms to his own bed, and he and his wife tended him till morning, when the leper rose up, and his face was transformed into that of an angel, and he said: ‘Julian, the Lord hath sent me to thee; for thy penitence is accepted, and thy rest is near at hand’.... St. Julian is patron saint of ferrymen and boatmen, of travelers and of wandering minstrels.” Little is known of St. Julian of Rimini except that he “endured a prolonged martyrdom with unfailing courage.”—(_Stories of the Saints._) See page 340.

_San Justo_ (St. Justus). Little authentic is known of this saint, except that he was the fourth archbishop of Canterbury, and died there about 627.

_San Leandro_ (St. Leander). See page 233.

_San Lorenzo_ (St. Lawrence). See page 234.

_San Lucas_ (St. Luke). See page 162.

_San Luís Gonzaga_ (St. Louis Gonzaga). This saint, also known as St. Aloysius, was the son of a noble Italian lady, the Marchesa di Castiglione. “He entered the Society of Jesus when not yet eighteen years old, and became eminently distinguished for his learning, piety and good works. He died at Rome in 1591 of fever, which he contracted while nursing the sick.”—(_Stories of the Saints._)

_San Luís Obispo_ (St. Louis the Bishop). See pages 117 and 340.

_San Luís Rey_ (St. Louis the king). See page 30.

_San Marcial_ (St. Martial) was the Bishop of Limoges, and is especially noted for the conversions he accomplished, in particular that of the beautiful virgin St. Valerie, who suffered martyrdom for her faith.

_San Marcos_ (St. Mark). “This evangelist was a disciple of St. Peter. He founded the church at Alexandria, and on account of his miracles the heathen accused him of being a magician; and at length, while celebrating the feast of their god Serapis, they seized St. Mark and dragged him through the streets until he died. Then immediately there fell a storm of hail, and a tempest of lightning came with it which destroyed his murderers.” His remains were removed in A. D. 815 to Venice, where the splendid cathedral of St. Mark was erected over them. Many legends are told of this saint, among them the story of his having saved the city of Venice from destruction by demons, who raised a great storm and came in a boat for that purpose, but were driven away by St. Mark, who went to meet them and held up a cross.

_San Marino_, near Los Ángeles, was named for a saint who was born in Dalmatia in the fourth century. He was a poor laborer and was employed in the reconstruction of the bridge of Rimini. His piety attracted the attention of the Bishop of Brescia, who ordained him as a deacon. Marino retired to Mount Titano, and gave himself up entirely to religious practices. His cell attracted others, and this was the origin of the city and republic of San Marino, the smallest republic in the world.

_San Martín_ (St. Martin). See pages 181 and 340.

_San Matéo_ (St. Matthew). See pages 234 and 340.

_San Matéo Point_ (St. Matthew Point). See page 83.

_San Miguel_ (St. Michael). See page 123.

_San Miguelito_ (little St. Michael).

_San Nicolás_ (St. Nicholas). Little that is authentic can be obtained concerning the history of this saint, but there are numerous legends of miracles performed by him, several of them connected with raising children from the dead, and similar stories. St. Nicholas is the chief patron of Russia and of many sea-port towns, and is the protector against robbers and violence. He is also the patron of children and schoolboys in particular, and of poor maidens, sailors, travelers, and merchants.

_San Onofre_ (St. Onophrius). See page 83.

_San Pablo_ (St. Paul). See page 234.

_San Pasqual_ (St. Pascal). This saint was a Spanish peasant, born in Aragón in 1540. He was a member of the Franciscan order, and was remarkable for his unfailing courtesy and charity to the poor.

_San Pedro_ (St. Peter). See page 84.

_San Pedro_, _Santa Margarita_, _y las Gallinas_ (St. Peter, St. Margaret, and the chickens), combined names of three land grants.

_San Quentín_ (St. Quentin). See pages 235 and 341.

_San Rafael_ (St. Raphael). See page 220.

_San Ramón_ (St. Raymond). See page 235.

_San Simeón_ (St. Simeon). See page 128.

_Santa Ana_ (St. Anne). See page 59.

_Santa Ana y Quién Sabe_ (St. Anne and “who knows”), combined names of two land grants.

_Santa Anita_ (St. Annie, or little St. Anne).

_Santa Bárbara._ See page 89.

_Santa Catalina_ (St. Catherine). See page 62.

_Santa Clara_ (St. Clara). See page 167.

_Santa Clara del Norte_ (St. Clara of the north).

_Santa Cruz_ (holy cross). See page 153.

_Santa Fé_ (holy faith), near Los Ángeles. See page 341.

