Los Banos, CA (September 30, 2025) — A piece of Los Banos history is missing, and the public’s help is needed to bring it back.
Over the weekend of Sept. 27–28, Executive Director of the California Landmark Foundation, Ray Najera, told the Los Banos Enterprise he noticed the sign was gone while driving through town and believed it “went missing very recently.” Najera said he first alerted the Ralph Leroy Milliken Museum and then contacted the Enterprise; these appear to be the first public reports.
The plaque was located at Pacheco Park. The location was formally recognized as California Registered Historical Landmark No. 550 in 1956, and a commemorative plaque was placed on April 25, 1957, by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with Los Banos Parlor No. 206 of the Native Sons of the Golden West and the City of Los Banos.
The plaque explains that Los Banos (The Baths) del Padre Arroyo was a site used as early as 1805 by Spanish explorers and was a favorite stop for padres from the San Juan Bautista Mission when traveling through the San Joaquin Valley. Later American settlers renamed it Los Banos Creek. A post office was established there in 1874, and the present town of Los Banos was founded in 1889. The plaque was placed in 1957 by the California State Park Commission, in cooperation with the Native Sons of the Golden West, Los Banos Parlor No. 206, and the City of Los Banos.
The California Landmark Foundation (CLF) is a 501(c)(3) whose states purpose as “protecting and maintaining artifacts that make up our rick cultural heritage.”
Similar thefts and removals of historical markers around California have been reported in recent years, often involving metal plaques and monuments; recovery can be difficult, and communities frequently turn to public tips to locate missing items.
Anyone with information about the sign’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Los Banos Police Department at (209) 827-7070.
You can learn more about the California Landmark Foundation at their website www.savethelandmarks.org
