Harshaw Creek is a stream in the
Patagonia Mountains of
Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Santa Cruz is a county in southern Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population is 47,669. The county seat is Nogales. The county was established in 1899. It borders Pima County to the north and west, Cochise County to the ea ...
, named after David Tecumseh Harshaw, who settled along its banks in the mid-1870s.
It is approximately long and flows in a north to northwesterly direction toward the community of
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
, where it joins with
Sonoita Creek
Sonoita Creek is a tributary stream of the Santa Cruz River in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It originates near and takes its name from the abandoned Pima mission in the high valley near Sonoita. It flows steadily for the first of its westwa ...
.
Most of Harshaw Creek is ephemeral and experiences its greatest stream-flow after the summer
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...
and winter snowstorms. Vegetation is typical to the region with cottonwood, willow, sycamore and other lesser plants forming a
riparian corridor along its banks. Upper Harshaw Creek flows through a narrow, steep-walled valley, which widens out into a sandy channel as it enters the Sonoita Valley a few miles south of Patagonia.
Much of Harshaw Creek is located within the
Coronado National Forest
The Coronado National Forest is a United States National Forest that includes an area of about 1.78 million acres (7,200 km2) spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.
It is located in parts of ...
and is available for recreational use. Several ranches are also located alongside the creek, although cattle grazing is limited. The creek and its tributaries were the center of extensive gold and silver mining activity beginning at the end of the 19th century and lasting well into the 20th century. As a result, there are multiple abandoned mines in the area, which are a significant source of pollution. Because of this, Harshaw Creek has a significantly higher pH level than other nearby streams.
See also
*
Harshaw, Arizona
Harshaw is a ghost town in Santa Cruz County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. The town was settled in the 1870s, in what was then Arizona Territory. Founded as a mining community, Harshaw is named after the cattleman-turne ...
*
List of rivers of Arizona
List of rivers in Arizona (U.S. state), sorted by name.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Colorado River
*Colorado River—(downstream-to-upstr ...
References
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Rivers of Arizona
Rivers of Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Coronado National Forest