Red Hill Avenue may be the most obvious name for a street that runs through Tustin and Santa Ana. There's a hill and the soil is red. But the original names were much more colorful.

Red Hill's first name came from the Native Americans who lived in the area. They called it "Katuktu," meaning a hill of prominence, or place of refuge. Indian legends told of a great flood that forced families to find safety up on that hill. Archeologists have found artifacts proving that early people did spend time on the slopes of Red Hill.

The Spanish gave Red Hill its second name. Phil Brigandi, who wrote "Orange County Place Names A-Z," says the new name was inspired by what was at the bottom of the hill.

Down below was a very marshy area that was full of frogs, which was the Cienega de Las Ranas, the frog swamp. So the hill was called Los Cerritos de Las Ranas - the little hills of the frogs. Later, the gringos called it Rattlesnake Hill, for obvious reasons. It became Red Hill in the 1880's, when the cinnabar which gives the soil its trademark color, was recognized as a source of mercury. The mining on Red Hill continued into the 20th century, finally petering out by the Second World War.

(Airdate: 5/10/08)