Modoc County, California
Modoc County is a county in the far northeast corner of the U. S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,686. Making it the third-least populous county in California; the county seat and only incorporated city is Alturas. Previous county seats include Lake Centerville; the county borders Oregon. A large portion of Modoc County is federal land. Several federal agencies, including the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, have employees assigned to the area, their operations are a significant part of the area's economy and services; the county's official slogans include "The last best place" and "Where the West still lives". Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the region, varying cultures of Native Americans inhabited the county for thousands of years. At the time of European encounter, the Modoc people lived in what is now northern California, near Lost River and Tule Lake.
The county was named after them. The Achumawi, the Paiute lived in the area. To the north were the Klamath in present-day Oregon; the first European explorers to visit Modoc County were the American John C. Frémont and his traveling party in 1846, who had departed from Sutter's Fort near the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers; the northern boundary of California, Modoc County, had been established as the 42nd parallel since the time of Mexican possession. In the absence of a reliable survey of the 120th meridian, the eastern boundary of northern California was a subject of contention before Modoc County formed; the Territory of Utah requested jurisdiction to the summit of the Sierra Nevada. At the time, the Warner Mountains were believed to be a part of the Sierra Nevada, so this would have included Surprise Valley, but California denied the request. In 1856, the residents of Honey Lake Valley reckoned the 120th meridian to be west of their valley, placing them in Utah territory, attempted to secede and form a territory they called Nataqua.
Nataqua would have included Modoc County. In 1858, the Territory of Nevada, with its capital now in Carson City seceded from Utah, assumed jurisdiction to the summit of the Sierra Nevada until the 120th meridian was surveyed in 1863. After Nevada was granted statehood in 1864, the region of current Modoc County was placed within jurisdiction of Shasta County and Siskiyou County was, in turn, generated from Shasta County in 1852. Increasing traffic on the emigrant trail, unprovoked militia raids on innocent Modoc, a cycle of retaliatory raids increased a cycle of violence between settlers and the tribes in the area. In 1864, the Klamath and Yahooskin band of the Shoshone signed a treaty ceding lands in both Oregon and California, the tribes were colocated on the Klamath Reservation. Harassed by the Klamath, traditional competitors, a band of Modoc led by Captain Jack returned to California and the Tule Lake area; the Modoc War of 1872-73 brought nationwide attention to the Modoc during the protracted battles.
From strong defensive positions in the lava tubes, 52 Modoc warriors held off hundreds of US Army forces, who called in artillery to help. Peace talks in 1873 stalled. Warriors urged killing the peace commissioners, thinking that the Americans would leave, Captain Jack and others shot and killed General Edward Canby and Rev. Eleazer Thomas, wounded others. More Army troops were called in to lay siege to Captain Jack's Stronghold. Dissension arose, some Modoc surrendered. Most were captured, those responsible for the assassinations were tried and executed. More than 150 Modoc were transported to Indian Territory as prisoners of war; the area has since been designated the Lava Beds National Monument. Settlement of the county began in earnest in the 1870s, with the timber, gold and railroad industries bringing most of the settlers into the area; the county was a crossroads for the Lassen Applegate Trail, which brought settlers north from Nevada to the Oregon Trail and south to trails leading into California's central valley.
