The majestic Walnut Creek flows through our downtown.
Some folks wonder why our city is named Walnut Creek. Especially if they only drive in and out of town, without walking about much, they may very well miss sight of the creeks running below our streets. And what with the extensive development of the downtown area, they’re not likely to notice any walnut trees, either. You’ve heard ‘em say it—“No walnuts, and no creeks!” Well, it’s the purpose of this here blog to dispel such urban myths and set the record straight. We have walnuts and we have creeks, as well as a whole lot of history running beneath the surface of our fine city. All you’ve got to do is stop and take a look. We hope you’ll stop by and do some of your looking over here at Nuts Creek, the official blog of the Walnut Creek Historical Society.
Next time you’re visiting the new downtown Walnut Creek Library, or relaxing at Civic Park, keep an eye out for the railings on the side of the street, at Broadway or Lincoln Avenue, or along the bridge in the park. Walk over to one of those railings, look down, and behold—Walnut Creek. And if you follow the Creek Walk, you’ll be able to see parts of the creek that still look a lot like they did hundreds of years ago, long before paved streets, concrete diversion channels, and Nieman Marcus. Worried you might get lost? You can find a useful map here.
Yes, Virginia, there are walnut trees in Walnut Creek...
Walnut Creek is native habitat for the Northern California black walnut, or Juglans hindsii. It gained this name due to having been identified and recorded by the British surgeon and naturalist Richard B. Hinds, who accompanied Capt. Edward Belcher (1799–1877) on a global ocean voyage that included an exploration of San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento River in 1837. Belcher wrote of these explorations in his two-volume book, Narrative of a Voyage Round the World, which was published in 1843 and included Hinds’ observations. It is believed that California pioneer William Robert Garner acquired a copy of Belcher’s book, which aided him in identifying the local flora, and he mentions these native trees in a letter he wrote on November 26, 1846. An editorial footnote adds further detail: “The species is quite restricted in habitat, only three stands being known at that time: on the Sacramento at Walnut Grove, at Walnut Creek in Contra Costa County, and at Wooden Valley, east of Napa.”1
The Spaniards certainly noticed the walnut trees. In 1834, Doña Juana Sanchez de Pacheco (1776–1853) was awarded title to Rancho Arroyo de Las Nueces y Bolbones, which was partly named for the creek passing through it. Arroyo de Las Nueces is Spanish for “Stream of the Nuts,” so-named for the abundant walnut trees growing along its banks. After 1849, the English-speakers who moved into the area called it Nuts Creek.
Walnut Creek is fed by two tributaries, the confluence being at a spot underneath the large commemorative fountain in downtown’s Liberty Bell Plaza, at Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Broadway. San Ramon Creek flows from the southeast, and Las Trampas Creek from the southwest.
San Ramon Creek was originally called Arroyo del Injerto. Here are the facts: “In the San Ramon land grant case (1855) José Maria Amador testified that ‘the name was given it [the creek] by the name of Ramón who had the care of some sheep there a long time ago. It was also called Arroyo del Injerto [‘graft’] from the fact that there is a singular tree growing there, that is an oak with a willow grafted on it.’”2 In case you’re wondering, Ramon wasn’t a saint, though that’s not to say he wasn’t a good guy. “San” was tacked on later, in line with that naming convention peculiar to California. You can see this creek along Newell between Broadway and South Main Street, behind Broadway Plaza, as well as along Creekside Drive near the Elks Lodge.
Arroyo Las Trampas, or Las Trampas Creek, gained its name from the hills that separate today’s San Ramon Valley from Lamorinda, Sierras pequenas del . . . Arroyo San Ramon alias Las Trampas (‘little ridge of the . . . Arroyo San Ramon alias The Traps’). It seems traps were set in the chaparral of those hills to catch elk.3 Next time you’re walking down California Boulevard between Newell and Bothelo, or perhaps shopping at Trader Joe’s, take a look over the railing and you’ll see Las Trampas Creek.
Right about now, you may be thinking to yourself: “I wonder, is there something I can do to help preserve the irreplaceable natural asset that is our creek?” Funny you should ask. It just so happens that there is a creek cleanup this coming May 14, sponsored by Friends of the Creek. Follow the link and find out how easy it is to pitch in and help. You’ll have fun while contributing to the welfare of our community. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Meanwhile, we’ll try to keep Nuts Creek clean, too. Feel free to post your comments. We also welcome submissions about local history. Nuts Creek is a place for all of us.
1 William Robert Garner, Letters from California, 1846–47, edited by Donald Munro Craig (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970), pp. 140–41.
2 Erwin G. Gudde, California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, edited by William Bright (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998), p. 343
3 Gudde, p. 205
