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THE
HISTORY
Live Oak Canyon Road in Trabuco
Canyon
On
July 23, 1769, Gaspar de Portola led an expedition
into what is now Orange County and camped a few
miles east of the San Juan Capistrano area. On
July 24, the expedition headed inland to avoid
the many streams and swamps in the area. They
found a large plateau area and camped that night
on its western edge by a canyon which the Franciscans
named San Francisco Solano. This was on the eastern
side of Trabuco Creek about three miles downstream
from the present Trabuco Oaks. While camped here
on July 24-25, one of the soldiers lost his "trabuco"
or musket, a most valuable possession to any soldier.
To mark this loss, the stream was named Trabuco.
The name has been associated with the mesa, the
canyon and the entire area ever since.
Today,
Trabuco Canyon lies next to subdivision housing
of nearby cities such as Irvine, Lake Forest and
Rancho Santa Margarita. Within easy reach of Orange
County's busy cities, one can go down winding,
narrow roads shaded by trees and enter a beautiful
wilderness.
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History provided by
County
of Orange Harbors, Beaches & Parks
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