_Santa Cruz Island._ See page 101.

_Santa Gertrudis_ (St. Gertrude). St. Gertrude the Great was a benedictine nun and mystic writer, born in Germany in 1256. She is especially noted for her learning and religious writings, all of which were written in Latin. She was charitable to the poor and had the gift of miracles.

_Santa Inez_, also spelled _Ynez_ (St. Agnes). See pages 109 and 341.

_Santa Lucía_ (St. Lucy). See page 129.

_Santa Margarita_ (St. Margaret). See page 129.

_Santa Margarita y las Flores_ (St. Margaret and the flowers), combined names of two land grants.

_Santa María_ (St. Mary). See page 110.

_Santa Mónica_ (St. Monica). See page 61.

_Santa Paula_ (St. Paula). See page 113.

_Santa Rita_ is the name of a village in Monterey County, near Salinas. The patron saint of this place was born at Rocca Porena in 1386 and died in 1456. Her feast day is May 22, and she is represented as holding roses, or roses and figs. When but twelve years of age Santa Rita was compelled by her parents to marry a cruel, ill-tempered man. This man was murdered, and after his death, his widow desired to enter the convent at Cascia, but was at first refused admission on account of her widowhood. She was finally received, however, and so many miracles were reported to have been performed at her intercession that she was given in Spain the title of _La Santa de los Imposibles_ (the saint of the impossibilities).

_Santa Rosa_ (St. Rose). See page 246.

_Santa Susana_ (St. Susanna). This saint, who was remarkable for her beauty and learning, was a relative of the Emperor Diocletian, who desired her as a wife for his adopted son Maximus. St. Susanna, having made a vow of chastity, refused this offer, and Diocletian, angered by her refusal, sent an executioner to kill her in her own house.

_Santa Teresa_, was born at Avila in Castile, March 28, 1515. During her earliest youth, through reading the lives of the saints and martyrs, she formed a desire to take up religious work. In accordance with this desire, at the age of twenty years, she entered the convent of Carmelites, and chose as her life work the reforming of the order of Mount Carmel, as well as the establishment of a number of convents for men. It was she who made the Carmelites go barefoot, or sandalled. Santa Teresa had distinct literary gifts, and her history of her life is a work of absorbing interest, which is still read with genuine pleasure by students of the literature of Spain. She attained a position of such authority in that country that Philip III chose her for its second patron saint, ranking her next to Santiago (St. James).

_Santa Ynez._ See Santa Inez. See pages 109 and 341.

_Santa Ysabel_, also spelled _Isabel_ (St. Isabella of France), who founded the convent at Longchamps, was sister to the saintly King Louis. She was educated with her brother by their mother, Blanche of Castile. St. Isabel dedicated her convent to the “humility of the Blessed Virgin,” and gave to it all her dowry. As long as the convent existed the festival of this saint was celebrated with great splendor. (_Stories of the Saints._)

_Santiago de Santa Ana_ (St. James of St. Anne). Land grant.

_San Timotéo_ (St. Timothy). St. Timothy was the beloved disciple of St. Paul, whom he accompanied on many journeys. It is said that he was Bishop of Ephesus, until at the age of eighty years he suffered the cruel fate of being beaten to death by pagans.

_San Tomaso_ (St. Thomas), was a Galilean fisherman and one of the apostles. “So great was his incredulity that he has always been remembered for that rather than for his other characteristics,” and it was in this way that the familiar expression “a doubting Thomas” arose. At the time of the ascension of the Virgin, Thomas refused to believe in the event, and the legend relates that in order to convince him the Virgin dropped her girdle to him from the heavens. Three other saints also bear this name, St. Thomas á Becket, the celebrated English historical character; St. Thomas Aquinas, a grandnephew of Frederick I and a man of great learning; and St. Thomas the Almoner, who was so charitable that “as a child he would take off his own clothes to give away to children in the street.” It is related of the last named that he wore the same hat for twenty-six years, and that his whole life was “but a grand series of beneficent deeds. When the hour of his death came he had given away everything except the pallet on which he lay, and this was to be given to a jailer who had assisted him in executing his benevolent designs.” There is a remarkably beautiful picture of him by Murillo, representing him as a child, dividing his clothing among four ragged little ones.

