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Bear Creek (Oregon)
Encyclopedia
Bear Creek is the name of a stream
located entirely within Jackson County
, Oregon
. The stream drains approximately 400 mi2 of the Rogue Valley
and discharges an annual average of 114 cubic feet per second (3.2 m³/sec) into the Rogue River
. It begins near Emigrant Lake and travels 28.8 miles (46.3 km) through the municipalities of Ashland
, Talent
, Phoenix
, Medford
, and Central Point
.
s in the 1850s, the Bear Creek Valley was home to three Native American
tribes; the Takelma
s, the Latgawas, and the Shasta
s. The scattered camps hunted deer
and elk
, fished for salmon
, and consumed plum
s, sunflower
s, and root crops. 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.
Various forced migration
s occurred during the 1850s resulting in almost all of the Native American inhabitants being displaced to Indian Reservation
s by 1857. Farmer
s 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.
is a curved valley (actually part of the Rogue Valley
) averaging about 13 miles (20.9 km) wide and 28 miles (45.1 km) long, covering approximately 361 mi2. 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 7500 feet (2,286 m). From there at least 83 streams in 21 sub-watersheds share a link with the greater Rogue River Basin.
The landscape
surrounding the watershed has been carved by tectonic activity leaving steep canyon
s which are prone to flooding when the snow melts in spring. 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 1075 feet (327.7 m) and a significant amount of kinetic energy
builds up over the first 5000 feet (1,524 m) drop. Historically, the landscape plays a large part in dispersing this energy but flooding has become a regular problem along the Bear Creek; several earlier bridges in the Rogue Valley have been wiped out during random flood events.
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...
located entirely within Jackson County
Jackson County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument* Crater Lake National Park * Klamath National Forest * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Umpqua National Forest -Demographics:...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The stream drains approximately 400 mi2 of the Rogue Valley
Rogue Valley
The Rogue Valley is a farming and timber-producing region in southwestern Oregon in the United States. Located along the middle Rogue River and its tributaries in Josephine and Jackson counties, the valley forms the cultural and economic heart of Southern Oregon near the California border. The...
and discharges an annual average of 114 cubic feet per second (3.2 m³/sec) into the Rogue River
Rogue River (Oregon)
The Rogue River in southwestern Oregon in the United States flows about in a generally westward direction from the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act...
. It begins near Emigrant Lake and travels 28.8 miles (46.3 km) through the municipalities of Ashland
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
, Talent
Talent, Oregon
Talent is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 5,589 at the 2000 census and 6,680 as of July 1, 2009.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, Phoenix
Phoenix, Oregon
Phoenix is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 4,060 at the 2000 census and has grown to 4,855 people as of July 1, 2009.-History:...
, Medford
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
, and Central Point
Central Point, Oregon
Central Point is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 17,165 as of July 1, 2009 The city shares its southern border with Medford and is a part of the Medford metropolitan area...
.
History
Prior to the arrival of settlerSettler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s in the 1850s, the Bear Creek Valley was home to three Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribes; the Takelma
Takelma
The Takelma were a Native American people that lived in the Rogue Valley of interior southwest Oregon, with most of their villages sited along the Rogue River. The name Takelma means Along the River.-History:...
s, the Latgawas, and the Shasta
Shasta (tribe)
The Shasta are an indigenous people of Northern California and Southern Oregon in the United States. They spoke one of the Shastan languages....
s. The scattered camps hunted deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
, fished for salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, and consumed plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
s, sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
s, and root crops. 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.
Various forced migration
Forced migration
Forced migration refers to the coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region...
s occurred during the 1850s resulting in almost all of the Native American inhabitants being displaced to Indian Reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
s by 1857. Farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s and ranchers continued to acquire land claims and when the Oregon and California Railroad
Oregon and California Railroad
The Oregon and California Railroad was formed from the Oregon Central Railroad when it was the first to operate a stretch south of Portland in 1869. This qualified the Railroad for land grants in California, whereupon the name of the railroad soon changed to Oregon & California Rail Road Company...
arrived in 1883, Bear Creek was chosen as the route to follow.
Geology
The Bear Creek watershedDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
is a curved valley (actually part of the Rogue Valley
Rogue Valley
The Rogue Valley is a farming and timber-producing region in southwestern Oregon in the United States. Located along the middle Rogue River and its tributaries in Josephine and Jackson counties, the valley forms the cultural and economic heart of Southern Oregon near the California border. The...
) averaging about 13 miles (20.9 km) wide and 28 miles (45.1 km) long, covering approximately 361 mi2. The confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the Rogue River is in the northwestern tip of the valley. The highest point in the watershed is on Mount Ashland
Mount Ashland
Mount Ashland ski area is located on Mount Ashland and features 23 trails on served by four lifts, in addition to chute skiing in a glacial cirque called The Bowl. The mountain receives over of snow annually with a season from early December until mid-April...
at an elevation of about 7500 feet (2,286 m). From there at least 83 streams in 21 sub-watersheds share a link with the greater Rogue River Basin.
The landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
surrounding the watershed has been carved by tectonic activity leaving steep canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
s which are prone to flooding when the snow melts in spring. The slopes are part of the transition zone between volcanic soil and granitic soil
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
covering much of Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
and Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
and are prone to significant periods of erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and runoff
Surface runoff
Surface runoff is the water flow that occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the water cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint source...
during high-flow periods. Furthermore, the elevation of the watershed at the point of confluence is about 1075 feet (327.7 m) and a significant amount of kinetic energy
Kinetic energy
The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion.It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes...
builds up over the first 5000 feet (1,524 m) drop. Historically, the landscape plays a large part in dispersing this energy but flooding has become a regular problem along the Bear Creek; several earlier bridges in the Rogue Valley have been wiped out during random flood events.
