Cañada del Oro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cañada del Oro |
|
|---|---|
| Country | United States (Arizona) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Mount Lemmon (north face) 2,768 m (9,081 ft) |
| River mouth | Santa Cruz River |
| Length | 77.25 km (48.00 mi) |
The Cañada del Oro is a special riverbed in the Tucson area of Arizona, USA. Its name comes from Spanish and means Canyon of Gold. The word cañada has a special Spanish letter (ñ) and is said like "kuh-NYAH-duh". It is not pronounced like the country Canada.
This riverbed is a main channel for water in the Tucson valley. It helps drain water from the mountains when it rains or snows.
Contents
Where is the Cañada del Oro?
The Cañada del Oro starts in a faraway place called Canyon del Oro. This canyon is in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. The river gets its water from rainfall and melting snow. This water comes from the northern side of Mount Lemmon.
How the River Flows
At higher places, the Cañada del Oro is a creek that flows all the time. It first flows north towards a town called Oracle. Then, it makes a big curve. It starts flowing south through the town of Oro Valley.
In Oro Valley, the Cañada del Oro is usually a dry riverbed. It collects water from the western side of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Finally, the Cañada del Oro flows into the Santa Cruz River. This happens just northwest of Tucson. The Santa Cruz River is the main water channel in the Tucson valley.
A River of Gold?
For a long time, people were very interested in finding gold in the Cañada del Oro. This started with Spanish explorers in the 1600s. By the year 1880, maps in America even called it "Gold Cañon Creek."
The Gold Rush Continues
After the Mexican–American War, American gold-seekers kept looking for gold. They searched for this valuable mineral all the way into the 1930s. Prospectors found only small amounts of gold in the Cañada del Oro. They used a method called placer mining. This means they looked for gold flakes in the sand and gravel of the riverbed.
The Lost Mine Story
People also said that gold was found in a secret place. This place was called the Mine with the Iron Door. This lost mine is a famous local legend. A writer named Harold Bell Wright wrote a novel about it in 1923. The book was also called The Mine with the Iron Door.
See also
In Spanish: Cañada del Oro para niños
