Salsipuedes Creek (Pajaro River)

This article is about Salsipuedes Creek tributary to the Pajaro River. For Salsipuedes Creek in Santa Barbara County, see Salsipuedes Creek (Santa Ynez River tributary).
Salsipuedes Creek
Arroyo de Salsipuedes[1]
Man on a boat near a dock in College Lake (originally Laguna Grande) just east of Watsonville, California, circa 1900, courtesy of University of Southern California. Libraries and California Historical Society
Salsipuedes Creek (Pajaro River) is located in California
Salsipuedes Creek (Pajaro River)
Location of mouth
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionSanta Cruz County, California
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • location2.5 mi (4 km) east of Watsonville
 • coordinates36°57′05″N 121°43′14″W / 36.95139°N 121.72056°W / 36.95139; -121.72056[2]
 • elevation148 ft (45 m)
MouthPajaro River
 • location
Watsonville
 • coordinates
36°54′35″N 121°43′12″W / 36.90972°N 121.72000°W / 36.90972; -121.72000[2]
 • elevation
52 ft (16 m)
Length4 mi (6.4 km)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightCasserly Creek, Corralitos Creek

Salsipuedes Creek is a 4-mile-long (6.4 km)[3] southward-flowing stream originating about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County, California. Most of the upper reach was the historic Laguna Grande, now referred to as College Lake.[4]

History

In 1817 Spanish Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá granted the Mission Santa Cruz padres the right to pasture their horses at the "Bolsa de Sals si puedes five-and-a-half leagues from the Villa de Branciforte".[5] This bolsa, Spanish for pocket of marshland, was College Lake, named after the polite nickname "The College" for the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum built nearby in 1869. College Lake (and later College Road) get their names from this nickname. In 1924, Reclamation District Two was created, and the lake was pumped dry to create more farmland.[4] The USGS survey maps show College Lake as an "intermittent lake." "Salsipuedes" was a Spanish language expression meaning "get out if you can" often used for rough terrain.[4]

Watershed and course

Salsipuedes Creek above College Road is College Lake, and from there perhaps only 0.8 miles (1.3 km) of stream from its origin just above Carlton Road. However, it has a significant tributary, Casserly Creek. Casserly Creek terminates in a large marsh just south of Interlaken, California, which drains into College Lake.[6] Below College Lake, Salsipuedes Creek is joined by Corralitos Creek just south of College Road, as delineated on USGS maps,[2] however others have suggested that Salsipuedes Creek is instead tributary to Corralitos Creek.[4] From its confluence with Corralitos Creek, Salsipuedes Creek flows 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the Pajaro River.

Ecology and conservation

In a 2007 report, Dr. Jerry Smith reported steelhead trout of all age classes in both Casserly Creek and Corralitos Creek.[7]

References

  1. ^ Mildred B. Hoover; Hero Rensch; Ethel Rensch; William N. Abeloe (1966). Historic Spots in California. 3rd edition. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804700795.
  2. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Salsipuedes Creek
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 27, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Donald Thomas Clark (1986). Santa Cruz County Place Names. Santa Cruz, California: Santa Cruz County Historical Society. pp. 305–306. ISBN 0940283018.
  5. ^ Erwin Gustav Gudde (1960). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 278.
  6. ^ "Casserly Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  7. ^ Becker, Gordon S.; Smetak, Katherine M.; Asbury, David A. (2010). Southern Steelhead Resources Evaluation – Identifying Promising Locations for Steelhead Restoration in Watersheds South of the Golden Gate – Appendix (PDF) (Report). Oakland, California: Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration (CEMAR). Retrieved February 26, 2023.