Murrieta Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Murrieta Creek |
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|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Riverside County |
| District | Wildomar, Murrieta, Temecula |
| Cities | Wildomar, Murrieta, Temecula |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | at the confluence of the West Fork Murrieta Creek and North Fork Murrieta Creek, Riverside County 1,173 ft (358 m) 33°34′46″N 117°14′47″W / 33.57944°N 117.24639°W |
| River mouth | Confluence with Temecula Creek, forming Santa Margarita River 0.5 miles southeast of Temecula, Riverside County 981 ft (299 m) 33°28′28″N 117°08′30″W / 33.47444°N 117.14167°W |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
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Murrieta Creek is a stream in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. It flows for about 13 miles (21 km) in a southeasterly direction.
The creek passes through the cities of Wildomar, Murrieta, and Temecula. It ends about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) southeast of Temecula's city center. Here, Murrieta Creek joins Temecula Creek to form the beginning of the Santa Margarita River.
History of Murrieta Creek
The name of Murrieta Creek, and the nearby city of Murrieta, comes from a family of pioneer sheep ranchers. These were Izaquel and Juan Murrieta. They bought large areas of land called Rancho Pauba and Rancho Temecula.
Juan Murrieta brought many sheep to the valley in 1873. He had about 100,000 sheep. The green meadows along the creek were perfect for feeding his large herd.
Understanding the Murrieta Creek Watershed
A watershed is an area of land where all the water drains into a single river or stream. The Murrieta Creek watershed is quite large, covering over 220 square miles (570 km2). This means all the rain and runoff in this area eventually flows into Murrieta Creek.
The creek also gets water from several smaller streams, which are called tributaries. For example, water from Lake Skinner flows into Tucalota Creek. Tucalota Creek then flows into Santa Gertrudis Creek, which finally joins Murrieta Creek.
