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We are very pleased that Mr. Charles Sawyer, an author of Los Banos history books and the curator of the Milliken Museum, has agreed to write a short history of Los Banos California for OurLosBanos.com. We are grateful for Mr. Sawyer's contribution to this website and very much appreciate him granting us permission to publish this piece of his his writing here.

We are also thankful to Former Mayor Mike Amabile of Los Banos for allowing us to post 4 of the historical photos that he has up on the wall at Espana's Restaurant. They appear below as well.

Los Banos History
By Charles Sawyer

When the gallant Gabriel Moraga with his troop of Spanish cavalry from the Presidio of San Francisco came riding through the Pacheco Pass on his orders from the Spanish Governor of California to explore the San Joaquin Valley this jaunty leader and his party on reaching the floor of the valley cantered right over where the city of Los Banos now stands. This was the first time anyone but Indians had ever seen this promising locality.

These explorers on this journey of Moraga in 1805 were astonished to note the great wealth of natural life everywhere to be seen. Looking in every direction these Spaniards saw ducks, geese, cranes, pelicans, antelope, deer, elk and grizzly bears all living their way of life undisturbed. Moraga little realized that this abundance of wild life was but a forerunner of the agricultural wealth and prosperity this region would be sustaining two centuries later.

The next Spanish explorer to leave his name stamped indelibly on this region was Padre Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta. He was a Franciscan monk who was stationed at Mission San Juan Bautista from 1808 to 1833. On his missionary visits to the Indians, as far away from his Mission as the San Joaquin River Itself, he discovered pools of water in the rocks at the summit of the mountains in a little creek that flowed down into the San Joaquin Valley. At these baths or pools he was wont to camp over night with his band of tame Indians from the Mission.

In time the Spanish ranchers from the Coast began calling this creek "El Arroyo de los Banos del Padre Arroyo." This being translated means the creek where -the pools or baths or camping place of Padre Arroyo are located. When later the Americans after the Mexican War cane pouring info this region they could not take the time to say "El Arroyo de Los Banos del Padre Arroyo" in speaking of this little stream and shortened the name to "Los Banos Crick."

1890 Photo Courtesy of Former Mayor Michael Amabile / Espana's Restaurant

The Post Office Department in 1873 decided to establish a post office at the pioneer trading post operated Moses Korn who applied for and got the post office.

"Los Banos", the name of the creek was given to the post office and was adopted by the stage station as well.

Gus Kreyenhagen a German professor originally established the trading post, in 1865 later selling his business to Moses Korn.

1904 Photo Courtesy of Former Mayor Michael Amabile / Espana's Restaurant

A penniless German butcher boy by the name of Heinrich Kreiser reached San Francisco in 1850. The very morning he arrived he went right to work at his trade. Sixty-six years later in 1916 at the time of his death he owned nearly a million acres of land in the San Joaquin Valley

When Heinrich began to ascend the ladder of success he had the State Legislature of California in 1858 officially change his name to the more American one of Henry Miller.

Photo Courtesy of Former Mayor Michael Amabile / Espanas Restaurant

Although Henry Miller, first, last and. all the time was a cattleman and butcher, among the trifling little things he toyed with in his busy life was the buying out of a defunct canal. Enlarging it to seventy-eight miles in length he made it an outstanding success.

With the coming of the railroad down the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley in 1889 Miller founded the tow" of Los Banosin 1890. The rest of his life he could not do enough for his city. He graveled the streets. He set out hundreds of shade trees along the sidewalks. He built brick buildings to house his store, his hotel and his bank. He laid out a city park.

1904 Photo Courtesy of Former Mayor Michael Amabile / Espana's Restaurant

Henry Miller's city of Los Banos is now a metropolis. Here the canal. The railroad and the state highway center. Soon mountain water from Shasta Dam five hundred miles to the north will be pouring into the San Luis Reservoir to irrigate four hundred thousand acres of land adjoining Los Banos on the south. A six lane highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles runs nearby along the foot hills.

2007 Photo Courtesy of Memorable Places Web Design / Charles Guest

Business enterprises locating in Los Banos have the assurance of an unlimited water supply. Moreover transportation facilities extending in every direction are already at hand. The climate here is never winter. Most of all, business property in Los Banos will be forever free from the turbulence common to foreign investments in the many unstable nations of the world.

CS

Again, OurLosBanos.com is very grateful for Mr. Sawyer's work which he allowed us to publish above. Mr. Sawyer can often be found at our local history museum where he is a curator and interpreter. The Milliken Museum is located at 905 Pacheco Boulevard - near Pacheco Park. Mr. Sawyer has also written several books on Los Banos. Please scroll to the bottom of the page for more book information.

Want to see some of this in person? Visit
The Milliken Museum Los Banos

If you are looking for books on Henry Miller and Los Banos you can pick copies up when you visit the Milliken Museum. Some of the books offered there include the following:

The following books are available from Amazon.com:

One Man Show

The road over: Center Point, Old Los Banos, Pacheco Pass

The Los Banos Henry Miller May Day celebrations

The Cattle King: A Dramatized Biography by Edward Treadwell - The Biography of henry Miller Founder of The Miller Lux Cattle Empire.

If you are interested in reading more about the history of the Los Banos Ca and people like Henry Miller who started it please come by Milliken Museum at 905 Pacheco Boulevard.