Bear Creek (Rogue River tributary)
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Bear Creek is the name of a stream located entirely within Jackson County, Oregon. The stream drains approximately Script error: No such module "convert". of the Rogue Valley and discharges an annual average of Script error: No such module "convert". into the Rogue River. It begins near Emigrant Lake and travels Script error: No such module "convert". through the municipalities of Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Medford, and Central Point.[1]
History
Prior to the arrival of settlers in the 1850s, the Bear Creek Valley was home to three Indian tribes; these were the Takelmas, the Latgawas, and the Shastas. The scattered camps hunted deer and elk, fished for salmon, raided other tribes, and consumed plums, sunflowers, and root crops.[2] When the area was originally settled, the stream was called Si-ku-ptat by the natives and may have been known as Stewart River by settlers.[3]
Various forced migrations occurred during the 1850s in which almost all of the Native American inhabitants were displaced to Indian Reservations to stop their raids. This was completed by 1857.[2][4] Farmers and ranchers continued to acquire land claims, and when the Oregon and California Railroad arrived in 1883, Bear Creek was chosen as the route to follow.[5]
Geology
The Bear Creek watershed is a curved valley (actually part of the Rogue Valley) averaging about Script error: No such module "convert". wide and Script error: No such module "convert". long, covering approximately Script error: No such module "convert"..[6][7] The confluence with the Rogue River is in the northwestern tip of the valley. The highest point in the watershed is on Mount Ashland at an elevation of about Script error: No such module "convert".. From there at least 83 streams in 21 sub-watersheds share a link with the greater Rogue River Basin.[1]
The landscape surrounding the watershed has been carved by tectonic activity leaving steep canyons that are prone to flooding when snow melts in the spring.[6] The slopes are part of the transition zone between volcanic soil and granitic soil covering much of Southern Oregon and Northern California and are prone to significant periods of erosion and runoff during high-flow periods. Furthermore, the elevation of the watershed at the point of confluence is about Script error: No such module "convert"., and a significant amount of kinetic energy builds up over the first Script error: No such module "convert". of drop.[1] Historically, the landscape plays a large part in dispersing this energy but flooding has become a regular problem along the Bear Creek;[6] several earlier bridges in the Rogue Valley have been wiped out during random flood events.[8]
See also
Notes
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References
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- ↑ a b c Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".. For Stewart River, Mr. Gray was referencing a 1925 work by A. L. Kroeber called Handbook of California Indians. For Si-ku-ptat, a 1981 work by J. P. Harrington. An Oregon Department of Environmental Quality report cites "Landry" for Si'kuptat.
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- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ The width comes from the length of the Bear Creek as cited by the Watershed Assessment and the area measurement.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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