Vasquez Rocks: History and Trivia

There is a certain slanted rock formation that is easy to recognize. You may have seen them in a movie, a commercial, a TV show, a magazine advertisement, or perhaps on a calendar. Anyone who lives in Southern California has probably seen it with their own eyes more than once. I am, of course, referring to Vasquez Rocks.

Vasquez Rocks are located in the Northern Los Angeles County in the area of Agua Dulce. It’s practically a halfway point between the Antelope Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley. You can easily see it from the Antelope Valley Freeway (CA14), and it really is hard to miss.

History:

The reason behind the unique formation is that they are part of the San Andreas Fault. In 1972, Vasquez Rocks was added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its significance as a site for the Tataviam and Shoshone peoples. The Shoshone tribes covered a lot of the US in the West, and there is extensive records and information of them. However, the Tataviam tribe has very little known about its ways or its language. We do know, however, that they were contacted by Spanish missionaries where “virtually all the Tataviam had been baptized” by 1810. (Chester King and Thomas C. Blackburn 1978:536)

Tiburcio Vásquez:

Tiburcio Vásquez was born in Monteray, California in 1835. At the age of 17, he witnessed the murder of Constable William Hardmount, and though he denied having any involvement in it, he feared arrest and became an outlaw. He was arrested in 1856, spent five years in San Quentin, then tried to go straight after his release. But in 1867 he was back in prison.

By 1873 he became notorious throughout the state. He and his gang robbed and murdered throughout California, and after robbing a stage of $300 and stealing six horses, Vásquez was thought to have took to hiding in what is now called Vasquez Rocks. It was from this bandit that the rocks earned their name.

Vasquez Rocks in Entertainment:

To list everything that had featured Vasquez Rocks would take up a great deal of this article. So, instead I’ll list the notables. These rocks, as you’ll see from the list, are an obvious favorite of the filmmakers of Star Trek and westerns. If you would like to see a more complete list, you can see it on Wikipedia.

Movies:
Star Trek XI (2009)
Alpha Dog (2007)
Cars (2006)
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Holes (2003)
Joe Dirt (2001)
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Bubble Boy (2001)
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
The Flintstones (1994)
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Short Circuit (1986)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Werewolf of London (1935)
Dracula (1931)

Television:
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
The Twilight Zone (the original series)
Medium
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Rifleman
Maverick
Monk
24
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers
Star Trek: The Original Series (notably the episodes “Arena”, “The Alternative Factor”, “Shore Leave”, and “Friday’s Child”)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (“Who Watches the Watchers”)
Star Trek: Voyager (“Initiations”)
Star Trek: Enterprise
NCIS (“South By Southwest”)
The Outer Limits
Charmed
Friends
Fear Factor
Zorro