Turlock Attractions

Turlock was founded in 1871 by John William Mitchell, a prominent grain farmer who owned 100,000 acres of land from Keyes to Atwater (encompassing what is now the City of Turlock). Originally Turlock was to be named "Sierra" but with the potential for confusion with the mountains or county of the same name, "Sierra" was abandoned. "Turlock" may come from "turlough," an Irish dry lake.