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Five Joaquins Gang, was the name that has been attached to the bandit gang led by five men named Joaquin, according to the State of California in 1853. The California state legislature considered this gang enough of a criminal menace to list the "Five Joaquins" by name on a bill passed and signed by Governor John Bigler on May 11, 1853. The legislature authorized hiring for three months a company of 20 California Rangers, veterans of the Mexican-American War, to hunt down "the five Joaquins, whose names are Joaquin Muriati, Joaquin Ocomorenia, Joaquin Valenzuela, Joaquin Botellier, and Joaquin Carillo, and their banded associates."[1] Joaquin Muriati was subsequently found to be one Joaquin Murrieta.

The Five Joaquins of the Five Joaquins Gang

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Of the Joaquins named by the bill of the California state legislature, three were were actual leaders in the gang, two others were only members.

  • Joaquin Murrieta, a Sonoran, born in Pueblo de Murrieta, Sonora, was the head of this group of bandit bands.
  • Joaquin Botellier, a Sonoran, born near Real de los Álamos, came to Alta California before the Gold Rush. He mined with Joaquin Murrieta, in Murphy's New Diggins and took up Murrieta's cause against the mob that lynched Murrieta's elder stepbrother Jesus Carrillo and whipped Joaquin. He became an active member of Joaquin's band of the Gang.[2]
  • Joaquin Carrillo, Spanish born as Joaquin Manuel Carrillo before his father moved to Ures,Sonora from Spain. He was the younger brother of Jesus Carrillo. At age five, he along with his older brother would acquire the Murrieta name after his widowed mother remarried the Sonoran Joaquin Murrieta of Pueblo de Murrieta, soon to be the father of the famous Joaquin. Both were older Carrillo stepbrothers of Joaquin Murrieta and his younger brothers. Joaquin Carrillo Murrieta came to California before 1848 and wrote his stepbrother, Joaquin to bring members of the family to California when gold was discovered. He rode with Joaquin Murrieta to avenge his brother Jesus' lynching by a mob at Murphy's New Diggins and occasionally at other times. He operated the Murrieta rancho in Cañada Molina Vallejo with Joaquin Murrieta's brother-in-law Vincente Jesus Féliz and both watched over Rosa Féliz, Murrieta's wife who lived there following the attack on her and her husband Joaquin in the gold camp.[3]
  • Joaquin Ocomorenia, the alias used by Jesus Valenzuela, born in Pueblo de Murrieta, he was the brother of Joaquin and Teodoro Valezuela and was like them a cousin of Joaquin Murrieta and his brothers and other Murrieta cousins. Jesus Valenzuela was member of the gang not a leader. After he killed a fellow Mexican in a gold camp he promised his brothers he would return to Sonora but he spent the money they gave him for the trip and stayed in California, running with the band of Tres Dedos. A garbled form of his alias, Joaquin Ocomorenia became known to the State Legislature and was put on the list of the Five Joaquins.[4]
  • Joaquin Valenzuela, born in Pueblo de Murrieta, cousin of Joaquin Murrieta and his brothers, stepbrothers and cousins. Leader his own gang, in charge of gathering and organizing the droves of the gangs horses. Additionally he drove them south for the trade in horses from California to Sonora, along with his brother Teodoro Valezuela whose own band took the droves from Joaquin near the Rancho Cucamonga then drove them over the Sonoran Desert for sale in Sonora.[5]

Leaders of the Murrieta Gang and the known Members of their bands

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Joaquin Murrieta Band

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Joaquin Valenzuela's band, Horse Garda

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  • Joaquin Valenzuela, born in Pueblo de Murrieta, brother of Teodoro and Jesus, all cousins of Joaquin Murrieta and his brothers. Leader of the horse gangs along La Vereda del Monte involved in gathering and driving the mustangs and stolen horses to the hand off to Teodoro's band near Rancho Cucamonga.
    • Pedro Gonzales (Valenzuela's Band)
    • Juan Mendez, Californio, from Las Juntas, vaquero, muletero and packer for Valenzuela. He escaped from the Battle of the Cantua, to Las Juntas and returned with a burial party. Latta, : 123 

Joaquin Juan Murrieta (Five Joaquins)

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Teodoro Valenzuela (Five Joaquins)

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Teodoro Valenzuela, born in Pueblo de Murrieta, brother of Joaquin and Jesus Valenzuela, all cousins of Joaquin Murrieta and his brothers. Leader of the horse gangs of the Five Joaquins Gang involved in transporting the horses from near Rancho Cucamonga to Sonora for sale.



Manuel Duarte (Tres Dedos)

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  • Jesus Valenzuela [6] {{rp|
  • Jose Valenzuela [7] {{rp|
  • Ambrosio Urrias [8] {{rp|
  • to [[Three Fingered Jack (California)] add

See Also

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Add a see Also with it for:

References

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  1. ^ The Statutes of California passed at the Fourth Session of the Legislature, George Kerr, State Printer, 1853, p.194 An Act to Create a Company of Rangers
  2. ^ Latta, p.96
  3. ^ Latta, p.127-128
  4. ^ Latta, p.133-134
  5. ^ Latta, p.134-135
  6. ^ Latta, Horse Gangs
  7. ^ Latta, Horse Gangs
  8. ^ Latta, Horse Gangs
  9. ^ Latta, Horse Gangs
  10. ^ Seacrest, Man from the Rio Grande
  11. ^ Latta, Horse Gangs


Five Joaquins work

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