Sausal Creek (Alameda County) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sausal Creek |
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 Location of the mouth of Sausal Creek in California
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| Other name(s) | Arroyo Del Bosque |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Alameda County |
| City | Oakland, California |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Shepherd Creek near Shepherd Canyon Road, Oakland 37°50′1″N 122°11′27″W / 37.83361°N 122.19083°W |
| 2nd source | Palo Seco Creek near Joaquin Miller Road, Joaquin Miller Park 37°48′33″N 122°10′31″W / 37.80917°N 122.17528°W |
| River mouth | culvert to San Francisco Bay near Derby Avenue, Oakland 49 ft (15 m) 37°46′45″N 122°13′38″W / 37.77917°N 122.22722°W |
Sausal Creek is a 3.1-mile-long creek in Oakland, California. It's one of the main waterways in the city. The creek gets its name from the Spanish word sausal, which means "willow grove". Long ago, many native willow trees grew along its banks.
Today, people are working hard to bring back these willows and make the creek healthy again. A group of volunteers called Friends of Sausal Creek helps out. They remove plants that don't belong (called invasive species) and plant native ones. Some invasive plants found here include Monterey pine trees, ivy, French broom, and wild mustard. The Friends group holds workdays every Saturday at the Scout Hut in Dimond Park.
Creek's Journey: Where Sausal Creek Flows
Sausal Creek has two main branches, like two arms joining together.
- The North fork is also known as Shepherd Creek. It starts high in the hills above Oakland and flows down Shepherd Canyon.
- The South fork is called Palo Seco Creek. It also begins in the hills and flows down Palo Seco Canyon.
These two forks meet in a valley where the Montclair district is located. After they join, the creek cuts through a special hill formation called a shutter ridge. This ridge was formed by the Hayward Fault, a large crack in the Earth's crust. The creek then flows through Dimond Canyon, passing under the old Leimert Bridge. Finally, it runs southwest through the San Antonio district and empties into the Oakland Estuary. In the hills, the creek is mostly open. But as it gets closer to the bay, it often flows through underground pipes called culverts.
Sausal Creek's Past: A Look Back in Time
Long ago, the first people to live near Sausal Creek were the Huchiun or Yrgin Ohlone people. They gathered food like acorns and buckeyes. At that time, huge oak, alder, willow, and maple trees grew along the creek where downtown Oakland is now. Giant Coast redwood trees also grew on the ridge where Skyline Boulevard runs today.
In 1772, a Spanish explorer named Father Juan Crespí called the creek Arroyo del Bosque, which means "Creek of the Forest". Later, in 1820, the Sausal watershed became part of a large land grant called Rancho San Antonio. This land was given to Sergeant Luis Maria Peralta.
By 1841, Peralta's family started selling the huge redwood trees. By 1850, there were at least ten sawmills working in the area. One famous tree that was cut down was the Blossom Rock Tree. It was over 300 feet tall and had a trunk that was 33.5 feet wide! Sailors used this tree as a guide to avoid a dangerous underwater rock in San Francisco Bay called Blossom Rock.
The creek was also known as Fruitvale Creek. This name came about in 1856 when a Quaker nurseryman named Henderson Luelling planted hundreds of cherry trees along the creek. He named the area "Fruit Vale."
As Oakland grew, the Sausal Creek area changed a lot. When people built houses near the creek, they often planted gardens with plants from all over the world. Over time, many of these foreign plants spread and took over, becoming hard to control.
In the 1930s, a government program called the Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked in the canyon. They cleared landslides and built fire trails. In 1937, the WPA built a sewer line next to Sausal Creek. This line runs under the trail from Dimond Park to beyond the Leimert Bridge. In 1939 and 1940, more work was done to put the creek into concrete channels and make its banks stable. This made the creek flow much faster, turning a gentle stream into a rushing one. Soon, many parts of the creek were covered by culverts.
Bringing Sausal Creek Back to Life
Over time, people's ideas about Sausal Creek have changed. What was once seen as a dangerous creek needing concrete now gets help from citizens and the government. In 1996, the Friends of Sausal Creek group was formed. They had support from the City of Oakland and other organizations.
This group cares about the entire Sausal Creek area. They have organized creek clean-ups, checked the water quality, and planted native gardens. They also have a special area in Dimond Park where they are restoring the plants along the creek banks.
Today, the City of Oakland wants to remove some of the culverts in Dimond Park. This Sausal Creek restoration project is a team effort. The City of Oakland, Alameda County Flood Control, and the Friends of Sausal Creek are all working together. The project focuses on the creek section in Dimond Park below Wellington Street.
The plan is to remove the culvert below Wellington Street. This will open up a part of the creek that has been buried for a long time. They also want to make the creek wider. This will create a more natural and stable area for plants and animals.
Some people are against this plan because it would mean removing some redwood trees and parts of a field in Dimond Park. However, the project aims to stop erosion that threatens nearby houses. It will also return this section of the creek to its natural state. Native plants and trees will be planted, and the concrete will be removed. The concrete in this part of Sausal Creek is not good for rainbow trout, which need to move freely through the creek. This section also has a lot of plastic bottles and other trash. If approved, 250 feet of Sausal Creek will be uncovered.
This project is expected to cost $4 million. The money will come from different sources, including the State of California, Alameda County Flood Control, and a local measure called Measure DD.