_San Vicente_ (St. Vincent). Three saints bear this name. St. Vincent of Saragosa was martyred during the persecution of the Christians by Diocletian. Legend has it that his remains were guarded by crows or ravens, and when in the year 1147 Alonzo I removed them to Lisbon, two crows accompanied the vessel, one at the prow and one at the stern. In pictures St. Vincent is always represented as accompanied by a crow or raven. St. Vincent Ferraris was born at Valencia in 1357. He was a celebrated preacher and missionary, and “so moved the hearts of his hearers that he was often obliged to pause that the sobbing and weeping might subside.” The third of this name, St. Vincent de Paul, was the son of a Gascon farmer, and his charities were so various and so many as to cause his name to be revered by all, irrespective of religious differences. He established the Hospital La Madeleine for the Magdalens of Paris, a foundling hospital, and numerous other charities. In truth, the practical good done by this man during his life makes him well worthy of the title of “saint.”

_San Ysidro._ See San Isidro. See page 341.

_Saticoy._ See page 84.

_Saucito_ (little alder).

_Saucos_ (alder-trees).

_Sausal_ (willow-grove).

_Sausalito_ (little willow-grove). See page 218.

_Sausal Redondo_ (round willow-grove). See Redondo Beach, page 82.

_El Segundo_ (the second), so called because at that place the Standard Oil Company’s second refinery on the Pacific Coast is located. Modern.

_Sequoia_, the giant tree of California, was named for the Cherokee, Sequoyah, who invented an alphabet for his tribe. Sequoyah, also known as George Gist, or Guess, was the son of a white man and a Cherokee woman of mixed blood, and was, after all, more white man than Indian. He had a natural genius for mechanical invention, and, having been crippled for life in a hunting accident, he occupied his time in devising the alphabet, which was accepted with such enthusiasm by his people that every Cherokee, of whatever age, had learned to read and write in a few months. Sequoia, although not a place name, is given here for the interest it may have for tourists and other persons unacquainted with the origin of the name of the famous “big trees.”

_Serena_ (serene). See page 113. This name is spelled on some maps as _Sereno_, but is called _Serena_ by the people of the neighborhood.

_Serra_ (a surname). See page 84.

_Sespe_, named for a former Chumash Indian village said by Indians to have been on Sespe Creek, in Ventura County.

_Shasta._ See page 251.

_Sierra_ (saw, saw-toothed mountains). See page 293.

_Sierra Madre_ (mother sierra). See page 293.

_Sierra Morena_ (brown range) is the name of a spur of the Coast Range commencing about ten miles south of San Francisco and running through San Francisco County into Santa Clara County. This mountain range, which contains some very charming scenery, may have been so named on account of its color, or it may be the namesake of the _Sierra Morena_ of Spain. The name is sometimes spelled _Moreno_, and one of the possibilities is that it was named for the pioneer Moreno family.

_Sierra Nevada_ (snowy sierra). See page 293.

_Simi_, in Ventura County, is an Indian place name.

_Siskiyou._ See page 256.

_Sis Quoc_, a town and river in Santa Bárbara County, named from _Souscoc_, a former Chumash village near the Santa Inez Mission.

_Sobrante_ (residue, surplus), a term applied to a piece of land left over after measuring off land grants.

_Sobrante de San Jacinto_, residue of the grant called St. Hyacinth.

_Solano._ See page 268.

_Soledad_ (solitude). See page 151.

_Somis_, in Ventura County, is an Indian place name.

_Sonoma._ See page 241.

_Sonora._ See page 333.

_Soquel_, or _Souquel_, was probably derived from Usacalis, a Costanoan Indian village situated in 1819 within ten miles of the Santa Cruz Mission.

_Soscol._ See Suscol.

_Sotoyome_, a former Chumash Indian village near Santa Inez Mission, in Santa Bárbara County.

_Stanislaus._ See page 275.

_Suerte_, a word of many meanings (luck, chance, lot of ground). In the apportionment of land by the Spaniards a _suerte_ was a cultivable lot of land granted to colonists near the pueblos and within the four leagues assigned to the pueblo. Each suerte consisted of two hundred varas of length and two hundred of breadth, a vara being about thirty-three inches. Thus one _suerte_ is one lot (of land), and not, as one writer has translated it, “one chance.” _Dos suertes_ is two lots.

_Suisún._ See page 269.

_Suñol_ (a surname). See pages 236 and 341.

_Sur_ (south). For Point Sur see page 162. In this vicinity the scenery is remarkably picturesque.

_Del Sur_ (of the south), is in Los Ángeles County.

_Suscol_ was the name of a Moquelumnan tribe who lived in a village on the east bank of Napa River. See Soscol.

_Tahoe._ See page 306.

_Tallac_, an Indian word, meaning not ascertained.

_Tamalpais._ See page 213.

