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Sacramento River

 

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Sacramento River


 
 

The Sacramento River is the longest riverRiver

A river is a large natural waterway....
 entirely within the U.S.United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
 state of CaliforniaCalifornia

California is a state spanning the southern half of the west coast of the contiguous United States....
. Starting at the confluence of the South Fork and Middle Fork Sacramento River, near Mount ShastaMount Shasta

Mount Shasta, a 14,179-foot stratovolcano, is the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range and the fifth highest peak in Cal...
 in the Cascade RangeCascade Range

The Cascade Range is a mountainous region famous for its chain of tall volcanoes called the High Cascades that run nor...
, the Sacramento flows south for , through the northern Central Valley of CaliforniaCalifornia Central Valley

The California Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of the U.S....
, between the Pacific Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada.

Not far downstream from its confluence with the American RiverAmerican River

The American River, located in the US state of California, has a prominent place in American history for being the site of S...
, the Sacramento River joins the San Joaquin RiverSan Joaquin River

The San Joaquin River, 330 miles long, is the second-longest river in California, United States....
 in the Sacramento River DeltaSacramento River Delta Summary

The San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta is an expansive inland river delta in northern California in the United States....
, which empties into Suisun Bay, the northern arm of San Francisco BaySan Francisco Bay

The San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining approximately forty percent of Californi...
.

The chief tributaries of the Sacramento River are the PitPit River

The Pit River or Pitt River is a major river watershed draining Northeastern California into the State's Central Valle...
, FeatherFeather River Summary

The Feather River is a principal tributary of the Sacramento River, 80 mi long, in northern California in the United States....
, McCloudMcCloud River

The McCloud River is a tributary of the Pit River and ultimately the Sacramento River, approximately 50 mi long, in northern...
 and AmericanAmerican River

The American River, located in the US state of California, has a prominent place in American history for being the site of S...
 rivers. The Pit River is the longest of these, but the Feather and American rivers carry larger volumes of water. The Pit River's watershed formerly included Goose LakeGoose Lake (Oregon-California)

Goose Lake is a large alkaline lake on the California-Oregon border....
, and still does during rare periods of high water.

Course

According to Mt. Shasta Recreation & Parks District, the designated headwaters of the Sacramento River are at about 3600 feet (1100 m) elevation in Mount ShastaMount Shasta, California

Mount Shasta is a city located in Siskiyou County, California located at around 3,600 ft or....
 City Park . The USGS cites the river's source as the confluence of the South Fork Sacramento River and Middle Fork Sacramento River.prings feeds Big Springs Creek which flows south into Lake SiskiyouLake Siskiyou

Lake Siskiyou is a reservoir formed by Box Canyon Dam NPDP Dam Directory....
. However, feeding Lake Siskiyou from the west are the North, Middle, and South Forks of the Sacramento River which bring water from much higher elevations, including from Castle LakeCastle Lake (California)

Castle Lake is a glacial lake located in northern California along the eastern edge of the Klamath Mountains, in Siskiyou C...
 (elevation

On May 14, 2007, two humpback whales were spotted by media and onlookers traveling the deep waters near Rio Vista. The duo, generally believed to be mother and calf (Delta, the mother and Dawn, her calf), continued to swim upstream to the deep water ship channelSacramento Deep Water Ship Channel

The Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel is a canal from Sacramento, California to the Sacramento River, which flows into San ...
 near West SacramentoWest Sacramento, California

West Sacramento is a city in Yolo County, California, United States....
, about inland. There was concern because the whales had been injured, perhaps by a boat's propeller or keel, leaving a gash in each whale's skin. The whales were carefully inspected by biologists and injected with antibiotics to help prevent infection. After days of efforts to lure (or frighten) the whales in the direction of the ocean, the whales eventually made their way south into San Francisco Bay, where they lingered for several days. By May 30, 2007, the cow and calf apparently slipped out unnoticed under the Golden Gate BridgeGolden Gate Bridge Summary

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Paci...
 into the Pacific Ocean, likely under cover of night.

Rio Vista, CaliforniaRio Vista, California

Rio Vista is a city located on the eastern end of Solano County, California, on the Sacramento River in the Sacramento River...
 hosts an annual Bass FestivalBass Festival

The Bass Festival, also known as Bass Derby, is held during the second weekend of October in Rio Vista, California....
 each October to celebrate the return of bassBass (fish)

Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular game fish....
 to the river.

History

The Sacramento River helped form the track of a trade and travel route known as the Siskiyou TrailFacts About Siskiyou Trail

The Siskiyou Trail stretched from California's Central Valley to Oregon's Willamette Valley; modern-day Interstate 5 follows...
, which stretched from California's Central Valley to the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest in its broadest definition is an area that includes part of the west coast of United States and Canada...
. The Siskiyou Trail closely paralleled the Sacramento River and took advantage of the valleys and canyons carved by the river through the rugged terrain of Northern CaliforniaNorthern California

Northern California, sometimes abbreviated NorCal, refers to the northern portion of the U.S....
. Based on the original footpaths of Native Americans, the Siskiyou Trail was expanded by Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and is one of the oldest in the world....
 trappers in the 1830s, and expanded further by California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush was a period in California history marked by world-wide interest following the discovery of gold i...
 "Forty-Niners" in the 1850s. Today, Interstate 5Interstate 5

Interstate 5 is the westernmost interstate highway in the continental United States....
 and the Union Pacific RailroadUnion Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad is one of the largest railroad networks in the United States....
 occupy the path of the ancient Siskiyou Trail.

Economy and control

Man-made channels make the river navigable for upstream of San Francisco Bay; ocean-going ships travel as far inland as the City of SacramentoSacramento, California Summary

Sacramento is the state capital of California and the county seat of Sacramento County....
.

The Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency is a Joint Powers agency tasked with keeping the Sacramento River within its banks and levees. California Governor Schwarzenegger declared a State of Emergency in February 2006 in an attempt to repair the levees, whose failure could impact the drinking water quality of two-thirds of California residents.

See also

  • List of California riversList of California rivers Summary

    The following is a partial listing of rivers in the state of California, United States of America....


External links

  • - Online Video from KVIE Public Television