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In 1848, Joaquín Murrieta and his brothers arrived in Alta California from Via San Rafael de los Alamitos, Distrito de Alta, Sonora, México. They were Mexican gold miners seeking their fortune in the gold fields of California.

Joaquín and his brothers were claim-jumped twice. The second time, his older brother was lynched; his young wife was gang-raped by the same mob that lynched his brother. During this horrific event, Joaquín was tied to an oak tree, horsewhipped, and let left for dead. Days later, he went to the county sheriff to seek justice. He was informed that in the State of California it was not illegal for a white person to rape a Mexican woman, or for them to kill Mexicans. He was advised to “forgive and forget.” In the eyes of the law, no crime had been committed.

Disillusioned with the legal authorities’ response, the Murrieta brothers and their friends decided to seek their own justice. They captured and killed 41 of the 42 villains (members of the lynch mob), and for this, the legal authorities labeled them outlaws. As outlaws they robbed and killed people in the Mother Lode area and in the San Joaquín Valley. In the three years that Joaquín lived in California as an outlaw, he committed the following: stole and herded to México more than 10,000 horses, killed the 41 rapists who victimized his family, stole over $1,500,000 in gold, and caused the death of scores of people. How many, may never be known.

Two companies of California Rangers (the first in 1851; the second in 1853) were enacted by the State of California for the sole purpose of halting Joaquín’s criminal activities; but he was never captured, killed, or even tried as a criminal. The second company of California Rangers claimed they killed him and collected the reward money from the State. But, Joaquín died of old age (80 years old) on his ranch near Cucurpe, Sonora, M