Ahtanum Creek
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Ahtanum Creek is a
tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
Yakima River The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington state, named for the indigenous Yakama people. Lewis and Clark mention in their journals that the Chin-nâm pam (or the Lower Snake River Chamnapam N ...
in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
. It starts at the confluence of the Middle and North Forks of Ahtanum Creek near
Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fif ...
, flows along the north base of
Ahtanum Ridge Ahtanum Ridge is a long anticline mountain ridge in Yakima County, Washington, Yakima County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is located just south of the city of Yakima, Washington, Yakima, and much of its length is at the ...
, ends at the Yakima River near
Union Gap Union Gap is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,568 at the 2020 census. Union Gap has become the retail hub for the entire Yakima Valley as a result of Valley Mall and other thriving businesses being locat ...
and forms a portion of the northern boundary of the
Yakama Indian Reservation The Yakama Indian Reservation (spelled Yakima until 1994) is a Native American reservation in Washington state of the federally recognized tribe known as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The tribe is made up of Klikitat ...
. The name ''Ahtanum'' originates from the
Sahaptin language Sahaptin (), also called Ichishkiin (; Umatilla language, Umatilla: , Yakama dialect, Yakama: ), is one of the two-language Sahaptian languages, Sahaptian branch of the Plateau Penutian languages, Plateau Penutian family spoken in a section of t ...
, which was spoken by Native Americans in the region. The North Fork enters the Middle Fork just upstream from its confluence with the South Fork. These three forks have sources in the
Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as many of those in the ...
. The creek has had several different official names since Europeans settled the region, all of which have been variant spellings of Ahtanum. The current spelling has been in place since 1916. Seasonal flooding associated with snow melting in the spring is common.


History

Native Americans, including the Yakama Tribe inhabited the region surrounding Ahtanum Creek long before the arrival of Europeans. The band living along the creek, known as Ahtanumlema (″People of the water by the long hill″), were considered to be one of the more important groups within the tribe. While the creek still lied within
Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...
,
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
Fathers Louis D'herbomez and Charles Pandosy were sent to the area by
François Norbert Blanchet François Norbert Blanchet (September 30, 1795 – June 18, 1883) was a French Canadian-born missionary priest and prelate of the Catholic Church who was instrumental in establishing the Catholic Church presence in the Pacific Northwest. He was ...
, who was Bishop of the Archdiocese of Oregon City at the request of native leaders. Father Pandosy first served in missions near Richland and
Ellensburg Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was ...
before constructing St. Joseph's Mission in 1852 with Father D'herbomez along Ahtanum Creek near what is now Tampico. This location was chosen because of its location within the main summer camp of
Chief Kamiakin Kamiakin (c. 1800–1877) (Yakama) was a leader of the Yakama, Palus people, Palouse, and Klickitat people, Klickitat peoples east of the Cascade Mountains in what is now southeastern Washington (state), Washington state. In 1855, he was disturbe ...
. The missionaries and Yakamas worked together to build the first
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
canals in the area. The relationship between the two groups was such that Kamiakin and others brought their children to the mission to be baptized. In 1854, Father D'herbomez was replaced by Father Pierre-Paul Durieu who would compile a dictionary of the Sahaptin language. The original mission was burned down in 1855 during the
Yakima War The Yakima War (1855–1858), also referred to as the Plateau War or Yakima Indian War, was a conflict between the United States and the Yakama, a Sahaptian-speaking people of the Northwest Plateau, then part of Washington Territory, and the tr ...
by U.S. soldiers who believed the missionaries were conspiring with the Yakama Tribe. The mission was rebuilt in 1867. Union Gap was established as Yakima City along Ahtanum Creek near its confluence with the Yakima River in the 1860s and became the county seat in 1870. In 1885, the
Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...
established North Yakima (which later became
Yakima Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...
) four miles north of present-day Union Gap because the railroad considered the then-current settlement to be too swampy and too close to nearby ridges. North Yakima was incorporated and became the county seat in 1886. A wildfire burned near the North Fork of Ahtanum Creek in 2009.


Human use

Water is pulled from Ahtanum Creek to irrigate of land upstream of the gauge in Union Gap. Fishing is popular along the creek, with fly fishing, baitcasting, spinning all being successful. The upper portion of the creek's watershed lies within Ahtanum
State Forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by a sovereign state, sovereign or federated state, or territory (country subdivision), territory. Background State forests are forests that are Administration (gov ...
, which is managed by the
Washington State Department of Natural Resources The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages over of forest, rangeland, range, agricultural, and commercial lands in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The DNR also manages of aquatic areas which include sh ...
. The forest has an area of that has numerous campgrounds. Seasonal hunting and snowmobiling are also popular.


Ecology

Being located in the
rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...
of the Cascade Range, Ahtanum Creek has a
riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripari ...
that serves as an important habitat for animals living in the region. Endangered species that utilize the creek include
steelhead trout Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or Columbia River redband trout (''O. m. gairdneri'', also called redband steelhead). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacif ...
,
bull trout The bull trout (''Salvelinus confluentus'') is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, ''S. confluentus'' has been known as the " Dolly Varden" (''S. malma''), but was reclassified as a separate speci ...
,
Chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Oncorhynchus, Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinn ...
, and
coho salmon The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family (biology), family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon (or "silvers") and is often ...
. The Yakama Tribe completed a restoration project at La Salle High School. This project included strengthening three areas of the creek bank that were prone to erosion and reintroducing native plant species such as coyote willow. Along with this, two backwater channels were created and of soil were removed from the flood plain. These changes reconnected that stretch of the creek with its flood plain and provided areas for young fish to be reared. The North Yakima Conservation District installed fish screens on five water diversions between 2002 and 2006.


See also

* Kamiakin's Gardens * St. Joseph's Mission


References

{{authority control Yakima, Washington Rivers of Washington (state) Rivers of Yakima County, Washington Yakima River