Early settlers included the Dorris, Essex, Trumbo, Polander and Campbell families. Modoc County was formed when Governor Newton Booth signed an Act of the California Legislature on February 17, 1874 after residents of the Surprise Valley region lobbied for the creation of a new county from eastern Siskiyou County land; the county residents considered naming the newly formed county after General Edward Canby, killed the year before at peace talks in an ambush by Modoc. The idea of naming the county "Summit" was considered, but the populace settled on "Modoc"; the Dorris Bridge post office opened in 1871, was renamed Dorrisville in 1874. In 1876, it was renamed Alturas; the census of 1880 showed a population of 148. Settlement continued over the next two decades, until the city was incorporated on September 16, 1901. During World War II, the US government developed several thousand acres just south of Newell as a Japanese American internment camp. Tule Lake War Relocation Center was the site of temporary exile for thousands of Japa
An endangered species is a species, categorized as likely to become extinct. Endangered, as categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, is the second most severe conservation status for wild populations in the IUCN's schema after Critically Endangered. In 2012, the IUCN Red List featured 3,079 animal and 2,655 plant species as endangered worldwide; the figures for 1998 were 1,102 and 1,197. Many nations have laws that protect conservation-reliant species: for example, forbidding hunting, restricting land development or creating preserves. Population numbers and species' conservation status can be found at the lists of organisms by population; the conservation status of a species indicates the likelihood. Many factors are considered; the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the best-known worldwide conservation status listing and ranking system. Over 50% of the world's species are estimated to be at risk of extinction. Internationally, 199 countries have signed an accord to create Biodiversity Action Plans that will protect endangered and other threatened species.
In the United States, such plans are called Species Recovery Plans. Though labelled a list, the IUCN Red List is a system of assessing the global conservation status of species that includes "Data Deficient" species – species for which more data and assessment is required before their status may be determined – as well species comprehensively assessed by the IUCN's species assessment process; those species of "Near Threatened" and "Least Concern" status have been assessed and found to have robust and healthy populations, though these may be in decline. Unlike their more general use elsewhere, the List uses the terms "endangered species" and "threatened species" with particular meanings: "Endangered" species lie between "Vulnerable" and "Critically Endangered" species, while "Threatened" species are those species determined to be Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered; the IUCN categories, with examples of animals classified by them, include: Extinct no remaining individuals of the species Extinct in the wild Captive individuals survive, but there is no free-living, natural population.
Critically endangered Faces an high risk of extinction in the immediate future. Endangered Faces a high risk of extinction in the near future. Vulnerable Faces a high risk of endangerment in the medium term. Near-threatened May be considered threatened in the near future. Least concern No immediate threat to species' survival. A) Reduction in population size based on any of the following: An observed, inferred or suspected population size reduction of ≥ 70% over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, where the causes of the reduction are reversible AND understood AND ceased, based on any of the following: direct observation an index of abundance appropriate for the taxon a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence or quality of habitat actual or potential levels of exploitation the effects of introduced taxa, pathogens, competitors or parasites. An observed, inferred or suspected population size reduction of ≥ 50% over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, where the reduction or its causes may not have ceased OR may not be understood OR may not be reversible, based on any of to under A1.
A population size reduction of ≥ 50%, projected or suspected to be met within the next 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on any of to under A1. An observed, inferred, projected or suspected population size reduction of ≥ 50% over any 10 year or three generation period, whichever is longer, where the time period must include both the past and the future, where the reduction or its causes may not have ceased OR may not be understood OR may not be reversible, based on any of to under A1. B) Geographic range in the form of either B1 OR B2 OR both: Extent of occurrence estimated to be less than 5,000 km², estimates indicating at least two of a-c: Severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than five locations. Continuing decline, observed or projected, in any of the following: extent of occurrence area of occupancy area, extent or quality of habitat number of locations or subpopulations number of mature individuals Extreme fluctuations in any of the following: extent of occurrence area of occupancy number of locations or subpopulations number of mature individuals Area of occupancy estimated to be less than 500 km², estimates indicating at least two of a-c: Severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than five locations.
Continuing decline, observed or projected, in any of the following: extent of occurrence area of occupancy area, extent or quality of habitat number of locations or subpopulations number of mature individuals Extreme fluctuations in any of the following: extent of occurrence area of occupancy number of locations or subpopulations number of mature individualsC) Population estimated to number fewer than 2,500 mature individuals and either: An estimated continuing decline of at least 20% within five years or two generations, whichever is longer, OR A continuing decline, projected
The Klamath Project is a water-management project developed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to supply farmers with irrigation water and farmland in the Klamath Basin. The project supplies water to the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge; the project was one of the first to be developed by the Reclamation Service, which became the Bureau of Reclamation. The two main sources supply water for the project are the Klamath River; the main bodies of water in the Klamath Project are Clear Lake Reservoir, Klamath River, Link River, Lost River, Lower Klamath Lake, Tule Lake, Upper Klamath Lake. The project fills these reservoirs from the spring runoff, peaking in March and April, keeps the runoff from flooding the historical marshes that are a large portion of the present farmland. There are many minor streams in the area. Lost River drained into Tule Lake, an endorheic lake; the project now diverts excess Lost River water to the Klamath River, allowing portions of Tule Lake to be reclaimed.
