Wolf Creek (Nevada County, California) facts for kids

Wolf Creek is a cool waterway located in Nevada County, California, USA. It flows for about 25 mi (40 km). The area it drains, called a watershed, is approximately 78 sq mi (200 km²). This region was once heavily mined for gold.

Most of the creek is in a mountain area known as the lower montane zone. It starts high up at Banner Mountain (about 3,000 feet (910 m) high) and flows down to meet the Bear River (at about 1,200 feet (370 m)). The plants along the creek change with the elevation. You can find alpine pines higher up, blue pines in the middle, and ponderosa pine mixed with evergreen forests closer to the river. From 1850 to 1950, a lot of gold was mined from the rich Mother Lode formations in Banner Mountain.

Exploring Wolf Creek's Geography

The Wolf Creek watershed covers about 78 miles (125.53 km). This area is mostly in the lower mountain zone, where it doesn't snow as much as in higher mountains. The creek's elevation changes from 3,000 feet (910 m) at its start to about 1,200 feet (370 m) where it joins the Bear River.

The creek flows for about 25 miles (40 km) from north to south. This direction helps create many different kinds of ecosystems. Wolf Creek and its smaller streams are a big part of the upper Bear River watershed. The Bear River then flows into the Feather River, which joins the Sacramento River, and finally empties into San Francisco Bay.

Where Wolf Creek Flows

Wolf Creek drains a large part of the Banner Mountain area in the southern section. From Grass Valley, it flows south without many large streams joining it. In Grass Valley, the creek splits into two smaller streams that generally flow east to west. The slope of the creek changes a lot. It can drop 50 feet (15 m) per mile in the Grass Valley area, but near the Omaha mine, it drops 130 feet (40 m) per mile!

Smaller streams that feed into Wolf Creek flow gently over flat, plateau-like land, forming marshy areas where they begin. But as they get closer to Wolf Creek, they drop steeply and quickly. East of Osborne Hill, water flows towards Rattlesnake Creek, which is another stream that joins Wolf Creek.

Wolf Creek's Climate

The area around Wolf Creek has a moderate Mediterranean climate. This means the weather changes quite a bit between seasons. Winters are wet and cold, with temperatures usually between 36 °F (2 °C) and 55 °F (13 °C). Summers are dry and hot, with temperatures from 75 °F (24 °C) to 95 °F (35 °C).

The area gets about 54 inches (1,400 mm) of rain each year. In winter, the mountains get a lot of snow, sometimes several feet deep!

Wolf Creek's Rich History

The Wolf Creek area has been home to people for a very long time. Native American groups, like the Tsi Akim Maidu and the Nisenan, lived here and relied on the valley's plants and animals for their food and survival. They were traditional hunter-gatherers who also practiced a simple form of farming. This way of life had very little impact on the environment.

Gold Rush in the Wolf Creek Area

The Wolf Creek watershed, especially around Grass Valley and Nevada City, became famous for its gold. Gold was found in the Mother Lode formations in Banner Mountain in 1849, just one year after the famous Sutter's Mill discovery.

Gold mining started in 1850 with many hard rock mines and continued for 100 years until 1950. Reports say that the Wolf Creek watershed had the most hard rock mines in all of California. Some of these mines included the Cedar Mine, the Badger Hill vein, and the Washington vein.

Plants and Animals of Wolf Creek

Stebbins' morning glory is a rare plant found near Wolf Creek.

The narrow valley of Wolf Creek is home to a wide variety of plants. At higher elevations, you'll find plants that like cold, alpine conditions. As you go down, the plants change to blue oak and gray pine woodlands. Even lower, you'll see ponderosa pine mixed with evergreen forests.

Rare Plants in the Watershed

Based on information from the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), many special plant species have been found in the Wolf Creek watershed. Some of these include:

• Scadden flat checkerbloom (which is endangered)
• Brandegee’s clarkia
• Brownish beaked-rush
• Red-anthered rush
• Red Hills soaproot
• Stebbins' morning glory
• Follett's monardella
• Pine Hill flannelbush (also endangered)
• Norris’s beard-moss
• Elongate copper-moss
• Cantelow’s lewisia
• Butte County fritillary
• Bog club-moss

Animals Living in the Wolf Creek Area

The California Natural Diversity Database also lists many animal species found in the Wolf Creek watershed. These include:

• California spotted owl
• California red-legged frog (which is threatened)
• Coast horned lizard
• Elderberry beetle
• Foothill yellow-legged frog
• Great grey owl
• Northern goshawk
• Northwestern pond turtle
• Pacific fisher

• This article incorporates text from a work in the public domain: W. Lindgren's "The Gold-quartz Veins of Nevada City and Grass Valley Districts, California" (1896)
• This article incorporates text from a work in the public domain: California State Mining Bureau's "Catalogue of the State Museum of California: Being the Collections Made by the State Mining Bureau" (1899)