Murrieta Spring

Murrieta Spring was a historic spring on the south bank of Cantua Creek in the San Joaquin Valley, near El Camino Viejo at the foot of the Diablo Range. Emerging into a pool in an arroyo, it became linked to a violent episode in California history when, on July 25, 1853, Harry Love and his detachment of California Rangers found and attacked the gang of Joaquin Murrieta there. In later years, wells drilled by the Lillis Ranch for livestock stopped the spring’s natural flow. Its importance endures chiefly through its connection to the old valley travel route and the long-retold confrontation at the spring.

California · United States