Old Stage Road ran north and south along an older Indian Trail and served as the route of many Spanish expeditions, American trappers, traders, and exploration parties. It became the major inland route for gold seekers traveling to the northern and southern mines and was the first public road in Tulare County. Among the most noteworthy Spanish expeditions was Gabriel Moraga’s 1806 journey exploring south from Mission San Juan Bautista through Tejon Pass to Mission San Fernando, during which Moraga named the San Joaquin River, from which the valley takes its name. American parties that passed this way included Jedediah S. Smith in 1826 and 1827, Ewing Young in 1830 and 1832, Thomas "Pedleg' Smith in the 1830s and later, Joseph R. Walker in the 1830s and later, John C. Fremont with Kit Carson as guide in 1844, Edward Kern with Joseph R. Walker as guide after detaching from Fremont’s 3rd Expedition in 1846, the Stockton~Los Angeles Road in 1853, and the Butterfield Overland Stage from 1858 to 1861.