Bitterwater Creek | |
---|---|
Etymology | Spanish |
Native name | Arroyo de Matarano (Spanish) |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
Region | San Luis Obispo County, Kern County |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | source |
• coordinates | 35°27′32″N120°00′48″W / 35.45889°N 120.01333°W [1] [2] [3] |
Source confluence | confluence |
• location | Walnut Creek and Yeguas Creek confluence., San Luis Obispo County |
• coordinates | 35°27′32″N120°00′48″W / 35.45889°N 120.01333°W |
• elevation | 2,231 ft (680 m) |
Mouth | mouth |
• location | Antelope Valley (Kern County), Kern County |
• coordinates | 35°38′30″N119°57′03″W / 35.64167°N 119.95083°W Coordinates: 35°38′30″N119°57′03″W / 35.64167°N 119.95083°W [1] |
• elevation | 735 ft (224 m) [1] |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Ceder Canyon Creek |
Bitterwater Creek, originally named Arroyo de Matarano ("Matarano Creek" in Spanish), [4] is a stream in eastern San Luis Obispo County and northwestern Kern County, central California.
The creek's source located at the confluence of Walnut Creek and Yeguas Creek in San Luis Obispo County, west of the Temblor Range and east of the Carrizo Plain in the San Andreas Fault rift zone. It flows northwest in the rift zone, then northeast through the Temblor Range and passing south of the Shale Hills, into Antelope Valley 4 miles southeast of Point of Rocks. [1]
Arroyo de Matarano was a water stop on the 19th century El Camino Viejo in Alta California, between the stops of Aguaje Del Diablo to the south and Las Tinajas de Los Indios to the north, and east of Point of Rocks. [4]
This stream was named for Juan Matarano, a well known mid 19th century Mexican Californio mesteñero or "mustang runner" of the west side of the southern San Joaquin Valley region.
The Corral de Matarano was named after him, [5] and lay below the mouth of the Arroyo. It was in a sandstone formation that made a natural stone corral. Openings in the enclosure were blocked by man made low stone walls, and was used to corral horses, cattle and sheep. Water at the corral could usually only be found upstream 8 miles to the west at Ceder Canyon, a mile more distant than the water at Las Tinajas de Los Indios. [6]
The name Arroyo de Matarano was officially changed to Bitterwater Creek, for the taste of its waters, in March 1909 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. [1]
El Camino Viejo a Los Ángeles, also known as El Camino Viejo and the Old Los Angeles Trail, was the oldest north-south trail in the interior of Spanish colonial Las Californias (1769–1822) and Mexican Alta California (1822–1848), present day California. It became a well established inland route, and an alternative to the coastal El Camino Real trail used since the 1770s in the period.
Corral Hollow, formed by Corral Hollow Creek, is a canyon partially located in Alameda County, with parts in San Joaquin County, 6.5 miles (10.5 km) southwest of Tracy, California. Corral Hollow Creek, formerly El Arroyo de los Buenos Ayres, from its source 1.9 miles (3.1 km) north of Mount Boardman, flows north 1.89 miles where it turns to flow west-northwest 8.5 miles (13.7 km) then turns abruptly east in the vicinity of Tesla to flow 5 miles (8.0 km) east where it turns again in a northeasterly direction for 6 miles (9.7 km) to the Delta-Mendota Canal in the San Joaquin Valley.
Poso de Chane or Poso Chane is a former settlement in Fresno County, California situated around the waterhole of that name, northwest just below the confluence of the Jacalitos Creek with Los Gatos Creek, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Coalinga and northwest of the Guijarral Hills.
Orestimba Creek, originally Arroyo de Orestimba is a tributary of the San Joaquin River draining eastern slopes of part of the Diablo Range within the San Joaquin Valley of California.
Garzas Creek, originally Arroyo de las Garzas, is a tributary of the San Joaquin River draining the eastern slopes of part of the Diablo Range within the San Joaquin Valley of California.