Some 225,000 acres of rangeland have been transformed into active farmland through the Klamath Project. Of that total, 80,000 acres were recovered by draining a portion of Lower Klamath Lake, a shallow marsh straddling the Oregon-California border between the California towns of Dorris and Tulelake. Tule Lake was reduced in size by diverting water from Lost River to the Klamath River. Farmers in the project raise barley, alfalfa hay, other hay, oats and wheat; the Klamath Basin is on the Pacific Flyway and the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex is visited by migratory game birds every year. The project should not be confused with the Klamath River Hydroelectric Project, a set of hydro dams on the mainstem of the Klamath operated by for-profit energy company PacifiCorp; the Link River Dam belongs to both. Construction began on the project in 1906 with the building of the main "A" Canal. Water was first made available May 22, 1907; the Clear Lake Dam was completed in 1910, the Lost River Diversion Dam and many of the distribution structures in 1912, the Anderson-Rose Diversion Dam in 1921.
The Malone Diversion Dam on Lost River was built in 1923 to divert water to Langell Valley. A contract executed February 24, 1917, between the California-Oregon Power Company and the United States authorized the company to construct the Link River Dam for the benefit of the project and for the company's use, in particular extended to the water users of the Klamath Project certain preferential power rates; the dam was completed in 1921. In more recent times, the Klamath Project has been the focus of nationwide controversy; the Lost River and Shortnose suckers were listed as endangered in 1988. This, as well as concerns for salmon runs, led to a cutoff of irrigation water to local farmers on April 6, 2001. After many protests by farmers and concerned citizens alike, the decision was reversed the next year; the impact of the salmon kill was detailed in the book. A 2002 report by the National Research Council however, determined that the decision to stop delivery of irrigation water in 2001 was not scientifically justified and that the 2002 fish kill was caused by a combination of natural factors.
A massive die off of salmon occurred in 2002 due to low water and high temperatures in the lower reaches of the river during the salmon migration. Studies showed that drought conditions and low flow from the entire drainage were among the factors that caused a unique mix of conditions to allow a gill rot disease to attack the salmon population; the conflict in balancing the economic and ecological concerns of the region was the focus of the 2006 book River of Renewal: Myth and History in the Klamath Basin. Today, there is still much antagonism between opposing sides on this issue; the Klamath Project contains all of them on tributaries of the Klamath River itself. In chronological order of completion, they are: the Clear Lake Dam, completed in 1910, replaced 2002, for flood control and water storage, it impounds Lost River to form Clear Lake Reservoir the Lost River Diversion Dam, completed in 1912, diverts the waters of the Lost River into the Klamath, thereby controlling flow into the adjacent Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge and reclaimed parts of the Tule Lake bed the Link River Dam, completed in 1921 for flood control, water storage, hydro power.
It impounds Link River to form Upper Klamath Lake the Anderson-Rose Diversion Dam, completed in 1921 as a diversion dam, on the Lost River close to Merrill, Oregon the Malone Diversion Dam, finished in 1923, on the upper Lost River the Miller Diversion Dam, completed in 1924, on Miller Creek, 8 miles below Gerber Dam the Gerber Dam, completed in 1925 for water storage, impounding Miller Creek to form Gerber Reservoir There are over 717 miles of canals and diversion channels in the Klamath Project. The canals transport irrigation water from Klamath Lake and the Klamath River, Clear Lake and the Lost River, Tule Lake. There are two tunnels: the "A" Canal has an underground section as it flows through Klamath Falls, the Tule Lake Tunnel. There are 728 miles of drainage canals in the Klamath Project which allow land that would otherwise be wetlands to be farmed; the Lower Klamath Lake was 80,000 acres before it was drained and would evaporate about 240,000 acre feet each summer. This is equivalent to the annual delivery of the A canal.
