Yarmus, Marcia D.

English

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Literary Onomastics Studies
Volume 12 Article 17
1985
John Steinbeck's Hispanic Onomastic Interests in
The Log From the Sea of Cortez and East of Eden
Marcia D. Yarmus
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY
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Repository Citation
Yarmus, Marcia D. (1985) "John Steinbeck's Hispanic Onomastic Interests in The Log From the Sea of Cortez and East of Eden,"
Literary Onomastics Studies: Vol. 12 , Article 17.
Available at: http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/los/vol12/iss1/17
JOHN STEINBECK'S HISPANIC ONOMASTIC INTERESTS 
IN THE LOG FROM THE SEA OF CORTEZ AND EAST OF EDEN 
------- ---
-----
�1arcia D. Yarmus 
John Jay College of Criminal Justice 
The City University of Ne�.r York 
LOS 195 
John Steinbeck was a North American author of German, New 
New England, and Irish ancestry who spoke Spanish and who had a 
continuous interest in the Hispanic heritage of his native California. 
This interest is manifested in his use of Hispanic linguisLic 
elements. These elements can be divided into four caLegot'i.es: 
Hispanic vocabulary, Hispanic dialogue, the proper names of Hispanic 
characters and Hispanic Toponymy (Geographic Nomenclature). The 
latter category, that is Hispanic Toponym� is the subject of this 
study. For the sake of brevity we will leave the discussion of the 
names of his Hispanic characters for another paper. 
Geography has been a visible assimilator of past civilizations. 
The SL��e of California received during its Spanish-Mexican Colonial 
period an extremely rich legacy of place-names and traditions. Once 
under Spanish, later Mexican rule, and now parL of Lhe United States, 
California cannot �scape its roots and early Ilispnnic background. 
Even a cursory glance at a map of California will immediately confirm 
the numerous Hispanic place-names, most particularly, in the central 
and southern parts of the state. A non-Spanish (Hispanic) name 
applied to n river, town, mountain, county seat or oLher geographical 
LOS 196 
landmark is a rarity.
1 
It is perhaps this very factor which inspired John Steinbeck to 
create the Spanish town of San Juan de la Cruz in his novel The 
2 
Wayward Bus, published in 1947. In point of fact, this town does not 
actually exist in California. Interestingly, San Juan de la Cruz \oTas 
a famed mystical writer and poet of seventeenth-century Spain. It is 
only in those regions of California beyond the limits of early 
Spanish or Mexican penetration that exclusively English-derived 
nomenclature is encountered. 
Steinbeck demonstrated his Hispanic onomastic interests ln two 
works: East of Eden and Sea of Cortez, published in 1941. The 
narrative portion, republished ten years later in 1951 and called 
3 The Log From the Sea of Cortez, is the story of a six-week marine 
biology expedition which he and his friend Ed Ricketts undertook in 
March and April 1940 along the Pacific Ocean coast of Lower 
California and in the Gulf of California. 
SteLnbeck's inLeresl in the origins of Hispanic place-names led 
him t0 probe the very meaning of California llsclf nnd to agree w:lth 
Clavlgero's de(Jnltion. (n 1786, Don francisco Javier Cluvlgero, a 
Jesuit monk, completed (in lcalian) a history of [Lower] California 
\oThich was published posthumously three years later in Venice. 4 In 
The Log From the Sea of Cortez Steinbeck refers to and quotes 
extensively from the 1937 Stanford University Press edition of the 
Clavigcro work which was translated from the Italian by Sara E. Lake 
and edited with detailed footnotes by A.A. Gray.5 
LOS 197 
In his discussion of the meaning of California, Steinbeck quotes 
Clavigero as follot.rs: 
'The name, California, . . •  was applied to a single port in 
the beginning, but: later it tvas extended to mean all the 
Eeninsula. Some geographers have even taken the liberty 
of comprising under this denomination Nelv Mexico, the 
country of the Apaches, and other regions very remote 
from the true California and which have nothing to do 
with it. ' (Log, p. 52) 6 
"Clavigero says of its naming" and Steinbeck quotes him: 
'The origin of this name is not knolVH, but it is believed 
that the conqueror, Cortes, who pretended to have some 
knowledge of Latin, named the harbor, where he put in, 
"Callida fornax" because of the great heat \vhich he felt 
there; and that either he himself or some one of the many 
persons who accompanied him formed the name California 
from these two words. If this conjecture be not true, 
it is aL least credible. ' (Log, p. 52)7 
Steinbeck's comments on these latter words are intercsLing: 
"We like Clavigero for these last \vords. He was a careful man. The 
observations set dolVH in his history of Baja California are surpris­
ingly correct, and if not all true, they are at least all credible. 
