San Emigdio Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids San Emigdio Creek |
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San Emigdio Creek Canyon in the San Emigdio Mountains, looking north
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| Native name | Arroyo de San Emigdio |
| Other name(s) | San Emidio Creek |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Kern County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | source Mount Pinos (northeast slopes), San Emigdio Mountains 7,000 ft (2,100 m) 34°49′42″N 119°06′03″W / 34.82833°N 119.10083°W |
| River mouth | mouth 4 miles southwest of Lake View (Kern County), San Joaquin Valley 597 ft (182 m) 35°03′31″N 119°10′49″W / 35.05861°N 119.18028°W |
San Emigdio Creek is a stream in California, United States. It flows north for about 33 kilometers (20 miles) through western Kern County. Its old Spanish name was Arroyo de San Emigdio, which means "Saint Emygdius Creek."
Where is San Emigdio Creek?
San Emigdio Creek starts high up in the mountains. Its source is on the northeast side of Mount Pinos. This mountain is part of the San Emigdio Mountains.
The creek then flows north through a place called San Emigdio Canyon. It ends about 4 miles (6 km) southwest of Lakeview. This area is in the western part of the San Joaquin Valley.
When there's a lot of rain, San Emigdio Creek used to flow into the Connecting Slough. This slough was a waterway between Kern Lake and Buena Vista Lake. However, this slough has been dry for many years. This is because water has been taken for farming, pumped from the ground, and the underground water levels have dropped.
History of the Creek
The canyon of San Emigdio Creek was once a very important route. In the 18th and 19th centuries, people used it as part of El Camino Viejo. This was an old road that went through the San Emigdio Mountains. It connected Cuddy Valley in the south to the San Joaquin Valley.
The spot where the creek came out of the mountains was a good place to find water. It was a stop between Cuddy Valley and another creek called Arroyo de Amargosa (Bitterwater Creek) near Buena Vista Lake.
This area was also home to a Mexican land grant called Rancho San Emidio. This land was given to José Antonio Dominguez in 1842. Before that, as early as 1824, it was a ranch and station for Mission Santa Barbara. The 1842 land grant continued the use of the area as a rancho.
