Red Bank Creek is a major stream in
Tehama County, California
Tehama County ( ; Wintun for "high water") is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,829. The county seat and largest city is Red Bluff.
Tehama County comprises t ...
, and a tributary of the
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–S ...
. About long,
it originates in the foothills of the
Coast Ranges, near the boundary of the
Mendocino National Forest
The Mendocino National Forest is located in the Coastal Mountain Range in northwestern California and comprises 913,306 acres (3,696 km2). It is the only national forest in the state of California without a major paved road entering it ...
, and flows east across the
Sacramento Valley
, photo =Sacramento Riverfront.jpg
, photo_caption= Sacramento
, map_image=Map california central valley.jpg
, map_caption= The Central Valley of California
, location = California, United States
, coordinates =
, boundaries = Sierra Nevada (ea ...
to join the Sacramento River near
Red Bluff. Red Bank Creek, like the other streams draining this part of the western Sacramento Valley, is a highly seasonal stream that flows only during the winter and spring.
Old Red Bank Creek Bridge at Red Bluff was built by the
Pacific Bridge Company
Pacific Bridge Company was a large engineering and construction company. During World War II, Pacific Bridge Company of Alameda, California was selected to build US Navy Auxiliary Repair Docks (ARD) a type of Auxiliary floating drydock and T ...
in 1894. According to a 1983 news article about a hazardous chemical spill into the creek following a 38-car railroad derailment stated "Red Bank Creek curls around the sprawling Diamond International lumber mill before emptying into the Sacramento River just above the
Red Bluff Diversion Dam, where water is sent into the Tehama and Colusa canals".
The creek was named for the reddish character of its clay banks. The creek has also been known as Red Bluff Creek, Redbank Creek and Baranca Colorada (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...
for "red canyon").
History
According to research by
C. Hart Merriam (published by UC Berkeley) the Wi-e'-ker'-ril band of the
Wintun
The Wintun are members of several related Native American peoples of Northern California, including the Wintu (northern), Nomlaki (central), and Patwin (southern).Pritzker, 152[Albert Gallatin
Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan– American politician, diplomat, ethnologist and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early year ...]
owned a 64,000 acre ranch sited between Red Bank Creek and
Thomes Creek
Thomes Creek is a major watercourse on the west side of the Sacramento Valley in Northern California. The creek originates in the Coast Ranges and flows east for about to join the Sacramento River, at a point about northeast of Corning in Te ...
. As of 1888 he reportedly owned 80,000 acres and was trying to induce his "old friend"
Collis P. Huntington to open a railway route from Red Bluff through his land along Red Bank though
Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness area to
Humboldt Bay
Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, entirely within Humboldt County, United States. It is the largest protected body of water on the West Coast between Sa ...
; a competing proposed route was from Red Bluff through the Cottonwood district along
Cottonwood Creek.
Ecology
Fish of Red Bank Creek include
California roach,
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coast ...
,
Sacramento perch,
Sacramento pikeminnow
The Sacramento pikeminnow (''Ptychocheilus grandis''), formerly known as the Sacramento squawfish, is a large cyprinid fish of California, United States. It is native to the Los Angeles River, Sacramento- San Joaquin, Pajaro- Salinas, Russian Ri ...
,
Sacramento splittail,
Sacramento sucker,
speckled dace, and others.
See also
*
List of rivers of California
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of California, grouped by region. Major lakes and reservoirs, if applicable, are indicated in italics.
North Coast (north of Humboldt Bay)
Rivers and streams between the Oregon border and Humboldt Bay th ...
References
External links
* {{Cite news , title=Stolen Jewels Recovered in Red Bluff , newspaper= Chico Weekly Enterprise , date=4 January 1907 , url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=CWE19070104.2.77 , via=California Digital Newspaper Collection
Rivers of Tehama County, California