Smith Creek (Santa Clara County, California)

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Smith Creek is the name of two distinct watercourses within Santa Clara County, California.

The larger of the two is located in the Diablo Range east of San Jose. The creek begins near the Bollinger Ridge, about 7.7 km SxSW of Mount Hamilton. It flows westerly through Horse Valley, then turns northwest, crossing the Mount Hamilton Road about 12.7 km west of Mount Hamilton (the Smith Creek Ranger Station is located at this crossing).^[1]

The creek continues northwest along the eastern boundary of Joseph D. Grant County Park^[2] and confluences with Isabel Creek about 15.3 km WxNW of Mount Hamilton. The watercourse continues from this point as Arroyo Hondo and eventually drains into Calaveras Reservoir. Some of the early recorded history of the Smith Creek watershed is associated with the pioneer family of the Winsors.^[3]

The smaller of the two Smith Creeks is the headwaters tributary of San Tomas Aquinas Creek^[4], but is largely dry except during the winter months. It begins in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains within the city of Monte Sereno, then flows northerly through portions of Los Gatos and Campbell until its confluence with San Tomas Aquinas Creek.^[5]^[6]

[edit] References

^ U.S. Geological Survey. Lick Observatory Quadrangle [map]. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington, D.C.
^ Biology Study for Joseph Grant County Park, Santa Clara County, California, Earth Metrics inc, prepared for the County of Santa Clara, Report #7978, October 4, 1989
^ Winsor family of Milpitas, Santa Clara County
^ Leidy, Becker and Harvey, Historical Distribution of Rainbow Trout in streams of the San Francisco Bay Area
^ U.S. Geological Survey. Los Gatos Quadrangle [map]. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington, D.C.
^ U.S. Geological Survey. San Jose West Quadrangle [map]. 1:24,000. 7.5 Minute Series. Washington, D.C.