Brushy Peak Regional Preserve

Brushy Peak Regional Preserve. . , This land has attracted people's interest for millennia. A network of ancient trade routes once linked indigenous people of these different regions: the Ohlone tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Bay Miwoks of the Delta and Mt. Diablo, and the Northern Valley Yokuts. These native Californians journeyed to Brushy Peak, the heart of the landscape and recognized it as sacred. They were drawn to the peak for its abundant bird life, and scenic views, for economic, social, and ceremonial events. Indigenous people of this region consider Brushy Peak and the surrounding landscape to be central to their traditional stories, culture, and religion., The arrival of the Spanish in 1772 brought livestock grazing from nearby Rancho de Los Vaqueros. Later this area was rumored to be a hideout for outlaws, including Joaquin Murietta. Homesteader Samuel Laughlin and his descendants then lived in this valley until it was purchased by the East Bay Regional Park District in 1997 to preserve its cultural, geologic, and wildlife values. This place is intended as a preserve, and we hope you will enjoy it in that spirit.