Sacramento River
By Christina Goudis
The day begins with the Californian sun gleaming on the Sacramento River. The sun never stops shining in California in its blue skies just as the serene currents of the Sacramento River never stop flowing. The River gives a purpose to people. People need nature. It serves its nearby fertile grounds to Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and the Sacramento Valley where the farmers rely on its grand source of water and fertile ground to produce crops. The Sacramento River even flows through the volcanic lands of Northeastern California. The river has lived through history and told stories. Its lands were once home to the Native American people of California. The Sacramento River has heard the stories of the tribes’ joyous moments of building families, producing crops, living in a peaceful sense of community. This river was their source of life, water, transport, and trade for the natives. The land of the nearby valley was their home. Voices of fascination wonder and discovery of the European explorers have been heard by the river upon its discovery. The River has also heard the conflict of human settlers conflicting over the land. The story of the discovery of gold has been told by the river. It is at the Sacramento River where glistering gold was discovered and thus began the California Gold Rush. The Sacramento River has lived and flowed through history and its currents flow to the present day.
The Sacramento River is the biggest signature river of Northern California and the biggest river in California. Its flow rises in the Klamath Mountains and flows 400 miles where it reaches the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta, as well as San Francisco Bay. The river feeds water to dams, reservoirs, and storage projects known as the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project. The Sacramento River meanders through the Sacramento Valley which is fertile agricultural land. It is also home to 70 percent of Salmon which is caught on the coast of California.
The Sacramento River has lived through history such as the discovery of gold until today where the golden sun shines upon its flowing waters and brings people closer to realizing the grandeur of nature.
