Aptos Creek
Arroyo de Outos[1]
Aptos Creek at Spreckels Boulevard bridge in April, 2017
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionSanta Cruz County
CityAptos
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationSouthwest flank of Santa Rosalia Mountain
 • coordinates37°04′19″N 121°51′26″W / 37.07194°N 121.85722°W / 37.07194; -121.85722[2]
 • elevation2,502 ft (763 m)[3]
MouthMonterey Bay
 • coordinates
36°58′11″N 121°54′22″W / 36.96972°N 121.90611°W / 36.96972; -121.90611[3]
 • elevation
7 ft (2.1 m)[2]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftMangels Gulch, Valencia Creek
 • rightBridge Creek

Aptos Creek is a southward flowing 9.5 miles (15.3 km) creek that begins on Santa Rosalia Mountain on the southwestern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains in Santa Cruz County, California and enters Monterey Bay, at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, California.[3]

History

The earliest record of "Outos" or "Aptos" is Arroyo de Outos in 1796, thought to be pronunciations of an Ohlone (Sp. Costanoan) village at the junction of Aptos and Valencia Creeks.[1] They come together now below Highway 1 and the overpass of Spreckles Drive. Rancho de Aptos was a sheep ranch of Mission Santa Cruz shown on documents dating to July 5, 1807.[4] Rancho Aptos was a 6,686-acre (27.06 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Cruz County, California, given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to Rafael Castro.[5]

Watershed and course

Water birds in Aptos Creek, including common mergansers, coots, and mallards

The Aptos Creek watershed drains 24.5 square miles (63 km2) beginning on the southwestern slope of 2,585 feet (788 m) tall Santa Rosalia Mountain[6] in the western Santa Cruz Mountains.[7] The watershed is found inside the Coast Range Ecoregion that runs almost completely from the border of Oregon to the southernmost boundary of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It includes every stream south of San Francisco that originates from the Santa Cruz Mountains.[8] Aptos Creek emerges into northern Monterey Bay at Seacliff State Beach which is located about 10 kilometers east of Santa Cruz. At the mouth of the creek, beaches host 30 meter high cliffs. The lower part of the Aptos Creek basin is characterized by its location in an area of low-density residential developments.[9] Still, over 60% of the watershed of the Aptos Creek mainstem lies within and is protected by The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. The major tributaries are (from top to bottom) Bridge Creek, Mangels Gulch, and then Valencia Creek (shortly after the latter receives its Trout Gulch tributary).

Aptos Creek serves as a drain in the Soquel-Aptos area along with Branciforte Creek and Soquel Creek along with its tributary West Branch Soquel Creek. All three are perennial streams that have a component of base flow discharge across the year. There are gaging stations for the Soquel-Aptos Area both in Aptos Creek in Aptos itself and in Aptos Creek but just outside Aptos. The former is located at 36°58'33"N and the drainage area is 31.9 kilometers squared. The latter can be found at 121°54'05"W and has a drainage area of 26.4 kilometers squared. [10]

The mouth of Aptos Creek, from above Beach Drive, with the orange sunlight of August 2020 wildfires

Ecology

Aptos Creek steel bridge in the middle of the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, with pay phone

The middle and upper watershed is in a second growth redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forest that was clearcut over a forty-year period from 1883 to 1923. Most visible trees along the coastline today were planted intentionally. This is because Native Americans who used to call the beaches home would burn down trees in order to protect themselves from the threat of wildfires.[11] Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Central Coast streams are federally listed as endangered and threatened species, respectively.[7] Aptos Creek can also be described as an anadromous fish stream, meaning that it serves as a passageway for fish migrating up rivers from the sea in order to breed. The fish found in these sort of environments have been observed to have subtle cranial depressions as well as vertebral column and lower jaw anomalies which may have been prompted by both natural and human causes such as fires, droughts, floods, and impoundments.[12]

Human impacts and activities

A concrete dam was built across the mouth of Aptos Creek in March of 1928. The purpose was to create a bathing pavilion, the Rio Del Mar Pavilion and Dam, that upon completion was publicized as "the world's largest freshwater swimming pool". The midstream floating diving platform and canoe rentals attracted visitors to the pool that was complete with steps and handrails.[13]

There was an island in the creek that was known as Lover's Retreat. It housed nine honeymoon cottages, barns and stables, and an outdoor dance pavilion surrounded by live oaks. However, soon the logging industry gained prominence and the area grew rugged causing it to loose its aesthetic appeal. Today, Lover's Retreat is no longer an island can be found instead as Treasure Island.[14]

Many visitors of the Forest of Nisene Marks like to picnic alongside the creek. Others like to hike, bike, walk dogs, and jog on the Aptos Creek Fire Road which ventures through the forest.[15]

Aptos Creek can also be accessed in Aptos Village Park on Aptos Creek Road which includes picnic areas, the Aptos Village Park Hall, barbeques, lawn areas, and redwood trees.[16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Donald Thomas Clark (1986). Santa Cruz County Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. Santa Cruz, California: Santa Cruz Historical Trust. ISBN 978-0940283015.
  2. 1 2 "Aptos Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 9, 2017
  4. ↑ Erwin Gustav Gudde (1960). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. University of California Press. pp. 3–. GGKEY:403N5Z6QERG.
  5. ↑ Ogden Hoffman, 1862, Reports of Land Cases Determined in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Numa Hubert, San Francisco
  6. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Santa Rosalia Mountain
  7. 1 2 Maya T. Conrad; John Dvorsky (April 1, 2003). Aptos Creek Watershed Assessment and Enhancement Plan (Report). Coastal Watershed Council. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Federal Register/Vol. 76, No. 204/Friday, October 21, 2011/Rules and Regulations". PsycEXTRA Dataset. 2011. doi:10.1037/e722922011-001. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  9. ↑ Ellen, Stephen; Wieczorek, Gerald (1988). Landslides, Floods, and Marine Effects of the Storm of January 3-5, 1982 in the San Francisco Bay Region, California. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1434, Library of Congress. pp. 265–266.
  10. ↑ Essaid, Hedeff (July 1990). "A Multilayered Sharp Interface Model of Coupled Freshwater and Saltwater Flow in Coastal Systems: Model Development and Application". Water Resources Research. 26 (7): 1431–1454. doi:10.1029/WR026i007p01431 – via University of California Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
  11. ↑ Newhouse, Kevin; Museum, Aptos History (2013). Aptos. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-9965-6.
  12. ↑ Modin, John (January 9, 2011). "Whirling Disease in California: A Review of Its History, Distribution, and Impacts, 1965-1997". Journal of Aquatic Animal Health. 10 (2): 132–142. doi:10.1577/1548-8667(1998)010<0132:WDICAR>2.0.CO;2 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
  13. ↑ Newhouse, Kevin; Museum, Aptos History (2013). Aptos. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-9965-6.
  14. ↑ Newhouse, Kevin; Museum, Aptos History (2013). Aptos. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-9965-6.
  15. ↑ "The Forest of Nisene Marks SP". CA State Parks. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  16. ↑ "Aptos Village County Park". www.scparks.com. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
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