Map of the American River watershed. It includes the North, Middle, and South forks of the river as well as Rubicon River, a tributary of the Middle Fork. The Rubicon River is a River in eastern Northern California, west of Lake Tahoe.

American River view from the campus of California State University, Sacramento

The American River (Río de los Americanos in the Mexican period) located in the US state of California, has a prominent place in United States history for being the site of Sutter's Mill, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush. California State University Sacramento (also known as Sacramento State or Sac State) is a public University located in the city of Sacramento California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Sutter's Mill was a Sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 The California Gold Rush (1848&ndash1855 began on January 24 1848 when Gold was discovered by James Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California It runs from the Sierra Nevada mountains through Sacramento where it flows into the Sacramento River on its way to San Francisco Bay. The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U The Sacramento River is the longest River entirely within the U San Francisco Bay is a shallow productive Estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento It is known for its whitewater rapids. RAPID is an acronym for Rural Address Property IDentification a scheme instituted in New Zealand to assist emergency services in identifying and locating rural properties

Terrain

The American River is divided into the North, Middle, and South Forks that comprise recreational havens for over well over one million visitors per year in Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of Northern California. The North Fork begins at an elevation of 8000 feet (2400 meters) near Lake Tahoe in Placer County at the snowcapped crest of the Sierras. It flows westward through remote wilderness areas including Royal Gorge, a spectacular narrow canyon 2000 feet deep that contains multiple smaller rivers and creeks as tributaries. The North Fork and its tributaries provides one of the most biologically diverse habitats in North America. The North Fork features scenic multi-use trails along forested ridgetops and riparian corridors. It flows undammed as a federally-eligible Wild & Scenic River until a small debris dam, Clementine, immediately above the Foresthill Bridge and prior to the confluence with the Middle Fork at Auburn, California. The Foresthill Bridge over the American River is the tallest bridge in the U Confluence, in Geography, describes the meeting of two or more Bodies of water. Auburn is a city in and the County seat of Placer County, California, United States. Both the North Fork and Middle Fork feature archaeological and historic sites of ancient American Indian culture and 1850s Gold Rush habitation. While the Middle Fork originates near the source of the North Fork, it is characterized by somewhat broader steep canyons interspersed with manmade reservoirs, natural waterfalls, and quiet riparian areas. The Middle Fork is used extensively for both motorized and non-motorized recreation, including fishing, white water adventuring, bicycling (mountain and road), horseback riding, trail running and hiking. It contains areas used for hydroelectric generation, mining, and agricultural timber cultivation and harvesting. The Middle Fork features the Western States Trail that hosts multiple annual endurance events including the prestigious Tevis Cup equestrian trail ride and the world famous Western States 100 Mile Trail Run, both beginning at Squaw Valley and leading to Auburn via remote wilderness trails. From the Confluence at Auburn, the combined North and Middle Forks river flows at an elevation of 600 feet (200 meters) in a forested canyon 800 feet deep and is called the North Fork. It meanders through additional wilderness recreational canyons past the site of the abandoned Auburn Dam, and back into wilderness, onward to where it meets the South Fork at Folsom Lake. The Auburn Dam was an engineering project intended to dam the American River in Northern California and provide flood protection and water to the Sacramento Valley Folsom Lake is a Reservoir in Northern California about northeast of Sacramento in Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties The South Fork lies in El Dorado County and also has multi use recreational areas including the Rubicon Trail for motorized adventuring and world famous whitewater rafting venues. The South Fork also features Coloma, the site where gold was discovered in California in 1848, and recreational gold panning is a popular family activity. These rivers are famous for their verdant canyons, forested ridges, massive rock formations, trails, backcountry winter adventuring among snowy peaks, fishing and white water rafting. Rafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity utilizing a Raft to navigate a River or other bodies of water Below Folsom Lake, the river passes through an urbanized area but is buffered by a riparian park, the American River Parkway, containing fishing and family-oriented rafting, and paved bicycling and multi use trails that runs 23 miles (37 km) from Folsom Lake to the river's confluence with the Sacramento River. The American River Parkway is a parkway that runs along the American River throughout Sacramento County California. The American River Parkway incorporates Historic Leidesdorff Ranch, a 35,000 acre cattle and wheat agribusiness owned by the "African Founding Father of California. " Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, a meandering, uninterrupted 32-mile cycle path hugs the river bank from Old Sacramento to Folsom Lake. The Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail (or American River Bike Trail) is a paved multi-use pathway that runs between the confluence of Old Sacramento State Historic Park is the historic region of Sacramento California, which has been designated as a State park. Folsom Lake is a Reservoir in Northern California about northeast of Sacramento in Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties

Hydroelectric power

The American River and its tributaries (like most of California's rivers) are extensively dammed and diverted for hydroelectricity production. Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water Bunch Creek is one of the tributaries of the North Fork of the American River. Bunch Creek is a Stream in Placer County California, USA. Bunch Creek is a tributary to the North Fork of the American River, which Confluence Since the California Gold Rush was centered along the American river basin, it was one of the earlier California rivers to be populated beginning at Leidesdorff Ranch, owned by Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. By the end of the nineteenth century, some of these former mill sites were converted to some of the earliest hydroelectric plants, with Folsom State Prison using the river to generate electricity in 1893. Folsom State Prison (FSP is one of 33 prisons operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR The Natoma Company completed its Folsom Powerhouse and began delivering power 22 miles (35 km) away to the city of Sacramento by 1895. Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park is a historical site located in Folsom near Sacramento, California, in the United States. Today, the five power plants on the Middle Fork are owned by the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) owns eight plants on the South Fork. A power station (also referred to as generating station, power plant or powerhouse) is an industrial facility for the generation of The SMUD plants are run on a peaking basis, although reservoir flood control capacity and minimum flow requirements impose some constraints on their operation. Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants are Power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand known as Peak demand, for Electricity The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) owns the Chili Bar power plant on the South Fork downstream from SMUD's plants. For the 1970s rock music band see Pacific Gas & Electric (band. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) has two hydroelectric plants downstream at Folsom Dam and Nimbus Dam. The Bureau of Reclamation (formerly the United States Reclamation Service) is an agency under the U Folsom Lake is a Reservoir in Northern California about northeast of Sacramento in Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties The Nimbus Dam is a base load Hydroelectric dam on the American River near Folsom California. The Bureau of Reclamation operates Nimbus as a base load plant and Folsom as an intermediate plant. Baseload (also base load, or baseload demand) is the minimum amount of power that a utility or distribution company must make available to its customers or the amount

See also

• List of California rivers

External links

• Sutter's Mill, aka Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
• The American River
• Folsom Dam
• Nimbus Dam
• American River Parkway (Sacramento County)