_Tambo_, South American for inn, or hotel, so called because in early days there was a stopping place in this vicinity for travelers crossing the continent. Near Marysville.

_Tenaya Peak_, in Yosemite Valley, named for Ten-ei-ya, chief of the Yosemite Indians.

_Tasajara_, the name of a resort near Monterey, is probably a corruption of _tasajera_, a place where jerked meat is hung up to cure. Tassajara in Contra Costa County, and Tasajero creek in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties are probably different spellings of the same word.

_Tecolote_ (owl).

_Tehachapi._ See page 289.

_Tehama._ See page 265.

_El Tejón_ (the badger), is in Kern County. Tejón Pass is badger pass.

_Temécula._ See page 47. Temécula is in the southern part of Riverside County.

_Temescal_ (sweathouse). See page 70.

_Tequisquite_ is an Aztec word, probable meaning saltpetre.

_Tía Juana._ See page 47.

_Tiburón_ (shark). See page 220.

_Tierra Seca_ (dry land).

_Tocaloma._ See page 236.

_Todos Santos_ (all saints).

_Todos Santos y San Antonio_ (all saints and St. Anthony).

_Tolenos_, in Yolo County, is probably a misspelling of Yolenos, from the Indian _Yolo_. See page 268.

_Toluca_, near Los Ángeles, is probably derived from _Tolujaa_, or _Tilijaes_, a tribe among the original ones at San Juan Capistrano in 1731, although there is also a place named Toluca in Mexico.

_Tomales._ See page 236.

_Topo Creek_ (gopher creek).

_Toro_ (bull). See pages 85 and 163.

_Toros_ (bulls).

_Tortuga_ (turtle, tortoise).

_Trabuco_ (blunderbuss, a sort of wide-mouthed gun), but it may not be used in that sense in this case. See page 85. Trabuco Canyon is in Orange County.

_Trampa del Oso_ (bear trap).

_Trampas_ (traps, snares), perhaps named in reference to traps which were in common use among the Indians to catch game, as well as their human enemies. In Contra Costa County.

_Tranquillón Mountain_ is in Santa Bárbara County. _Tranquillón_ is a mixture of two kinds of grain, such as wheat and rye, called in English “mastlin,” or “maslin.”

_Tres Ojos de Agua_ (three springs of water).

_Tres Pinos._ See page 163.

_Trigo_ (wheat), is 128 miles from Stockton.

_Trinity County._ See page 257.

_Trinidad Bay_ and town. See page 257.

_Triunfo_ (triumph), is in Los Ángeles County.

_Trópico_ (tropical), near Los Ángeles.

_Truckee._ See page 305.

_Tulare_ (place of rushes). See page 281.

_Tularcitos_ (little rushes, little Tulare ranch).

_Tulucay Rancho_, near Napa State Hospital, is derived from the Indian word _tuluka_ (red).

_Tunitas_ is a place near San Francisco on the Ocean Shore Road. The tunita is a beach plant sometimes called the “beach apple.” _Tuna_ is the Spanish name for the common cactus known as “prickly pear.”

_Tuolumne._ See page 315.

_Tustín_ (a surname), a place in Orange County, near Santa Ana. Fernando Tustín was one of the early settlers, and came to California in 1845.

_Ukiah._ See page 262.

_Usal_, in Mendocino County. This is an Indian word, derived from _yosal_, or _yusal_, the name of a tribe of Pomos, living on the coast from Usal northward.

_Las Uvas_ (the grapes). See page 163.

_Vacaville._ See page 289.

_Valencia Peak_, near San Luís Obispo. Valencia is a surname.

_Valle_ (valley).

_Vallecito_ (little valley) is the name of places in Calaveras and San Diego Counties. See page 334.

_Los Vallecitos de San Marcos_ (the little valleys of St. Mark).

_Vallejo_ (a surname). See pages 236 and 341.

_Valle Mar_ (sea valley), on the Ocean Shore, near San Francisco. Improper construction. It should be _Valle del Mar_ (valley of the sea).

_Valle de San Felipe_ (valley of St. Philip).

_Dos Valles_ (two valleys).

_Valle de San José_ (valley of St. Joseph).

_Valle Verde_ (green valley). See page 85.

_Valle Vista_ (valley view). See page 85. Improper construction. It should be _Vista del Valle_ (view of the valley).

_Vega_, an open plain, or tract of level land. Vega is also a surname.

_Las Vegas_ (the meadows). Fremont refers to the _vegas_ of the Southern Central Valley in these terms: “We encamped in the midst of another very large basin, at a camping ground called _Las Vegas_, a term which the Spaniards use to signify fertile or marshy plains, in contradistinction to _llanos_, which they apply to dry and sterile plains.”