There are 28 pumping stations in the Klamath Project. These pumps have a total output of over 1937 ft
Trinity River (California)
The Trinity River is a major river in northwestern California in the United States, is the principal tributary of the Klamath River. The Trinity flows for 165 miles through the Klamath Mountains and Coast Ranges, with a watershed area of nearly 3,000 square miles in Trinity and Humboldt Counties. Designated a National Wild and Scenic River, along most of its course the Trinity flows swiftly through tight canyons and mountain meadows; the river is known for its once prolific runs of anadromous fish, notably Chinook salmon and steelhead, which sustained Native American tribes for thousands of years. Due to its remoteness, the Trinity did not feature prominently in the early European colonization of California, but the gold rush in the mid-1800s brought thousands of gold seekers to the area; the river was named by Major Pierson B. Reading who, upon reaching the river in 1848, mistakenly believed it to flow into the Pacific Ocean at Trinidad Bay. During and after the gold rush, the influx of settlers and miners into the Trinity River country led to conflict with indigenous tribes, many of which saw severe depopulation due to fighting and foreign diseases.
In the following decades logging and ranching, combined with mining runoff changed the river's ecology and led to the decline of its fish populations. Today, the Trinity River is an important water source for irrigation and hydroelectricity generation, as well as a major center of recreational activities such as gold panning and whitewater rafting. Since 1964 the Trinity River has been dammed to create Trinity Lake, the third largest man-made lake in the state; as much as 90 percent of the upper Trinity River watershed was diverted for agriculture in the Central Valley. In 1991 environmental regulations were enacted, requiring a greater release of water to the Trinity River in order to protect fish. However, the use of Trinity River water remains a contentious issue in years of drought; the Trinity River begins deep in the Scott Mountains, in Trinity County, at the confluence of High Camp Creek and Chilcoot Creek. It flows south through a deep valley between the Trinity Mountains to the east and the Salmon Mountains/Trinity Alps to the west, picking up Coffee Creek, before entering Trinity Lake, a large reservoir created by the Trinity Dam.
The East Fork and Stuart Fork of the Trinity River flow into the reservoir. Just below Trinity Dam is the smaller Lewiston Dam, which diverts part of the Trinity River through a hydroelectric plant to the Sacramento River Basin as part of the Central Valley Project, providing irrigation water to California's Central Valley. Below Lewiston Dam the Trinity River passes the towns of Lewiston and Douglas City and turns west, passing within a few miles of Weaverville, the seat of Trinity County and the main population center of the area, it turns northwest, past Junction City, receives the North Fork Trinity River at Helena. Further west it passes the former mining settlement of Big Bar and enters a deep gorge, which provides the route for Highway 299, the principal road connecting Redding to the Humboldt Bay area. At Burnt Ranch it receives the New River from the north. At Salyer the South Fork, its main tributary, enters from the south, nearly doubling the flow. At the confluence of the South Fork, the Trinity River turns north, entering Humboldt County.
It flows through the wider steep-sided namesake valley of the Hoopa Valley Reservation, past the towns of Willow Creek and Hoopa. It joins the Klamath River at Weitchpec, 44 miles above the mouth of the larger river on the Pacific Ocean; the confluence marks the point where the Klamath turns from its southwesterly course to flow north towards the sea. As the crow flies, Weitchpec is situated about 30 miles northeast of Eureka; the Trinity River is a predominantly rain-fed river, with the highest flows occurring between December and April and the lowest from August through October. The water level can rise in the winter when large Pacific storms strike California's north coast. No precipitation occurs in summer, when the primary source of flow is snowmelt from the higher elevations of the Klamath Mountains and groundwater base flow. In addition, diversion of water to the Central Valley has reduced the total flow of the river since the 1960s, though conversely, a required minimum dam release for protection of migrating salmon results in a flow rate during the dry season, higher than it would be.
