Beegum Creek is a stream located in
Shasta and
Tehama counties, southwest of
Redding in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
The stream cuts through Beegum Gorge and runs before it empties into
Cottonwood Creek.
The creek derives its name from nearby
Beegum Peak, so named due to its shape.
is a term originating in the
American South, which in the 1850s was used to describe beehives in a hollow gum tree or made of boards.
Ecology
Beegum Creek is a habitat for many threatened and sensitive species of fish and wildlife, such as
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus '' Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ...
,
steelhead
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and ...
, the
California red-legged frog
The California red-legged frog (''Rana draytonii'') is a species of frog found in California (USA) and northern Baja California (Mexico). It was formerly considered a subspecies of the northern red-legged frog (''Rana aurora''). The frog is an IU ...
, and the
foothill yellow-legged frog.
The area surrounding the creek is characterized by
oak woodland
An oak woodland is a plant community with a tree canopy dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak woodlands are intermediate between oak savanna, which is more open, and oak forest, which is more closed. Although the ...
,
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...
, and
chaparral,
and is home to the
northern spotted owl
The northern spotted owl (''Strix occidentalis caurina'') is one of three spotted owl subspecies. A western North American bird in the family Strigidae, genus '' Strix'', it is a medium-sized dark brown owl native to the Pacific Northwest. An ...
,
as well as
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
and
bald eagle.
Mining history
The Beegum area attracted prospectors and miners during the
California Gold Rush, most of whom were disappointed. In 1916, Joseph Selvester and James Wilson established a prospect on the South Fork Trail, where they found mixed manganese oxides.
According to the Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS), the Beegum Creek
placer mine
Placer mining () is the mining of stream bed (alluvial) deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit (also called open-cast mining) or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment.
Placer mining is frequently used for p ...
is a producer of gold, platinum, osmium, and iridium.
References
{{reflist
Rivers of Northern California
Rivers of Shasta County, California