Miller Creek is a
[National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 9 March 2011. stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
in western
Klamath County, Oregon
Klamath County ( ) is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 69,413. The county seat is Klamath Falls. The county was named for the Klamath, the tribe of Native Americans living in the a ...
, United States. It originates above
Gerber Reservoir and empties into irrigation canals within
Langell Valley southeast of
Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...
and finally into the
Lost River.
Course
Miller Creek originates above Gerber Reservoir which is impounded by
Gerber Dam east of
the city of Bonanza. It descends southward to
Langell Valley, where it turns into canals and pumping plants, paralleling the road to Miller Creek Road until it finally empties into the
Lost River's mile 55.6 (km 89.5). There is on average a one-degree difference in temperature between Miller Creek and the Lost River at their confluence. Miller Creek has spatial variability in temperature thresholds, especially observed in the lower of the stream.
Gerber Reservoir, on Miller Creek, provides storage for irrigation and reduces flow into the reclaimed portions of
Tulelake
Tulelake ( ) is a city in northeastern Siskiyou County, California, United States. The town is named after nearby Tule Lake. Its population is 902 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,010 from the 2010 census.
Tulelake peace officers are author ...
and the restricted Tule Lake Sumps in the
Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge
The Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States in northern California near the Oregon border. It covers in the Tule Lake basin. It is part of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and is ...
.
History
The name honors James Miller (1814–1890), an Irishman who came across the continent in 1844 with the
Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party and settled on part of
Rancho San Pedro, Santa Margarita y Las Gallinas Rancho San Pedro, Santa Margarita y Las Gallinas was a Mexican land grant in present-day Marin County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Timothy Murphy (Timoteo Murphy). Las Gallinas means "the hens" in Spanish. The gra ...
in 1845.
Ecology
Although not well documented or understood, in recent years,
Columbia River redband trout
The Columbia River redband trout, the inland redband trout or the interior redband trout[E.P.A.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...](_blank)
,
Klamath County Public Works, and the
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs protecting Oregon fish and wildlife resources and their habitats.
The agency operates hatcheries, issues hunting and ...
for trout restoration potential because the creek has high-quality, connected riparian habitat; minimal barriers to fish passage; and flow is subject to the operation of Gerber Dam. There is a high likelihood that these fish are coastal
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...
(''Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus'') of hatchery origin.
[Oregon Native Fish Status Report – Volume II]
Upper Klamath Basin Redband Trout
(PDF). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
See also
*
List of rivers in Oregon
This is a partial listing of rivers in the state of Oregon, United States. This list of Oregon rivers is organized alphabetically and by tributary structure. The list may also include streams known as creeks, brooks, forks, branches and prongs, as ...
*
Link River
The Link River is a short river connecting Upper Klamath Lake to Lake Ewauna in the city of Klamath Falls in the U.S. state of Oregon.McArthur, p. 580 Draining a basin of , the river begins at the southern end of Klamath Lake and flows a short ...
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Klamath County, Oregon
Rivers of Oregon