He always gives one his choice. Perhaps his Jesuit training is 
never more evident than in this. 'If you believe this,' he says in 
effect, 'perhaps you are not right, but at least you are not a fool'" 
LOS 198 
(Log, p. 52). Lake and Gray include a footnote to Clavigero' s remark 
about credibility which Steinbeck found interesting enough to quote: 
111The famous corsairt Drake, called California 11New Albion" in honor 
of his native land. Father Scherer, a German Jesuit, and M. de Fer, 
a French geographer, used the name "Carolina Island" to designate 
California, which name began to be used in the time of Charles II, 
King of Spain, when that Peninsula was considered an island, but 
these and other names \V"ere soon forgotten and that given it by the 
conqueror, Cortes, prevailed'" (Log, pp. 52-53).8 
Steinbeck quotes a second footnote by Lake and Gray: "'We shall 
add the opinion of the learned, ex-Jesuit, Don Jose Campoi, on the 
etymology of the name, "California," or "Californias" as others say. 
This Father [that is,Campoi] believes that the said name is composed 
of the Spanish word "Cala'  which means a small cove of the sea, and 
the Latin word 'fornix'' which means an arch; because there is a 
small cove at the cape of San Lucas on the western side of which 
there overhangs a rock pierced in such a \V"ay that in the upper part 
of t:h.;.t-. great opening is seen an arch formed so perfectly that it 
appears made by human sk1ll. Therefore Cortes, noticing the cove 
and arch, and understanding �atin, probably gave to that port the 
name "Califoroia11 or Cala-y-fornix, speaking half Spanish and half 
Latin'" (Log, p. 53).9 
Steinbeck continues quoting Lake and Gray \-.rho say: "'To these 
conjectures we could add a third one, composed of both, by saying 
that the name is derived from Gala, as Campoi thinks, and fornax, as 
LOS 199 
the author [Clavigero] believes, because of the cove, and the heat 
which Cortes felt there, and that the latter might have called that 
place Cala, 1.. fo·rnax'" (Log, p. 53) .10 
Steinbeck, speaking both for himself and Ed Ricketts,concludes 
his discussion as follows: 
Our feeling about this, and all the erudite discussion 
of the origin of this and other names, is that none o( 
these is true. Names attach themselves to places ond 
stick or fall away .... More likely a name emcrAes <Jlmost 
automatically from a place as \..rell as from a man and 
the relationship between name and thing is very close. 
