Jesus Maria Creek is an 18.9 miles (30.4 km) westward-flowing stream originating west of Summit Level Ridge on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in Calaveras County, California, United States.[2]
| Jesus Maria Creek | |
|---|---|
  Location of the mouth of Jesus Maria Creek | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Calaveras County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Just west of Summit Level Ridge[1] |
| • coordinates | 38°17′40″N 120°23′6.3″W / 38.29444°N 120.385083°W[2] |
| • elevation | 4,140 ft (1,260 m)[2] |
| Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with North Fork Calaveras River |
• coordinates | 38°17′13.7″N 120°39′38.8″W / 38.287139°N 120.660778°W[3] |
• elevation | 961 ft (293 m)[2] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Salamander Creek |
History
editGold was discovered along the banks of Jesus Maria Creek in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. The name was derived from a Mexican vegetable peddler named Jesus Maria, who sold to miners in the early 1850s.[4]
Watershed
editJesus Maria Creek originates just west of Summit Level Ridge, a ridge separating it from the Mokelumne River watershed to the north. The creek has several named tributaries, heading downstream first Mexican Gulch[5] on the left, then Salamander Creek,[6] on the left, then Spring Gulch[7] on the right, then Wet Gulch[8] on the right. It then flows through the historic mining town of Jesus Maria, before joining North Fork Calaveras River.
Ecology
editAlthough Jesus Maria Creek flows are seasonal, there are perennial reaches such as where Railroad Flat Road crosses the creek, that could sustain resident rainbow trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss).[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Summit Level Ridge". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- 1 2 3 4 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 29, 2026
- ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Jesus Maria Creek
- ↑ Erwin G. Gudde, William Bright (1975). California Place Names. The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 184.
- ↑ "Mexican Gulch". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ↑ "Salamander Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ↑ "Spring Gulch". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ↑ "Wet Gulch". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ↑ Glenda Marsh (2007). "Historic and Present Distribution of Chinook Salmon and Steelhead in the Calaveras River". San Francisco Estuary & Watershed Science. 5 (3): 33. Retrieved April 29, 2026.