Garza Creek

Garza Creek
Native name	El Arroyo de las Garzas (Spanish)
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Kings County
Physical characteristics
Source	source
• location	on the north slope of Zwang Peak of the Diablo Range., Kings County, California
• coordinates	35°56′53″N120°15′01″W / 35.94806°N 120.25028°W / 35.94806; -120.25028 [1]
• elevation	3,081 ft (939 m)
Mouth	mouth
• location	terminates in the Kettleman Plain, 1.6 miles south of Kettleman Station., Kings County, California
• coordinates	36°01′37″N120°11′08″W / 36.02694°N 120.18556°W / 36.02694; -120.18556 [1]
• elevation	778 ft (237 m) [1]

Garza Creek, originally El Arroyo de las Garzas (The Creek of the Herons). Its source on the north slope of Zwang Peak of the Diablo Range, in Kings County.

It flows east-northeast through Kreyenhagen Hills to terminate in the Kettleman Plain, 3.6 miles west northwest of Avenal in the San Joaquin Valley. ^[1]

Geography

Garza Creek’s watershed encompasses part of the western slope of the southern Diablo Range. Its intermittent flow is typical of streams in the arid California Coast Ranges, where water typically appears following winter and spring rains. The Kreyenhagen Hills and Kettleman Plain region have been shaped by tectonic uplift and erosion, with the creek helping to delineate local valleys and agricultural boundaries. ^[2]

History

The watercourse known as Arroyo de las Garzas served as a watering place along the historic El Camino Viejo trail, which connected early settlements and mining areas of central California before the advent of railroads.

This creek was the place first settled by Dave Kettelman, a 49er that went back to the Missouri River, and returned with a herd of cattle, which he pastured on his ranch in the Kettleman Plain and the Kettleman Hills west of Tulare Lake. ^[3]

His name was later given to Kettleman Station, Kettleman City and the Kettleman North Dome Oil Field. ^[4]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Garza Creek
2. "Geolex — Avenal publications". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
3. Erwin G. Gudde, William Bright, California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, University of California Press, 2004, Page 193 (J. W. Beebe).
4. Mildred Brooke Hoover, Douglas E. Kyle, Historic spots in California Stanford University, Stanford, 2002, p.139