Wolf Creek (Nevada County, California)

Wolf Creek (Nevada County, California)
Wolf Creek (Nevada County, California) is located in California
Wolf Creek (Nevada County, California)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyNevada County
Physical characteristics
SourceBanner Mountain
 • locationSierra Nevada Mountains, California
 • elevation3,000 feet (910 m)
MouthBear River
 • coordinates
39°02′02″N 121°07′51″W / 39.03393°N 121.13092°W / 39.03393; -121.13092
 • elevation
1,200 feet (370 m)
Length25 mi (40 km)
Basin size78 sq mi (200 km2)

Wolf Creek is a waterway in Nevada County, California, US. The creek is 25 miles (40 km) long. The watershed, approximately 78 square miles (200 km2), is heavily mined.[1] Most of the creek is situated in the lower montane zone. Its altitude ranges between 3,000 feet (910 m) (headwaters at Banner Mountain,[2] also known as Banner Hill)[3] to 1,200 feet (370 m) (confluence with the Bear River). Vegetation in the valley varies from alpine pines at higher elevations, to blue pines at mid elevations, and ponderosa pine mixed with evergreen forests at lower elevations. From 1850 to 1950 gold was mined in the rich formations of the Mother Lode in the heart of Banner Mountain.[4][5]

  1. ^ "About Wolf Creek". Wolf Creek factsheet (PDF). Wolf Creek Community Alliance.
  2. ^ "Hydrology and Water Quality". Draft Environmental Impact Report. Rincon del Rio. January 2012.
  3. ^ Lindgren, Waldemar (1896). The Gold-quartz Veins of Nevada City and Grass Valley Districts, California (Public domain ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 15. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  4. ^ "About Wolf Creek:Geography and Biogeography" (pdf). wolfcreekalliance.org. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  5. ^ California. Legislature. Assembly (1949). Journal of the Assembly, Legislature of the State of California. Retrieved 10 March 2013.