Temescal Creek (Northern California)

Temescal Creek (Northern California)

Temescal Creek is one of the main watercourses in the city of Oakland, California. The name "Temescal" comes from the Mexican Spanish word for "sweat lodge", which itself comes from the Nahuatl language of Mexico. Long ago, the creek was part of the Peralta family's Rancho San Antonio.

The creek has three forks that begin in the Berkeley Hills and come together in the Temescal district of Oakland. It flows west across Oakland and Emeryville before reaching the San Francisco Bay. Over time, parts of the creek have been changed. Some sections are now underground, and others flow above ground. One part, called Lake Temescal, is now a public park.

Mouth area

Temescal Creek is a stream that flows all year, which made it very important to early settlers. Near where the creek meets the water, the Ohlone people, specifically the Chochen/Huichin band, built a large shellmound. This is one of the most studied shellmounds along the San Francisco Bay shoreline.

In the past, the place near the shellmound was used for loading cattle and hides onto ships. The creek may have once been home to rainbow trout and coho salmon, but changes like building dams have caused their numbers to drop. Today, much of the creek is underground in tubes called culverts, but some parts above Lake Temescal are still open. A small park now stands where the creek used to flow, remembering both the creek and the Ohlone people who lived there long ago. The creek finally reaches San Francisco Bay, where it creates muddy areas and marshland.