Hat Creek
Hat Creek in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CitiesOld Station, Hat Creek, Cassel
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of East and West Forks
 • locationDersch Meadows, Lassen Volcanic National Park
 • coordinates40°31′02″N 121°27′19″W / 40.51722°N 121.45528°W / 40.51722; -121.45528[1]
 • elevation6,302 ft (1,921 m)
MouthPit River
 • location
Lake Britton
 • coordinates
40°59′23″N 121°34′43″W / 40.98972°N 121.57861°W / 40.98972; -121.57861[1]
 • elevation
2,736 ft (834 m)
Length48.7 mi (78.4 km)
Discharge 
 • locationBurney (combined USGS stations #11359300/Burney No.2 Powerhouse and #11359200/Hat Creek near Burney)[2][3]
 • average472.2 cu ft/s (13.37 m3/s)[2][3]

Hat Creek (Achumawi: Hatiwïwi)[4] is a 48.7-mile-long (78.4 km)[5] stream and tributary of the Pit River, which is located in Shasta County of northern California.

The creek rises in two forks on the eastern slopes of Lassen Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and flows northward through Lassen National Forest to its mouth at Lake Britton near Burney, California.[6]

Hat Creek is so named because a surveyor lost his hat there.[7]

Wild Trout Waterway

The lower three and a half miles of the creek has been designated by the California Department of Fish and Game as a "Wild Trout Waterway," with restrictive catch limits. This area has a similar geology to the chalk streams of southern England, and is considered a classic trout stream. The trout population is made of wild rainbow and brown trout of up to 20 inches (510 mm) in length.

Towns

The main towns along Hat Creek are Hat Creek and Old Station, which is closer to Lassen Park. The Hat Creek Radio Observatory is located near the town of Hat Creek.

During the May 19, 1915, eruption of Mount Lassen, a lahar or mudflow swept down Hat Creek and neighboring Lost Creek.[8]

See also

The upper Hat Creek Valley.

There is a small mountain in Lassen National Park where the stream starts. It is square topped and looks like a hat, therein lies the derivation of the name!

References

  1. ^ a b "Hat Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 1981-01-19. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  2. ^ a b "USGS Gage #11359200 on Hat Creek near Burney, CA". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 2006–2014. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  3. ^ a b "USGS Gage #11359300 Hat Creek Powerhouse No. 2 near Burney, CA". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1979–2014. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  4. ^ Bright, William (1998). 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
  5. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 10, 2011
  6. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hat Creek
  7. ^ "Sierra Nevada Geotourism MapGuide: Hat Creek Rim Overlook". National Geographic.
  8. ^ "Lassen Peak Eruptive Activity 1914-1921". Cascades Volcanoes Observatory, USGS. 2004-12-01. Retrieved 2009-08-29.


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