Salinas River (California)
Encyclopedia
The Salinas River is the largest river of the central coast of California
, running 170 miles (273.6 km) and draining 4,160 square miles. It flows north-northwest and drains the Salinas Valley
that slices through the Coast Range
south from Monterey Bay
. The Salinas is a wildlife corridor, and provides the principal source of water from its reservoirs and tributaries for the farms and vineyard
s of the valley.
on September 27, 1769, and so was named for the saint celebrated on that day, San Elizario. However, it subsequently appeared on many maps as the Rio de Monterey and its valley was called the Valle de Monterey. It was called Rio de Monterey by Fr. Pedro Font on March 4, 1776 and the Monterey River as late as 1850. It first appears on an American map in 1858 as the Rio Salinas, perhaps because of the large salt flats noted near its mouth in that era.
, at the north end of the La Panza Range
, approximately 20 miles (32 km) east of San Luis Obispo. Its only dam forms the small Santa Margarita Lake. The Salinas flows parallel to the Santa Lucia Mountain Range past Atascadero
and Paso Robles
. It receives outflow from the Estrella River
and the Nacimiento
and San Antonio
lakes through their river tributaries in southern Monterey County
. The river passes through the active San Ardo Oil Field
, and then through the Salinas Valley, between the Santa Lucia and Gabilan
mountain ranges, past many small towns including King City
, Greenfield
, and Soledad
, where it combines with the flash-flood prone Arroyo Seco
. It flows just south of the city of Salinas
before cutting through Fort Ord
and approaching the south-central edge of Monterey Bay south of Castroville
. The river forms a lagoon protected by the 367 acre Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge
and its outflow to Monterey Bay is blocked by sand dunes except during winter high-water flows.
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake
altered the river's course, from the Old Salinas River, joining Elkhorn Slough
on Monterey Bay near Moss Landing
to the present course where the main channel reaches the Pacific
. The Old Salinas River channel that diverts north behind the sand dunes along the ocean, is used as an overflow channel during the rainy season.
Other tributaries of the Salinas River that support steelhead include Paso Robles Creek, Jack Creek, Atascadero Creek, Santa Margarita Creek and Trout Creek in the upper reaches of the River. It can take over ten days for the steelhead from the upper part of the watershed to migrate to the Pacific Ocean near the City of Marina on Monterey Bay. From there, the steelhead migrate to the area west of the Aleutian Islands before returning to the spawning grounds in the tributaries of the Salinas River.
Father Pedro Font described salmon in the Salinas River (Rio de Monterey) on the de Anza Expedition in March, 1776:"...there are obtained also many good salmon which enter the river to spawn. Since they are fond of fresh water they ascend the streams so far that I am assured that even at the mission of San Antonio
some of the fish which ascend the Rio de Monterey have been caught. Of this fish we ate almost every day while we were here." This meant that salmon would traverse the Salinas River and up the San Antonio River
to end up near Mission San Antonio.
After depletion by 19th century fur trappers, California golden beaver (Castor canadensis subauratus) have expanded their range from the Salinas River mouth at least to its San Antonio River
tributary below the reservoir.
The upper Salinas River and its tributaries used to host large runs of steelhead trout and Chinook salmon
. However the salmon were extirpated by 1915, largely by dams which prevented fish passage to spawning runs, and the steelhead are reduced to mere remnant populations.
in the Salinas Valley makes it one of the most productive agricultural
regions in California. It is especially known as one of the principal regions for lettuce
and artichoke
s in the United States. The river is shallow above ground, periodically dry, with much of its flow underground. The underground flow results from numerous aquifers, which are recharged by water from the Salinas, especially from the Nacimiento and San Antonio lakes during the dry months. In the 18th century, the river valley provided the route of El Camino Real
, the principal overland route from southern to northern California, used by early Spanish explorers and missionaries.
36.7494018°N 121.8035624°W
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, running 170 miles (273.6 km) and draining 4,160 square miles. It flows north-northwest and drains the Salinas Valley
Salinas Valley
The Salinas Valley lies south of San Francisco, California.The word "salina" is spanish for salt marsh, salt lake or salt pan.-Geography:The Salinas Valley runs approximately south-east from Salinas towards King City. The valley lends its name to the geologic province in which it's located, the...
that slices through the Coast Range
Pacific Coast Ranges
The Pacific Coast Ranges and the Pacific Mountain System are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico...
south from Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....
. The Salinas is a wildlife corridor, and provides the principal source of water from its reservoirs and tributaries for the farms and vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s of the valley.
