Mt. Diablo
Monday, April 18, 2005 | Jump Down To Comments
This weekend I went on field trip to Mt. Diablo. The views from the vista here were amazing. The distance of sight was much further than I have seen in a while. The city is so compact and even from the height of Twin Peaks the fog/smog of the East Bay and downtown does not allow the viewer to see very far.
Some interesting facts about the naming of Mt. Diablo. I always thought that it was named such because of the two rises that it has looking like horns, hence devil horns. However, in the visitors center at the top of the mountain I learned three different stories as to the possiblity of how this mountain got its name. I will share with you the one that I think best explains the name.
Around 1804/1805 there was a Spanish Military Expedition that was in the area looking for run away prisoners (they happened to be Indians of course). The Spanish found a village of Chupan people, surrounded it and were going to take them all prisoners. However in the night the people iof the town all escaped into the darkness. The Spanish Military then named this area where the escape took place Monte del Diablo (meaning Thicket of the Devil). I think that it was through miss translation and time passing that the naming of My. Diablo became such.
Anyone know any other stories as to how that mountain or anyother got its name?
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Go get information on this, at the Pleasant Hill "main" library. The librarian will get some old writings from the library vault. These writings cannot be taken out of the library, but may be copied. There are around 6 different explainations of how our mountain got it's name, and every one is worth reading.
I looked up the Wikipedia entry for it, you're right. Here's part of the entry there:
Oddly enough my friend Gary brought it up on a ride this weekend. He mentioned Mount Diablo is the reference point for all geological (or geographical, I forget which) surveys in the state.