Quinto Creek, originally El Arroyo de Quinto, later Kinto Creek, is a tributary stream of the San Joaquin River that now fails to reach the river. Its source drains the slopes of the Diablo Range within the Central Valley of California, United States. The Creek has its source in Stanislaus County a canyon a half mile north of Pine Springs Hill, a 2386 foot mountain, about 16 miles from its mouth just east of where it emerges from the foothills in Merced County, shortly ending where it joins the Outside Canal. The closest populated place is Ingomar that is 3.6 miles east of the mouth of Quinto Creek.
Romero Creek, originally El Arroyo de Romero, is a tributary stream of the San Joaquin River. Its source drains the slopes of the Diablo Range within the Central Valley of California, United States.
Los Baños Creek or Los Banos Creek, originally El Arroyo de los Baños, is a tributary stream of the San Joaquin River. Its source drains the slopes of the Diablo Range within the Central Valley of California, United States. Los Baños Creek has its source at the confluence of North Fork Los Banos Creek and South Fork Los Banos Creek. It flows northeast to the west edge of Los Banos and then north to Mud Slough 2.5 miles (4 km) upstream from its confluence with the San Joaquin River.
Chico Martinez Creek, formerly Arroyo Chico Martinez is a stream with its source located in the Temblor Range in Kern County, California near to the San Luis Obispo County boundary. Its source is located 10.7 miles north of Soda Lake, California in the middle of the Carrizo Plain. The creek runs generally east and northeast to terminate just east of the South Belridge Oil Field. In years of heavy rainfall it may have been a tributary to the Kern River between Buena Vista Lake and Tulare Lake.
Garza Creek, originally El Arroyo de las Garzas. Its source on the north slope of Zwang Peak of the Diablo Range, in Kings County.
Little Panoche Creek formerly known as Arroyita de Panoche or Arroyo de Pannochita and later anglicized to Panochita Creek is a creek in Fresno County, California. The source of this creek is on the east slope of Glaucophane Ridge, of the Diablo Range in San Benito County. It flows east-northeast through Little Panoche Reservoir to empty into the California Aqueduct. Before the advent of irrigation projects in the valley, its waters might have reached a slough of the San Joaquin River in years of heavy rains.
Cantua Creek, formerly in Spanish Arroyo de Cantúa, was named for José de Guadalupe Cantúa, a prominent Californio Ranchero in the 19th-century Mexican era of Alta California.
Las Tinajas de Los Indios, or "Indian Tanks", are tinajas located in the sandstone heights of the Point of Rocks on the north side of Antelope Valley in Kern County, California.
San Emigdio Creek, formerly Arroyo de San Emigdio, is a 33 kilometres (21 mi) northward-flowing stream in western Kern County, central California.
Bitterwater Creek, formerly Arroyo de Amargosa, is a stream with its source just southwest of the southern extreme of the Elkhorn Hills, just west of and inside the San Luis Obispo County boundary, 6.3 miles southwest of Maricopa, California. The creek flows northwest to dissipate in the dry lake bed of Buena Vista Lake, 3.7 miles north of Pentland, Kern County, California. In years of heavy rainfall it would be a tributary to Buena Vista Lake, which has been dry for many years due to agricultural diversion.
Carneros Creek, formerly Arroyo de Los Carneros is a stream with its source located on the east slope of the Temblor Range in San Luis Obispo County. It flows generally westward, until it emerges from the foothills of the Temblor Range, where it turns northwestward until it terminates at its confluence with Santos Creek, northwest of the Bacon Hills, in Kern County, California.
Devilwater Creek, originally Arroyo Del Diablo, a stream with its source on the east slope of the Temblor Range in Kern County, California, that flows northeast to terminate just a mile west southwest of the mouth of Media Aqua Creek. It was officially named Devilwater Creek in 1909.
Media Aqua Creek, originally Aguaje de en Media, is a creek in northwestern Kern County and eastern San Luis Obispo County, central California.
Temblor Creek, formerly Arroyo de Los Temblores, is a stream with its source on the east slope of the Temblor Range, California, United States. It flows east-northeast to its confluence with Salt Creek in the Temblor Valley, 44 miles west of Bakersfield in Kern County, California.
La Vereda del Monte was a backcountry route through remote regions of the Diablo Range, one of the California Coast Ranges. La Vereda del Monte was the upper part of La Vereda Caballo,, used by mesteñeros from the early 1840s to drive Alta California horses to Sonora for sale.