Name
The origin of the name for the river is somewhat ambiguous. It did not, however, receive its name during the Spanish or the Mexican eras. It was first encountered by the Spanish Portola ExpeditionGaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
on September 27, 1769, and so was named for the saint celebrated on that day, San Elizario. However, it subsequently appeared on many maps as the Rio de Monterey and its valley was called the Valle de Monterey. It was called Rio de Monterey by Fr. Pedro Font on March 4, 1776 and the Monterey River as late as 1850. It first appears on an American map in 1858 as the Rio Salinas, perhaps because of the large salt flats noted near its mouth in that era.
Description
The river starts in central San Luis Obispo CountySan Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
, at the north end of the La Panza Range
La Panza Range
The La Panza Range is a mountain range in the Central Coast of California region in San Luis Obispo County, east of the small town of Santa Margarita. It is one of the California Coast Ranges and in the Los Padres National Forest....
, approximately 20 miles (32 km) east of San Luis Obispo. Its only dam forms the small Santa Margarita Lake. The Salinas flows parallel to the Santa Lucia Mountain Range past Atascadero
Atascadero, California
Atascadero is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, about equidistant from San Francisco and Los Angeles on U-S Highway 101. Atascadero is farther inland than most other San Luis Obispo County cities, and as a result, usually experiences warmer, drier summers and cooler winters than...
and Paso Robles
Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Paso Robles is the fastest growing city in San Luis Obispo County: Its population at the 2000 census was 24,297; in 2010 it recorded some 29,793 residentsLocated on the Salinas River north of San Luis Obispo, California,...
. It receives outflow from the Estrella River
Estrella River
The Estrella River is a river in eastern San Luis Obispo County, California. The river forms at the confluence of Cholame Creek, from the north, and San Juan Creek, from the south, near the town of Shandon...
and the Nacimiento
Nacimiento River
The Nacimiento River is a river in southern Monterey County and northern San Luis Obispo County, California. A large portion of the river's run is on military reservations...
and San Antonio
San Antonio River (California)
The San Antonio River is a river in southern Monterey County, California.-Geography:The river travels southeast from its headwaters in the Santa Lucia Range in the Los Padres National Forest and into Lake San Antonio. This is a reservoir behind the San Antonio Dam, an earth-fill dam on the river...
lakes through their river tributaries in southern Monterey County
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
. The river passes through the active San Ardo Oil Field
San Ardo Oil Field
The San Ardo Oil Field is a large oil field in Monterey County, California, in the United States. It is in the upper Salinas Valley, about five miles south of the small town of San Ardo, and about twenty miles north of Paso Robles...
, and then through the Salinas Valley, between the Santa Lucia and Gabilan
Gabilan Range
The Gabilan Range or Gabilan Mountains are located on the Pacific Coast Range of California's Central Coast trending in a northwest-southeast direction along the Monterey County and San Benito County line. It is bordered by the Diablo Range, the San Andreas Fault, and State Route 25 to the east and...
mountain ranges, past many small towns including King City
King City, California
King City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. King City is located on the Salinas River southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 335 feet . It lies along U.S. Route 101 in the Salinas Valley of the Central Coast of California. King City is a member of the Association of...
, Greenfield
Greenfield, California
Greenfield is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Greenfield is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 289 feet . The city was the fastest growing in the county during the 2000s, the population was 12,583 in 2000, increasing to 16,330 in the 2010 census. Its most...
, and Soledad
Soledad, California
Soledad, meaning "solitude" and "loneliness" in Spanish, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Soledad is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 190 feet...
, where it combines with the flash-flood prone Arroyo Seco
Arroyo Seco (Salinas River)
The Arroyo Seco is a major tributary of the Salinas River in central California. long, it drains a rugged, semi-arid area of the Coast Ranges and a portion of the agricultural Salinas Valley....
. It flows just south of the city of Salinas
Salinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
before cutting through Fort Ord
Fort Ord
Fort Ord was a U.S. Army post on Monterey Bay in California. It was established in 1917 as a maneuver area and field artillery target range and was closed in September 1994. Fort Ord was one of the most attractive locations of any U.S. Army post, because of its proximity to the beach and California...
and approaching the south-central edge of Monterey Bay south of Castroville
Castroville, California
Castroville is a census-designated place in Monterey County, California, United States. Castroville is located northwest of Salinas, at an elevation of 23 feet . The population was 6,481 at the 2010 census, down from 6,724 at the 2000 census. Castroville calls itself "Artichoke Center of the...
. The river forms a lagoon protected by the 367 acre Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge
Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge
Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately 11 miles north of Monterey, California and 3 miles south of Castroville, California at the point where the Salinas River empties into Monterey Bay. The 367 acre refuge encompasses several habitat types including sand dunes, pickleweed...
and its outflow to Monterey Bay is blocked by sand dunes except during winter high-water flows.
