Austin Creek
Encyclopedia
Austin Creek is a 16 miles (25.7 km) southward-flowing stream
in the mountains of western Sonoma County, California
which empties into the Russian River
about 4 miles (6 km) from the Pacific Ocean
.
. It flows south past Layton Mine into a wooded canyon, where it joins King Ridge Road just above its confluence with Bearpen Creek. It parallels King Ridge Road to the town of Cazadero
and continues south through confluences with East Austin Creek and Kidd Creek. It flows under State Route 116
at milepost 4.93 and enters the Russian River about 1 miles (1.6 km) north of the town of Duncans Mills
.
(NWP) extended its narrow-gauge line up Austin Creek to transport lumber from Cazadero to points south. The railroad grade was later converted to road, becoming Cazadero Highway.
intrusive ultramafic rock. Sonoma Magnesite Company was formed in 1912 to mine the Red Slide Deposit of magnesite
in The Cedars. The mineral is important for steel-making and manufacture of bricks for high-temperature applications; but cost of transportation made mining in The Cedars infeasible until World War I
interrupted availability of less expensive sources. An eleven-mile 2-foot-gauge industrial railway
was built in 1914 along the bank of East Austin Creek to connect the mine with Magnesia station on the NWP railroad south of Cazadero. Thirty tons of ore were calcined daily in an oil-fired rotary kiln and packed into sacks for shipping. Production ended in 1920 when magnesite again became available from less expensive sources.
s. Each of the ten flatcars was four feet wide by seven feet long and could be loaded with 5 tons of magnesite. Oil for the kiln was shipped in six 500-gallon tank car
s eight feet long. Trains were pulled by an unusual variety of locomotives:
High water in East Austin Creek washed out significant portions of the tramway in 1921; and Betsy was washed downstream and partially buried in the gravel channel. Most of the rails had been salvaged by 1925; and Betsy was converted to scrap metal in 1961.
.
bridge, which is 380 feet (115.8 m) long and was built in 1962.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
in the mountains of western Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
which empties into the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...
about 4 miles (6 km) from the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Course
The creek originates in an isolated area known as The Cedars, about 13 miles (20.9 km) west of Healdsburg, CaliforniaHealdsburg, California
Healdsburg is a city located in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 11,254...
. It flows south past Layton Mine into a wooded canyon, where it joins King Ridge Road just above its confluence with Bearpen Creek. It parallels King Ridge Road to the town of Cazadero
Cazadero, California
Cazadero is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in western Sonoma County, California, United States with a population of 354 as of the 2010 Census. Nearby towns include Jenner, Annapolis, Stewart's Point, Duncans Mills, Villa Grande, Rio Nido, Guerneville, Monte Rio, and The Sea Ranch...
and continues south through confluences with East Austin Creek and Kidd Creek. It flows under State Route 116
California State Route 116
State Route 116 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Sonoma County. The route runs from State Route 1 on the Pacific coast near Jenner to State Route 121 south of Sonoma.-Route description:...
at milepost 4.93 and enters the Russian River about 1 miles (1.6 km) north of the town of Duncans Mills
Duncans Mills, California
Duncans Mills is an unincorporated town located in Sonoma County, California.-Geography:Duncans Mills is located at on the Russian River about from the Pacific Ocean...
.
History
In the 1885-1886, the North Pacific Coast RailroadNorth Pacific Coast Railroad
The North Pacific Coast Railroad was a common carrier narrow gauge steam railroad begun in 1874 and sold in 1902 to new owners who renamed it the North Shore Railroad and which rebuilt the southern section into a standard gauge electric railroad.The NPC operated in the northern California...
(NWP) extended its narrow-gauge line up Austin Creek to transport lumber from Cazadero to points south. The railroad grade was later converted to road, becoming Cazadero Highway.
Sonoma Magnesite Company
The Cedars is a distinctive woodland of trees able to grow on a formation of MesozoicMesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
intrusive ultramafic rock. Sonoma Magnesite Company was formed in 1912 to mine the Red Slide Deposit of magnesite
Magnesite
Magnesite is magnesium carbonate, MgCO3. Iron substitutes for magnesium with a complete solution series with siderite, FeCO3. Calcium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may also occur in small amounts...
in The Cedars. The mineral is important for steel-making and manufacture of bricks for high-temperature applications; but cost of transportation made mining in The Cedars infeasible until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
interrupted availability of less expensive sources. An eleven-mile 2-foot-gauge industrial railway
Industrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
was built in 1914 along the bank of East Austin Creek to connect the mine with Magnesia station on the NWP railroad south of Cazadero. Thirty tons of ore were calcined daily in an oil-fired rotary kiln and packed into sacks for shipping. Production ended in 1920 when magnesite again became available from less expensive sources.
Sonoma Magnesite Tramway
The railway shipped sacks of magnesite on 4-wheel flatcarFlatcar
A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
s. Each of the ten flatcars was four feet wide by seven feet long and could be loaded with 5 tons of magnesite. Oil for the kiln was shipped in six 500-gallon tank car
Tank car
A tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...
s eight feet long. Trains were pulled by an unusual variety of locomotives:
| Name | Builder | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hippo | Joshua Hendy Iron Works of Sunnyvale, California Sunnyvale, California Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area... |
0-4-0 0-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven... |
purchased new; powered by an internal combustion gasoline Gasoline Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain... engine |
| Betsy | Davenport Locomotive Works Davenport Locomotive Works The Davenport Locomotive Works, of Davenport, Iowa, USA built locomotives from 1902 until 1956. The company acquired the locomotive business of H. K... |
0-4-0 0-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven... saddle-tank locomotive Tank locomotive A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon... |
steam locomotive Steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine... purchased used from Washington |
| highway truck with flanged wheels on the powered rear axle and a 4-wheel bogie Bogie A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar... supporting the front end |
High water in East Austin Creek washed out significant portions of the tramway in 1921; and Betsy was washed downstream and partially buried in the gravel channel. Most of the rails had been salvaged by 1925; and Betsy was converted to scrap metal in 1961.
Habitat and pollution
As of 2000, Austin Creek and all its major tributaries all supported steelhead trout. Austin Creek and East Austin Creek also harbored California freshwater shrimpSyncaris pacifica
Syncaris pacifica is an endangered species of freshwater shrimp in the family Atyidae that occurs only in a limited range within the northern San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. Specifically, this species occurs only in 17 stream segments within Sonoma, Napa and Marin Counties...
.
Bridges
Many bridges span Austin Creek. The longest of these is the State Route 116California State Route 116
State Route 116 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Sonoma County. The route runs from State Route 1 on the Pacific coast near Jenner to State Route 121 south of Sonoma.-Route description:...
bridge, which is 380 feet (115.8 m) long and was built in 1962.
See also
- Armstrong Redwoods State ReserveArmstrong Redwoods State ReserveArmstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve is a state park of California, USA, preserving of Coast redwood trees . The reserve is located in Sonoma County just north of Guerneville, California....
- Austin Creek State Recreation AreaAustin Creek State Recreation AreaAustin Creek State Recreation Area is a state park unit of California, USA, encompassing an isolated wilderness area. It is located in Sonoma County, California, adjacent to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, with which it shares a common entrance. Its rugged topography includes ravines,...
- List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area