ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : Early Settlement
San Juan Capistrano’s history dates back before the United States was founded.
In 1769, a contingent of Spanish soldiers on their way north from San Diego to Monterey Bay chose Capistrano Valley to settle.
Native Americans in the area came to be called Juanenos for the “Juan” in San Juan Capistrano.
Source: “Dos Cientos Anos En San Juan Capistrano,” by Pamela Hallan-Gibson
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