The United States Geological Survey operates eight real-time stream gages on the Trinity River. The lowermost gage, located at Hoopa, measures runoff from 2,853 square miles, or 97 percent of the Trinity River watershed; the annual discharge, averaged over the 1964–2013 period, was 4,849 cubic feet per second. The average discharge between 1912–1960, prior to construction of Trinity and Lewiston Dams, was 5,618 cubic feet per second; the maximum flow was 231,000 cubic feet per second on December 22, 1964 during the Christmas flood of 1964, the lowest was 162 cubic feet per second on October 4, 1931. The peak flow in 1964 was attenuated by the Trinity Dam which had just started reservoir filling at the time by as much as 100,000 cubic feet per second. However, the record-breaking rains of that winter swelled tributaries below the dam and contributed to a crest 20 feet higher than the second highest peak, recorded in December 1955. Trinity River monthly mean discharge at Hoopa The other USGS gages are located at Coffee Creek, below Lewiston Dam and below Douglas City, at Junction City, at He
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, United States. The city was called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, it was named after the Link River. The name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1893; the population was 20,840 at the 2010 census. The city is on the southeastern shore of the Upper Klamath Lake and about 25 miles north of the California–Oregon border; the Klamath Falls area had been inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years before the first European settlers. The Klamath Basin became part of the Oregon Trail with the opening of the Applegate Trail. Logging was Klamath Falls's first major industry. After its founding in 1867, Klamath Falls was named Linkville; the name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892–93. The name Klamath, may be a variation of the descriptive native for "people" used by the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau to refer to the region. Several locatives derived from the Modoc or Achomawi: lutuami, lit: "lake dwellers", móatakni, "tule lake dwellers" could have led to spelling variations that made the word what it is today.
No evidence suggests. The Klamath themselves called the region Yulalona or Iwauna, which referred to the phenomenon of the Link River flowing upstream when the south wind blew hard; the Klamath name for the Link River white water falls was Tiwishkeni, or "where the falling waters rush". From this Link River white water phenomenon "Falls" was added to Klamath in its name. In reality it's best described as rapids rather than falls; the rapids are visible a short distance below the Link River Dam, where the water flow is insufficient to provide water flow over the river rocks. The Klamath and Modoc Indians were the first known inhabitants of the area; the Modocs' homeland is about 20 miles south of Klamath Falls, but when they were pushed onto a reservation with their adversaries, the Klamath, a rebellion ensued and they hid out in nearby lava beds. This led to the Modoc War of 1872−1873, a hugely expensive campaign for the US Cavalry, costing an estimated $500,000 − the equivalent of over $8 million in year-2000 dollars.
Seventeen Indians and 83 whites were killed. The Applegate Trail, which passes through the lower Klamath area, was blazed in 1846 from west to east in an attempt to provide a safer route for emigrants on the Oregon Trail; the first non-Indian settler is considered to have been Wallace Baldwin, a 19-year-old civilian who drove fifty head of horses in the valley in 1852. In 1867, George Nurse, named the small settlement "Linkville", because of Link River north of Lake Ewauna; the Klamath Reclamation Project began in 1906 to drain marshland and move water to allow for agriculture. With the building of the main "A" Canal, water was first made available May 22, 1907. Veterans of World War I and World War II were given homesteading opportunities on the reclaimed land. During World War II, a Japanese-American internment camp, the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, was located in nearby Newell, a satellite of the Camp White, Oregon, POW camp was located just on the Oregon-California border near the town of Tulelake, California.
In May 1945, about 30 miles east of Klamath Falls, a Japanese Fu-Go balloon bomb killed a woman and five children on a church outing. This is said to be the only Japanese-inflicted casualty on the US mainland during the war. Timber harvesting through the use of railroad was extensive in Klamath County for the first few decades of the 20th century. With the arrival of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1909, Klamath Falls grew from a few hundred to several thousand. Dozens of lumber mills cut fir and pine lumber, the industry flourished until the late 1980s when the northern spotted owl and other endangered species were driving forces in changing western forest policy. On September 20, 1993, a series of earthquakes struck near Klamath Falls. Many downtown buildings, including the county courthouse and the former Sacred Heart Academy and Convent, were damaged or destroyed. There were two deaths attributed to the earthquake; the city made national headlines in 2001 when a court decision was made to shut off Klamath Project irrigation water on April 6 because of Endangered Species Act requirements.
The Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker were listed on the Federal Endangered Species List in 1988, when drought struck in 2001, a panel of scientists stated that further diversion of water for agriculture would be detrimental to these species, which reside in the Upper Klamath Lake, as well as to the protected Coho salmon which spawn in the Klamath River. Many protests by farmers and citizens culminated in a "Bucket Brigade" on Main Street May 7, 2001, in Klamath Falls; the event was attended by 18,000 farmers, ranchers and politicians. Two giant bucket monuments erected in town to commemorate the event; such universal criticism resulted in a new plan implemented in early 2002 to resume irrigation to farmers. Low river flows in the Klamath and Trinity rivers and high temperatures led to a mass die-off of at least 33,000 salmon in 2002. Dwindling salmon numbers have shut down the fishing industry in the region and caused over $60 million in disaster aid being given to fishermen to offset losses.
Ninety percent of Trinity River water is diverted for California agriculture. According to a National Academy of Sciences report of October 22, 2003, limiting irrigation water did little if anything to help endangered fish and may have hurt the populations. A contrary report has criticized the National Academy of Sciences report. T
The Shasta River is a tributary of the Klamath River 58 miles long, in northern California in the United States. It drains the Shasta Valley on the north sides of Mount Shasta in the Cascade Range; the river rises in southern Siskiyou County on the edge of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest 10 miles southwest of Weed. It flows northwest through the Shasta Valley, past Weed, through Lake Shastina, past Montague, it joins the Klamath from the south 8 miles north-northeast of Yreka. The Shasta Valley is dominated by nearby Mount Shasta and underlain with volcanic basalt from eruptions of the mountain in recent geologic time. Pluto's Cave is an example of voids remaining after fluid lava drained from underground conduits which were fed by volcanic vents to the east; the Shasta Valley is covered with small hillocks extending from the base of Mt. Shasta north to just beyond the city of Montague, that are the debris from the liquefication of the ancestral Mount Shasta sometime within the past 400,000 years.
Rising on the east slope of Mount Eddy several miles west of Mount Shasta and about 25 miles northwest of Shasta Lake, the Shasta River proceeds to flow through a wide agricultural valley. Running north, parallel to Interstate 5, for the next few miles, the Shasta receives its first important tributary, Eddy Creek, from the left, 37 miles from the mouth, it crosses under the interstate, winds past a ridge, passes the town of Weed. It turns northeast into Lake Shastina, an artificial lake formed by a dam at its north end, turns northwest. Bypassing Big Springs 30 miles from the mouth, the river picks up more agricultural runoff as it meanders north between irrigated fields; the river passes between Yreka and Montague, 10 miles from the mouth, crossed by California State Route 3 and Interstate 5 for the final time. It enters a canyon in the Klamath Mountains, 3 miles from the mouth, begins to parallel California State Route 263, its mouth is on the left bank of the Klamath River, at the junction of State Route 263 and State Route 96.
The 800-square-mile watershed of the Shasta River consists of a semi-arid farming valley in Siskiyou County. It is adjacent to the Scott River on the west, Butte Creek on the east, the main Klamath River on the north; the watershed is located northwest of Mount Shasta. Some towns in the watershed include Weed, Gazelle, Big Springs, Grenada and Yreka. Major bodies of water include Trout Lake. Receiving just 14 inches of rain yearly on average, the 30-mile -wide Shasta River Valley receives most of its surface water flow from groundwater, now, agricultural return flows, it receives some water from snow runoff at Mount Shasta - which flows out of lava tubes as springs and feeds east-side Shasta River tributaries such as Big Springs Creek. Efforts are being made to restore the river and to prevent the extinction of its Chinook and Coho salmon run; the Nature Conservancy has purchased two ranches in the watershed in hope of restoring riparian habitat for anadromous fish. Whitewater kayaking and rafting can be done in the wintertime on the last 7 miles of the Shasta River before it joins the Klamath River.
