San Antonio Creek | |
Name Other: | Arroyo de San Antonio[1] |
Name Etymology: | Spanish |
Map: | San Antonio Creek watershed.jpg |
Map Size: | 300 |
Subdivision Type1: | Country |
Subdivision Name1: | United States |
Subdivision Type2: | State |
Subdivision Name2: | California |
Subdivision Type3: | Region |
Subdivision Name3: | Marin and Sonoma counties |
Length: | 17.5miles |
Source1 Location: | 70NaN0 southwest of Petaluma, California |
Source1 Coordinates: | 38.1817°N -122.7433°W |
Source1 Elevation: | 790feet |
Mouth: | Petaluma River |
Mouth Location: | west of Lakeville |
Mouth Coordinates: | 38.1583°N -122.5442°W |
Mouth Elevation: | 0feet |
San Antonio Creek is a northward then eastward-flowing stream in the California, United States, counties of Marin and Sonoma that forms part of the boundary between those counties. It empties into the tidal portion of the Petaluma River.
Two permanent Coast Miwok villages were located on San Antonio Creek: Meleya (southwest of Petaluma, California) and Amayelle.[2]
San Antonio Creek is one of many California places named by the early Spanish colonists after Saint Anthony of Padua, a patron of the Franciscan Order. The creek traverses the Rancho Laguna de San Antonio land grant, dated May 6, 1839 and November 25, 1845, given by Governor Pío Pico to Bartolomé Bojorquez in 1845.[3]
San Antonio Creek springs from the southwest flank of Antonio Mountain in Marin County. Historically, a natural laguna or shallow lake existed at the headwaters of San Antonio Creek, different from the Laguna de San Antonio, which exists to the west at the headwaters of Chileno Creek. The San Antonio Creek headwaters laguna was drained for agricultural purposes sometime between 1860 and 1885. From the headwaters the creek runs north 21NaN1 into Chileno Valley. Turning east-southeast, it begins to define the county line. It passes under Chileno Valley Road and Point Reyes-Petaluma Road, then parallels San Antonio Road eastward to U.S. 101. It crosses under U.S. 101 where it was diverted around 1930 to the Schultz Slough and the Petaluma River. This diversion is 5.2miles upstream from its historical connection to the San Antonio Slough just west of Hog Island in the wetlands south of Petaluma, California. The diversion upstream lowered the creek's gradient, contributing to aggradation of sediments in the lower reaches.
San Antonio Creek was historically perennial in its lower reaches and perhaps for most of its length.[4] Up until the mid-1900s, steelhead trout were fairly common in the watershed. Although steelhead were seen in 2000, they appear to be extinct from the watershed. California roach and threespine stickleback, which commonly co-exist with steelhead, are still found.[5]
The largest striped bass ((Morone saxatilis)) ever landed with tackle and line was caught in 1912 by Charles R. Bond in San Antonio Creek, weighing 87lb and 5feet long, according to a photograph in the Marin Rod and Gun Club. A newspaper article in 1909 mentions Charles Bond as catching a 55lb striper in the "San Antone Slough".[6]
The U.S. 101 bridges are each two lanes wide and 1200NaN0 long. The northbound bridge was built in 1929 and reconstructed in 1979. The southbound bridge was built in 1947. There is also a bridge at San Antonio Road 0.61NaN1 north of U.S. 101; built in 1917, it is a concrete tee beam 1010NaN0 long. Marshall Petaluma Road crosses the creek on a 250NaN0 concrete tee beam built in 1929. Point Reyes Petaluma Road crosses on a 1020NaN0 concrete continuous slab built in 1964.[7]