(Log, p. 53) 
With regard to geographic naming, Steinbeck believes that "it 
seems almost as though the place contributed something to its own 
name • • . .  'The place draws the name.'" "It doesn't matter," he 
continues, "what California means; what does matter is that \ITi th all 
the names bestowed upon this place, 'California' has seemed right to 
those >·lho have Been it. And the meaningless tvord 'Cali:Corni o 1 has 
t:ompJ cteJ y 1·ouLcd all the 'Ne\4 /\lbions' and 1 C<1roJ inas' l1·om Lhc 
scene" (Log, pp, 54-55).11 
The name Amortajada Bay, into which the expedition sailed, is 
depicted by Steinbeck in terms of its true meaning. He calls it 
"shrouded and quiet'' (Log, p. 152). His knowledge of the meaning of 
Puerto Escondido is expressed in the words the "Hidden Harbor" 
(Log, p. 156), a direct translation. As Steinbeck's marine biology 
LOS 200 
trip through the Gulf of California continues, he mentions many of 
the stopovers and often probes the significance of their names. He 
discusses Puerto Refugio, the "fine harbor" of Guardian Angel 
Island [which] "indicates by its name that many ships have clung to 
it in storms and have found safety there" (Log, p. 224). Clavigero 
had called the island both "A.ngel de la Guardia" and "Angel 
Custodio." Although Steinbeck translates the island's name as 
Guardian Angel Island, he prefers Clavigero's second name for it 
(Log, p. 224). It was, by the �vay, the largest island on the coast 
of Lower California, forty miles long and ten miles �.,ide, but noted 
for its large number of rattlesnakes, it reflects quite an ironic 
t�vist to its name of Guardian Angel. 
12 
Steinbeck continues his probing into the significance of the 
Hispanic names of his native California in his novel East of Eden,13 
published in 1952. After relating the history of his native 
Salinas Valley, he points out that "[w]hen the Spaniards came they 
had to give everything they saw a name. This is the first duty of 
any e��lorer--a duty and a privilege. You must name a thing before 
you can note it on your hand-drawn map" (EE, p. 7). Steinbeck 
acknowledges the variety of reasons why the Spaniards selected 
particular names and he proceeds to enumerate them. Since they were 
a religious people and the Franciscan friar.s were after all respon­
sible to a great extent for the work of founding the California 
missions and since the priests who accompanied the soldiers "kept 
the records and drew the maps" (EE, p. 7), it was natural that they 
LOS 201 
should first choose as place-names--the names of saints and religious 
holidays. There were indeed many saints, but, as Steinbeck says, 
"they are not inexhaustible" and, as a result, there were numerous 
"repetitions in the first namings" (EE, p. 7). As examples he cites 
"San Miguel, St. Michael, San Ardo, San Bernardo, San Benito, San 
Lorenzo, San Carlos, San Francisquito" (EE, p. 7). In Steinbeck' s  
own works there appear many localities bearing saints' names (and they 
are frequently repeated throughout his novels): San Francisco, San 
Francisquito (its diminutive form), Santa Lucia, Santa Cruz, San Jose, 
San Joaquin, San Ysidro [sic], etc. Steinbeck also cites and utilizes 
names commemorating holidays which were celebrated by the explorers 
"at stopping places" (EE, p. 7), and among these we find --"Natividad, 
the Nativity; Nacimiente [sic) , the Birth [as Steinbeck himself 
translates it, but actually the holy creche]; Soledad, the Solitude" 
(EE, p. 7); and, of course, his reference to the Virgin herself, 
Nuestra Senora, our Lady. The latter, in actuality the Jolon Valley, 
is the setting of his third novel To A God Unknown, published in 1933. 
Steinbeck gives a lengthy explanation (which can be divlded into 
four sections) of the derivations of many Hispanic place-names. 
Firstly, they were derived from the mood of the expeditlon aL the 
time, and for this he cites: "Buena Esperenza [sic) , good hope; Buena 
Vista because the vie\-1 was beautiful; and Chualar because it was 
pretty" (EE, p. 7). Steinbeck is either inaccurate here or he is 
thinking of Chula Vista which means beautiful view. Chualar is 
actually the site 
14 where white pigweeds grow. Secondly, from the 
LOS 202 
description of the particular ar�as, the following place-names 
emerged: "Paso de los Robles because of the oak trees; Los Laureles 
for the laurels; Tularcitos because of the reeds in the swamp; 
and Salinas {Steinbeck's own birthplace and site of much of the 
action in East of Eden] for the alkali which was white as salt" 
(E!L p. 7). Thirdly, places, according to Steinbeck, were also named 
for the "animals and birds seen11 in the region, such as "Gabilanes15£or 
the hawks which flew in those mountains; Topo for the mole; [and] Los 
Gatos for the wild cats" (EE, p. 7). Fourthly, suggestions for names 
also came from "the nalure of the place itself," such as "Tassajara,16 
a cup and saucer; Laguna Seca, a dry lake; ... [and] Paraiso because 
it was like Heaven" (EE, p. 7). He also cites "Corral de Tierra for 
a fence of earth" (EE, p. 7). In Steinbeck's second novel The 
Pastures of Heaven (1932), the author vividly depicls this actual 
valley of Corral de Tierra, but the setting for the work is called 
by the title in contrast "Las Pasturas del Cielo," (or that was the 
impression created upon its discoverer.