Shasta River Geology Shasta Valley State of California: Shasta River Water Quality Mount Shasta Bioregional Water Center: Dewatering of the Shasta River
Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County is a county at the far northwest corner of the U. S. state of California, along the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Oregon border. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,610; the county seat and only incorporated city is Crescent City. Del Norte was pioneered and settled by Azorean Portuguese explorers and dairy farmers, which may account for the local pronunciation of the county name. Residents pronounce the county name as Del Nort, not Del Nor-teh as would be expected in Spanish. Del Norte County comprises CA Micropolitan Statistical Area; the rural county is notable for forests containing giant Coast Redwoods, with some attaining heights over 350 feet. This northernmost county on the California coast has scores of unique plants and flowers, dozens of species of coastal birds and fish, rocky primitive beaches and sea stacks, pristine rivers, historic lighthouses. Del Norte is known among Bigfoot enthusiasts as the location of the famous Patterson–Gimlin film, as well as being the location of some of the forest scenes used in Return of the Jedi.
The area, now known as Del Norte was and still is inhabited by the Yurok and Tolowa Nations of indigenous peoples. The first European American to explore this land was pioneer Jedediah Smith in the mid-19th century, he was the first European American to reach the area overland on foot in a time before the European Americans knew anything about such a distant territory. For him it was "Land's End" — where the American continent ended at the Pacific Ocean. In 1855 Congress authorized the building of a lighthouse at "the battery point", still functioning as a historical landmark. Del Norte County was established in 1857, from part of the territory of Klamath County following the great California Gold Rush. Klamath County itself ceased to exist in 1874. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,230 square miles, of which 1,006 square miles is land and 223 square miles is water; the mountainous terrain associated with the Coastal Range and the Klamath Mountains dominates Del Norte County's geography.
Elevation ranges from sea level to over 6,400 feet. Although much of the county is made up of steep terrain, there are small patches of flat terrain along the coast and in isolated mountain valleys. There are 37 miles of coastline in the county, forming a coastal zone that covers 51,000 acres. A broad coastal plain can be found in the northwest portion of the county with the western edge of the Klamath Mountains as its easterly boundary. Rising abruptly from the coastal plain, the Klamath Mountains extend north into Oregon and are situated between the Cascade Range to the east and the Coast Range to the north. Curry County, Oregon - northwest Josephine County, Oregon - northeast Siskiyou County - east Humboldt County - south Pelican State Beach Smith River National Recreation Area Klamath - one of the longest in California. Smith - a crown jewel of the National Wild and Scenic River program. Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park Redwood National Park Tolowa Dunes State Park Ruby Van Deventer County Park Florence Keller County Park There is a diversity of flora and fauna within Del Norte County.
Vegetative plant associations feature several forest types including mixed oak forest. The California endemic Blue oak, Quercus douglasii is at the northernmost part of its range in Del Norte County; the Black Oak and Douglas-fir are found in Del Norte County. The 2010 United States Census reported that Del Norte County had a population of 28,610; the racial makeup of Del Norte County was 21,098 White, 993 African American, 2,244 Native American, 965 Asian, 32 Pacific Islander, 1,980 from other races, 1,298 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5,093 persons; as of the census of 2000, there were 27,507 people, 9,170 households, 6,290 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile. There were 10,434 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile; the racial makeup of the county was 78.9% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 6.4% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.9% from other races, 4.1% from two or more races.
13.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.2% were of German, 11.3% English, 9.1% Irish and 7.4% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 91.6% spoke English and 6.2% Spanish as their first language. There were 9,170 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08. The age distribution was 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 123.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.3 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,642, the median income for a family was $36,056.
Males had a median income of $40,072 versus $22,212 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,573. About 16.4% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over. Del Norte County is home to a satellite ca