Stockton Creek is a tributary of

Mariposa Creek Mariposa Creek, originally called the Mariposa River, is a creek that has its source in Mariposa County, California. It flows through the town of Mariposa then southwest through the Sierra foothills, into and across the San Joaquin Valley in Mer ...

Mariposa County, California Mariposa County () is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,131. The county seat is Mariposa. It is located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, north of Fresno, east of ...

. It was named after

Robert F. Stockton Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-p ...

who owned a mine and stamp mill during the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. An impoundment on the creek owned by the Mariposa Public Utilities Commission holds a major source of water for the community of Mariposa. The source of the creek is near Midpines Summit. Its confluence with Mariposa Creek is near the Mariposa County Fairgrounds.

History

In 1850, Commodore Stockton invested in a mine and leased land from his former subordinate during the Mexican War,

John Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. Fremont had acquired all of the surrounding area as part of the Las Mariposas Land Grant. Stockton formed a partnership with

William Aspinwall William Aspinwall (1605 – c. 1662) was an Englishman who emigrated to Boston with the ''Winthrop Fleet'' in 1630. He played an integral part in the early religious controversies of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Life Aspinwall as most of th ...

and in April 1850 they hired Edward Beale to supervise the transport of a steam-powered rock crushing apparatus to be installed at their mine on the creek. After successfully supervising the installation of the stamp mill Beale returned to the east coast, but then was reassigned by Stockton and Aspinwall to go back to California to inspect the mine's viability, which he found to be not profitable. However it was on this trip that Beale assessed the need to build a railroad across the

Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...

, which became a major operation for Aspinwall. Aspinwall and Stockton sold their interests in the Stockton Creek Mine and the associated Stockton Creek Tunnel. The mine operated sporadically until 1938. Its principal period of productivity was from 1900 to 1915. The mouth of Stockton Creek was, and still is, an area of general commercial development. Known as Mormon Bar, there were hard rock mines, placer claims, and a stockyard during the gold rush. A sand and gravel company operated at Mormon bar in the mid 20th century, using mostly dredge tailings as a material source. The Mariposa County Fairgrounds are located at Mormon Bar.

Watershed

Mariposa County contains three major drainage basins: the

Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and st ...

Chowchilla River The Chowchilla River is a river in central California, United States and a minor tributary of the San Joaquin River. It flows for from the western side of the Sierra Nevada Range to the San Joaquin River system in the San Joaquin Valley. Most of ...

Fresno River The Fresno River (Spanish for "ash tree") is a river in Central California and a major tributary of the San Joaquin River. It runs approximately from the Sierra Nevada Range to the San Joaquin River if measured from the source of Rainier Creek, ...

, and a localized cluster of streams of the east valley known as the Lower Mariposa group of streams. These three basins and their component watersheds are part of the much larger San Joaquin River system that drains the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. At the lower end of the watershed,

is dammed by the Mariposa Creek Dam ( high). The Mariposa Public Utilities District (MPUD) operates the Stockton Creek Dam ( tall) on Stockton Creek.

Stockton Creek Preserve

In 2011 areas around the reservoir were set aside for public use in a joint project of the Sierra Foothill Conservancy and the Mariposa Public Utilities District known as the Stockton Creek Preserve. Stockton Creek Reservoir provides water to Mariposa, and the preserve was set aside in order to better protect the natural surroundings for watershed protection, and also for public enjoyment of the area. The preserve is 410 acres, and is accessible via trail easements across private property. File:On Stockton Creek Preserve trail.jpg, On Stockton Creek Preserve trail, Mariposa, CA File:Wildflower close up.jpg, Wildflower close up, Stockton Creek Preserve trail, Mariposa, CA File:Stockton Creek Preserve trail.jpg, View from the Stockton Creek Preserve trail, Mariposa, CA

References

{{reflist Rivers of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Tributaries of the San Joaquin River Rivers of Mariposa County, California Rivers of Northern California Rivers of the Sierra Nevada in California