17steinbeck's utilization of 
Hispa�.jc place-names in his mm works illustrntes his keen awareness 
of their significance. �arely does he use an American name when a 
Spanish one will better fit nis purpose. His short story "The 
Murder," found in the collection The Long Valley (1938), is set in 
...} '11 h " d l "
18 
d Canon del Cast1 o, a canyon w ere a tremen ous stone cast e stan s; 
and "Johnny Bear," of that same collection, is set in Lorna, "built, 
as its name implies, on a low round hill that rises like an island 
out of the flat mouth of the Salinas Valley."19 
LOS 203 
In his discussion of the naming of places, Steinbeck further 
adds that the "Americans had a greater tendency to name places for 
people than had the Spanish. After the valleys to�ere settled the 
names of places refer more to things which happened there" (EE, p. 8). 
To Steinbeck, of course, these "are the most fascinating of all names 
because each name suggests a story that has been forgotten" (EE, p. 8). 
Examples he cites are "Bolsa Nueva, a new purse; Morocojo, a lame 
�foor" (EE, p. 8); and he expressed curiosity as to who the latter wos 
and how he had gotten there. Other names he mentions are "Wild 
Horse Canyon and Hustang Grade and Shirt Tail Canyon" (EE, p. 8). 
Steinbeck concludes his discussion of place-names as follows: "The 
names of places carry a charge of the people who named them, reverent 
or irreverent, descriptive, either poetic or disparaging. You can 
name anything San Lorenzo, but Shirt Tail Canyon or the Lame Moor is 
something quite different" (EE, p. 8). 
John Steinbeck, as our study has attempted to show, demonstrated 
an enormous curiosity about the origins and meanings of Hispanic 
place-n.1mas, particularly those of his native Caljfornia. For the 
sake of brevity, we limited our study of his Hispanic onomastic 
interests to The Log From Lhe Sea of Cortez and East of Eden. 
Steinbeck's concludlng statement regarding place-names (as 
previously quoted) is, in reality, a challenge to the onomastician to 
delve into the history of many a curious name. Let us continue our 
work in literory onomastic� by taking up his challenge. 
Marcia n. Yarmus 
John Jay College of Criminal Justice 
The City University of Ne\-1 York 
LOS 204 
NOTES 
1 
For further study of California place-names, see: Rene Goulet 
du Gard's Dictionary of Spanish Place Names of the Northwest Coast of 
America?Vol. I:California (Newark, Delaware: Editions des Deux Mendes, 
1983) and Barbara and Rudy Marinacci's California's Spanish Place­
Names: What They Are and How They Got Here (San Rafael, California: 
Presidio Press, 1980). 
2 John Steinbeck, The Way\vard Bus (New York: Viking Press, 1947). 
3 
John Steinbeck, The Lo& From the Sea of Cortez (New York: 
Viking Press, 1951) and hereafter incorporated into the text and 
abbreviated as Log. 
4 Francisco Javier Clavigero, The History of [Lower] California, 
trans. Sara E. Lake, ed. A.A. Gray (Stanford: Stanford Univ. Press, 
1937; rpt. Riverside, California: Manessier Publishing Co., 1971). 
5 I have cited Steinbeck's quotations from Clavigero as they 
appear in the �' but I shall refer (in the ensuing footnotes) to thC'. 
pages of the Clavigero ed�tion from which he actually took his 
references. 
6 Clavigero, p. 16. The tvord peninsula is not capitalized by 
Clavigero. 
