Albion River

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Coordinates: 39°13′38″N 123°46′13″W / 39.22722, -123.77028
Albion River
river
Country United States
State California
Region Mendocino County
Source source
 - location 12 mi (19 km) southwest of Willits
 - elevation 800 ft (244 m)
 - coordinates 39°15′10″N 123°32′32″W / 39.25278, -123.54222 [1]
Mouth Pacific Ocean
 - location Albion, California
 - elevation 0 ft (0 m)
 - coordinates 39°13′38″N 123°46′13″W / 39.22722, -123.77028 [1]
Basin 43 sq mi (111 km²)

The Albion River is a river in Mendocino County, California. The river drains about 43 square miles on the Mendocino Coast and empties into the Pacific Ocean near the town of Albion, California. The river's overall direction is east to west, but it moves significantly in the north-south direction. The tributaries of the river include Railroad Gulch, Pleasant Valley Creek, Duck Pond Gulch, South Fork Albion River, Tom Bell Creek, North Fork Albion River, and Marsh Creek. The river's most inland point is only 15 miles (24 km) from the coast and its highest elevation is about 1,570 feet (478.5 m). There is a large estuary at the mouth of the river and tidal waters travel up to 5 miles (8 km) upstream. The Albion River was previously used to power a sawmill on the river mouth, but there are no major dams or reservoirs on the river.

The river is named for Albion, the ancient name for Britain. The name was originally applied to a land grant in 1884 by William A. Richardson, and the river inherited the name of the grant.[2]

The watershed has been the site of extensive logging, which continues in the present. Logging is the cause of the main environmental problem facing the river, excessive sedimentation. Only a small percentage of the land is second-growth forest and only a tiny amount is old-growth. Most of the land is third and fourth-growth forest. Over half of the land in the watershed is owned by Mendocino Redwood Company. About a fifth is made up of parcels owned by other lumber companies. The rest is made up of a few ranches, numerous private residences and some public land.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b USGS GNIS: Albion River
  2. ^ Gudde, Erwin; William Bright (2004). California Place Names, Fourth ed., University of California Press, p. 7. ISBN 0-520-24217-3. 

[edit] See also

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