Three Rocks, a tiny town near Interstate 5 in California's San Joaquin Valley, is home to just a few hundred people. Most work as farm laborers in the surrounding tomato, cotton and melon fields. In 1853 the Mexican bandit Joaquin Murrieta was reportedly killed at nearby Cantua Creek. His pursuers, including a Texas Ranger named Love, reportedly chopped off his head and pickled it in a jar. The head was later taken on a side-show tour of California. In 1980, many Three Rocks residents had their housing condemned by county authorities. In protest, a horseback pilgrimage was organized to the nearby site of Murrieta's demise. While many of the town's residents did lose their homes, the pilgrimage has since become an annual event, drawing visitors, many of whom regard Murrieta as a folk hero, from across California. |