In the 1850's this canyon was a hiding and trading place for the notorious bandit Joaquin Murrieta, known in California as "El Famoso," and it later became a long-running rodeo site with roots reaching back to the rancho days circa 1820. Harry Rowell, originally from England, held his first rodeo here in 1921 and bought the land in 1925, soon becoming known as the "Rodeo King of the West." The Rowell Ranch Rodeo Assn. marked its 75th annual rodeo in 1995, and after the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District acquired the land from Maggie Rowell in 1978, a variety of rodeo continued there.