- Vasquez Rocks
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Vasquez Rocks
Vasquez RocksLocation: Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California Nearest city: Agua Dulce, California NRHP Reference#: 72000228 Added to NRHP: June 22, 1972 
Vasquez Rocks
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is a 905-acre (3 km²) northern Los Angeles County, California, USA park acquired by the Los Angeles County government in the 1970s. It is in the Agua Dulce vicinity between the Antelope Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley just north of Los Angeles and can be seen easily by motorists driving the Antelope Valley Freeway (CA 14).
Contents
History
These rock formations were formed by action of the San Andreas Fault.[1] In 1873 and 1874 Tiburcio Vásquez, one of California's most notorious bandits, used these rocks to elude capture by law enforcement. His name has since been associated with this geologic feature.
Vasquez Rocks was added to the National Register of Historic Places (site #72000228) in 1972 due to its significance as a prehistoric site for the Shoshone and Tataviam peoples.[2]
Role in entertainment
Main article: List of productions using the Vasquez Rocks as a filming locationVasquez Rocks have been used innumerable times in motion pictures, various television series and in moving and still photography advertisements, and continue to be used in them today. The triangular rock summit can be clearly seen in, for example, an Outer Limits episode called "The Zanti Misfits", in "Arena", an original series Star Trek episode where Captain Kirk rolls a boulder onto an alien of reptiloid origin called a Gorn, and throughout a Bonanza episode called "Between Heaven and Earth". The prominent rock formation has been nicknamed "Kirk's Rock" due to being featured in several Star Trek episodes, each time representing a different planet.[3] The Vasquez Rocks were also used prominently throughout all three seasons of the science-fiction television series Roswell as something of an important location for the main characters and their story. The area is also featured as the location of the Command Center for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers throughout Power Rangers Turbo. Also featured in the movie Paul, and in the 2009 "South by Southwest" episode of NCIS.
See also
References
- ^ Frizzell, VA, Jr & Weigand, PW (1993). Whole-rock K-Ar ages and geochemical data from middle Cenozoic volcanic rocks, southern California: A test of correlations across the San Andreas fault in: The San Andreas fault system: displacement, palinspastic reconstruction, and geologic evolution (Matti, Jonathan C.; Powell, R. F.; Weldon, R. J.,eds). Boulder, Colo: Geological Society of America. ISBN 0-8137-1178-9.
- ^ "CALIFORNIA - Los Angeles County". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/ca/Los+Angeles/state9.html. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ "Kirk's Rock". Television Tropes and Idioms. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KirksRock. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- Robert P. Sharp, "Southern California", revised edition, K/H Geology Field Guide Series, Kendall/Hunt Publishing, Dubuque, Iowa, 1975. Cover.
External links
- Official Vasquez Rocks County Park website
- Vasquez Rocks (television use in Bonanza and Star Trek) - also see its following page
- Movie Sites.org - Vasquez Rocks
- Maps & Weather - Unearthed Outdoors
- Los Angeles Orienteering Club - Orienteering Events
Coordinates: 34°28′48″N 118°19′00″W / 34.479887°N 118.31657°W
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other Categories:- Historic districts in Los Angeles
- Film shooting locations
- Rock formations in California
- Protected areas of the Mojave Desert
- Landforms of Los Angeles County, California
- History of Los Angeles County, California
- Landmarks in Los Angeles, California
- Parks in Los Angeles County, California
- Regional parks in California
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles County, California
- Historic districts in California
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