Navarro River

Coordinates: 39°11′32″N 123°45′40″W / 39.19222°N 123.76111°W / 39.19222; -123.76111

Navarro River
river
The Navarro River near its mouth.
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Mendocino County
Primary source	Rancheria Creek
- location	Crystal Peak
- coordinates	38°50′25″N 123°11′36″W / 38.84028°N 123.19333°W / 38.84028; -123.19333 [1]
Secondary source	Anderson Creek
- location	Sanel Mountain
- coordinates	38°56′45″N 123°16′10″W / 38.94583°N 123.26944°W / 38.94583; -123.26944 [2]
Source confluence	confluence
- location	1 mi (2 km) south of Philo, California
- coordinates	39°3′12″N 123°26′25″W / 39.05333°N 123.44028°W / 39.05333; -123.44028 [3]
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
- location	8 mi (13 km) south of Mendocino, California
- elevation	0 ft (0 m)
- coordinates	39°11′32″N 123°45′40″W / 39.19222°N 123.76111°W / 39.19222; -123.76111 [3]
Basin	315 sq mi (816 km2)

The Navarro River is a 28.3-mile-long (45.5 km)^[4] river in Mendocino County, California. It flows northwest through the Coastal Range to the Pacific Ocean. Encompassing 315 square miles (820 km²), its watershed includes the Anderson Valley, a well-known wine-growing region in Mendocino County. The main stem of the Navarro River begins less than 1 mile (2 km) south of the town of Philo at the confluence of Rancheria Creek and Anderson Creek. Upstream on Rancheria Creek there are 26 miles (42 km) of whitewater suitable for rafting and kayaking. Near Philo the river runs through Hendy Woods State Park, a state park of more than 800 acres (320 ha), featuring two virgin redwood stands. Near the coast the river runs through Navarro River Redwoods State Park. The mouth of the Navarro is 10 miles (16 km) south of the city of Mendocino. State Route 128 starts from the intersection of State Route 1 at the mouth of the Navarro River.

History

A sawmill was constructed at the mouth of the river in 1861. The mill was capable of cutting 35,000 board feet (83 m³) of lumber per day by 1883. A railroad extended 14 miles (23 km) upriver to bring logs to the mill. The original mill burned in 1890 and a replacement bandsaw mill burned in 1902. A replacement sawmill was built near Wendling on the North Fork Navarro River and operated until September, 1927.^[5] The Wendling sawmill operation included logging railway branches along the North Fork connecting over Keen's Summit to shipping facilities at Albion via an isolated segment of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Rail service was discontinued in 1930 and the railway was dismantled for scrap in 1937.^[6]

References

1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rancheria Creek
2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Anderson Creek
3. ^ ^{a b} U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Navarro River
4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 9, 2011
5. ^ Carranco, Lynwood (1982). Redwood Lumber Industry. Golden West Books. pp. 204–205. ISBN 0-87095-084-3. 
6. ^ Stindt, Fred A. (1978). The Northwestern Pacific Railroad: Redwood Empire Route (3rd Edition ed.). Kelseyville, California: Fred A. Stindt. pp. 44–45&54. ASIN: B0007F4A2M. 

See also

• List of rivers in California