7 Clavigero, pp. 16-17. The term California is in quotation 
marks in Clavigero's rendering. 
LOS 205 
8 Clavigero, p. 17. In their footnote, the word Peninsula is not 
capitalized by Lake and Gray either. 
9 
Clavigero, p. 17. In their footnote, "half Spanish and half 
Latin" are hyphenated; "the cove" is rendered "that cove"; and the 
Spanish word "cala" is not capitalized. 
l O Cl · 17 Th. . f 1 k d G f av�gero, p. . 1s 1s the ina La e an ray ootnote 
which Steinbeck quoted. 
11 See Goulet du Gard, p. lS.for his rendering of the many 
possible origins of the name California. One outstanding and widely 
accepted view i s  that the name came from the fifth book of Garci 
Ordonez de Montalvo's chivalry nove� Amadfs de Gaul� published in early 
16th-century Spain,separately entitled Las Sergas de Esplandian. It 
was Edward Everett Hale who in April 1862 apparently "solved the 
origin of the name to everyone's satisfaction" (Goulet du Gard, p. 15) 
when he "happened upon Montalvo's novella, shifting the search then to 
linguistics, to bow be happened to contrive the name" (see Marinacci, 
p. 28). In a footnote, Lake and Gray refer their. readers to Charles E. 
Chapman's A History of California: The Spanish Period, Chapter VI for 
what they call ''a scholarly discussion of the or igln of the name 
'California'" (p. 16). They include several other references as well. 
12 See Lake and Gray footnote 22 in Clavigero, p. 20 for their 
description of Angel Custodio Island. Steinbeck describes the coast 
of Guardian Angel Island as "long, snake-like . . .  forty-t'..ro miles long, 
LOS 206 
ten miles wide in some places, t-7aterless and uninhabited . . . [and) 
said to be crawling with rattlesnakes and iguanas" (Log, p. 224). He 
makes no mention, however, that the channel through which the 
expedition passed with Guardian Angel Island on the right (and 
Puerto Refugio on the upper end of Guardian Angel Island) was known 
as Canal de las Ballenas, Channel of the whales. When the expedition 
passes down the tvestern coast of Tiburon (Shark Island), Steinbeck 
refers to Clavigero's description of its inhabitants, the Seri 
Indians (Log, pp. 232-233; Clavigero, pp. 217-218). 
13 John Steinbeck, East of Eden (New York: Bantam Books, 1977). 
Hereafter incorporated into the text and abbreviated as EE. 
14 See Goulet de Gard, p. 22, 'vho defines Chualar as "Spanish 
for the site where the chual (,·7hite pigweed) grow. " 
15 / The Spanish word for "hawk" is actually "gavilan," but 
misspellings such as this are quite frequent in California Spanish 
place-names. 
16 According to Goulet du Gard, p. 111, Tassajara is "a 
corruption of the Spanish 'Tasajera' (a place where meat is cut in 
strips and hung in the sun �J cure). The origin of the naming is 
because the mixed population of Spanish-speaking and Anglo-Saxons 
used to dry their beef in the sun in this small locality." Marinacci 
also relates Tassaj a ra to Tasaj era, "the place tvhere beef jerky was 
mnde on n rancho" (p. 165). St.e.inbeck wns obviously thinking o[ Lhc 
Spanish word "taza" which means "cup. " "Jarra," however, actually 
LOS 207 
means "pitcher" or "jug." 
17 See John Steinbeck Pastures of Heaven (New York: Bantam Books, 
1952), pp. 2-3. 
18 John Steinbeck, "The Murder" in The Long Valley (Cleveland: 
World Publishing Co., 1945), p. 171. 
19 "Johnny Bear" in The Long Valley, p. 145. 


John Steinbeck\u27s Hispanic Onomastic Interests in The Log From the Sea of Cortez and East of Eden

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John Steinbeck\u27s Hispanic Onomastic Interests in The Log From the Sea of Cortez and East of Eden

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