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
altered the river's course, from the Old Salinas River, joining Elkhorn Slough
Elkhorn Slough
Elkhorn Slough is a tidal slough and estuary on Monterey Bay in Monterey County, California. The community of Moss Landing and the huge Moss Landing Power Plant are located at the mouth of the slough on the bay....
on Monterey Bay near Moss Landing
Moss Landing, California
Moss Landing is a census-designated place in Monterey County, California, United States. Moss Landing is located on the Pajaro Valley Consolidated Railroad north-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 10 feet . As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 204, down from 300 at the 2000...
to the present course where the main channel reaches the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The Old Salinas River channel that diverts north behind the sand dunes along the ocean, is used as an overflow channel during the rainy season.
Ecology
The Arroyo Seco is the only major Salinas River tributary which remains undammed (with the exception of the Estrella River), explaining why it supports one of the most persistent remnants of the threatened Central Coast Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) that spawn in the Salinas River watershed. It is also an important middle link for salmon migrating from the Salinas River to Tassajara Creek and other tributaries. A 2001 assessment of steelhead habitat of the Arroyo Seco and its Piney Creek tributary found high potential for steelhead population restoration.Other tributaries of the Salinas River that support steelhead include Paso Robles Creek, Jack Creek, Atascadero Creek, Santa Margarita Creek and Trout Creek in the upper reaches of the River. It can take over ten days for the steelhead from the upper part of the watershed to migrate to the Pacific Ocean near the City of Marina on Monterey Bay. From there, the steelhead migrate to the area west of the Aleutian Islands before returning to the spawning grounds in the tributaries of the Salinas River.
Father Pedro Font described salmon in the Salinas River (Rio de Monterey) on the de Anza Expedition in March, 1776:"...there are obtained also many good salmon which enter the river to spawn. Since they are fond of fresh water they ascend the streams so far that I am assured that even at the mission of San Antonio
Mission San Antonio de Padua
Mission San Antonio de Padua was founded on July 14, 1771, the third mission founded in Alta California by Father Presidente Junípero Serra, and site of the first Christian marriage and first use of fired-tile roofing in Upper California.-History:...
some of the fish which ascend the Rio de Monterey have been caught. Of this fish we ate almost every day while we were here." This meant that salmon would traverse the Salinas River and up the San Antonio River
San Antonio River (California)
The San Antonio River is a river in southern Monterey County, California.-Geography:The river travels southeast from its headwaters in the Santa Lucia Range in the Los Padres National Forest and into Lake San Antonio. This is a reservoir behind the San Antonio Dam, an earth-fill dam on the river...
to end up near Mission San Antonio.
After depletion by 19th century fur trappers, California golden beaver (Castor canadensis subauratus) have expanded their range from the Salinas River mouth at least to its San Antonio River
San Antonio River (California)
The San Antonio River is a river in southern Monterey County, California.-Geography:The river travels southeast from its headwaters in the Santa Lucia Range in the Los Padres National Forest and into Lake San Antonio. This is a reservoir behind the San Antonio Dam, an earth-fill dam on the river...
tributary below the reservoir.
The upper Salinas River and its tributaries used to host large runs of steelhead trout and Chinook salmon
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
. However the salmon were extirpated by 1915, largely by dams which prevented fish passage to spawning runs, and the steelhead are reduced to mere remnant populations.
Agricultural use
The use of the river for irrigationIrrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
in the Salinas Valley makes it one of the most productive agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
regions in California. It is especially known as one of the principal regions for lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
and artichoke
Artichoke
-Plants:* Globe artichoke, a partially edible perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean* Jerusalem artichoke, a species of sunflower with an edible tuber...
s in the United States. The river is shallow above ground, periodically dry, with much of its flow underground. The underground flow results from numerous aquifers, which are recharged by water from the Salinas, especially from the Nacimiento and San Antonio lakes during the dry months. In the 18th century, the river valley provided the route of El Camino Real
El Camino Real (California)
El Camino Real and sometimes associated with Calle Real usually refers to the 600-mile California Mission Trail, connecting the former Alta California's 21 missions , 4 presidios, and several pueblos, stretching from Mission San Diego de Alcalá in San Diego...
, the principal overland route from southern to northern California, used by early Spanish explorers and missionaries.
36.7494018°N 121.8035624°W
See also
- John SteinbeckJohn SteinbeckJohn Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
- List of rivers of California
- Spanish missions in CaliforniaSpanish missions in CaliforniaThe Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
- Of Mice and MenOf Mice and MenOf Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
- The Salinas, Upside Down River, (Rivers of America) by Anne B. Fisher
External links
- http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/ County Of Monterey
- http://us-ltrcd.org/ Upper Salinas-Las Tablas Resource Conservation District
- http://conservationconsulting.net/UpsideDownRiver.html Reference Information for the Salinas River