_Vega del Río del Pájaro_ (plain of the river of the bird).

_Venado_ (deer), is in Colusa County.

_Ventura_ (fortune). See page 113.

_Verano_ (summer), is west of Napa.

_Verde_ (green), twelve miles from San Luís Obispo.

_Verdugo_ (a surname in this case). See page 85.

_Los Vergeles_ (flower gardens, beautiful orchards).

_Vicente Point_ (Point Vincent). See page 85.

_Viento_ (wind), is in San Bernardino County.

_Las Vírgenes_ (the virgins). See page 341.

_Vista_ (view), in San Diego County.

_Bella Vista_ (beautiful view).

_Buena Vista_ (good view).

_Chula Vista_ (charming view). See page 42.

_Vista Grande_ (large view), is in San Matéo County.

_Monte Vista_ (mountain view). Improper construction. It should be _Vista del Monte_ (view of the mountain).

_Río Vista_ (river view). See page 289. Improper construction. It should be _Vista del Río_ (view of the river).

_Vizcaíno Cape_, named for the celebrated Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno, who touched at various points on the California coast in the year 1602.

_Volcán_ (volcano).

_Wahtoque_ is an Indian word meaning “pine nut,” the name of a place near Fresno.

_Wawona_, an Indian word of disputed meaning. See page 334.

_Weitchpec_, near Hoopa valley, Humboldt County. “The Weitspekan family consisted of the Yurok tribe alone, inhabiting the lower Klamath River and adjacent coast. The name is adapted from Weitspekw, the name of a spring in the village. At the site of the present post-office of Weitchpec was one of the most populous Yurok villages, and one of only two or three at which both the Deerskin dance and the Jumping dance were held.”—(A. L. Kroeber in _Handbook of American Indians_.)

_Las Yeguas_ (the mares), referring to a pasture where mares were kept.

_Yerba Buena_ (good herb). See page 205.

_Yokohl_, in Tulare County. This was the name of a Yokuts tribe formerly living on the Kaweah River, Tulare County.

_Yolo._ See page 268.

_Yorba_ (a surname). This was the name of one of Captain Fages’ original Catalán volunteers. Yorba is near Los Ángeles.

_Yosemite_ (grizzly bear). See page 321.

_Yreka._ See page 258.

_Yuba._ See page 266.

_Yucaipe_, in San Bernardino County, is an Indian place name.

_Zamora_, probably named for the province of the same name in the ancient kingdom of León, in Spain. There is an old proverb about this place which says: “No se ganó Zamora en una hora” (Zamora was not taken in an hour), the same idea as expressed in “Rome was not built in a day.”

_Zapatero Creek_ (shoemaker creek).

ADDENDA

_Las Calabazas_ means “the squashes” or “the gourds,” particularly with reference to the wild gourds that grow in that locality.—(Mr. Charles F. Lummis.)

_El Chorro_ (the gushing stream), is the name of a creek near San Luís Obispo, and was so named from a waterfall on its course.

_Garvanza_ is a corrupt word, possibly corrupted from _garbanzo_ (chick-pea). The town name is a modern one, not given by Spaniards but by tenderfeet, and there is no known reason for its application.—(Mr. Charles F. Lummis.)

_León_ turns out not to be of Spanish origin.

In a recent publication on a California subject the definition of _Palo Alto_ is given as “high hill,” and of _Palo Verde_ as “green hill,” both of which are, of course, incorrect. Anyone who will take the trouble to consult an ordinary Spanish dictionary will find that _palo_ means “stick.” As stated elsewhere in this book, the Spaniards used this word in the sense of “tree,” and _Palo Alto_ consequently means “high tree,” as is fully set forth under the heading of this name in these pages. The meaning of _Palo Verde_ is, of course, “green tree.”

_Pecho_ (breast) Rock is so named from the shape of the rock.

_Prado_ (meadow) is a modern name applied without much regard for its fitness.—(Mr. Charles F. Lummis.)

_Rivera_ should be spelled with a “b” instead of a “v.” It means “banks of a stream,” and the name is given for this reason.—(Mr. Charles F. Lummis.)

_Serena_ (serene) is incomplete in this form, as Spaniards do not use an adjective standing alone as a place name. It may have been originally _La Ensenada Serena_ (the serene bay) in reference to the charming little cove situated there.

_Triunfo_ (triumph) is a modern real estate name, and has no historical significance that can be discovered.—(Mr. Charles F. Lummis.)