Baxter Creek
Encyclopedia
Baxter Creek or Stege Creek (also archaically Bishop Creek), is a three-branch creek in Richmond
and El Cerrito
, California
, United States
forming the Baxter Creek watershed. The creek has three sources and flows from the Berkeley Hills
to Stege Marsh
and the San Francisco Bay
. The Baxter Creek watershed at-large has 10 sources.
The creek has been largely culverted over the years since the Rancho San Pablo
and the subdivided Bishop Ranch, then known as Bishop Creek, were urbanized. Residents missed the creek when it disappeared under the asphalt and formed Friends of Baxter Creek. This group has aided in the restoration of several portions of the creek. Baxter Creek Park, Poinsett Park, and Booker T. Anderson Park are now in a more natural riparian condition, though the Anderson Park portion has been plagued by litter and shopping carts.
The Ohlone Greenway
bicycle and pedestrian path has its northern terminus at Baxter Creek Gateway Park, located just north of where the BART tracks cross over San Pablo Avenue in Richmond.
The origins of the name Baxter Creek is unknown, but historians believe it to be from a family which once owned land in the area. Stege is from Richard Stege and Bishop comes from Thomas Bishop, who once owned large tracts of land in the area.
Much of the streamside vegetation that had been restored to Booker T. Anderson Park was chainsawed away and leveled due to concerns that the riparian habitat hid muggings, drug dealings, and public sex
from police patrols.
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
and El Cerrito
El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forming the Baxter Creek watershed. The creek has three sources and flows from the Berkeley Hills
Berkeley Hills
The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges that overlook the northeast side of the valley that surrounds San Francisco Bay. They were previously called the "Contra Costa Range/Hills" , but with the establishment of Berkeley and the University of California, the current usage was...
to Stege Marsh
Stege Marsh
Stege Marsh also known as the South Richmond Marshes is a polluted tidal marshland wetlands area in Richmond, California in western Contra Costa County.-Overview:...
and the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The Baxter Creek watershed at-large has 10 sources.
The creek has been largely culverted over the years since the Rancho San Pablo
Rancho San Pablo
Rancho San Pablo was a land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1823 by Governor Luís Antonio Argüello to Francisco María Castro , a former soldier at the San Francisco Presidio and one-time alcalde of the Pueblo of San José. The grant was reconfirmed by Governor José...
and the subdivided Bishop Ranch, then known as Bishop Creek, were urbanized. Residents missed the creek when it disappeared under the asphalt and formed Friends of Baxter Creek. This group has aided in the restoration of several portions of the creek. Baxter Creek Park, Poinsett Park, and Booker T. Anderson Park are now in a more natural riparian condition, though the Anderson Park portion has been plagued by litter and shopping carts.
The Ohlone Greenway
Ohlone Greenway
The Ohlone Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle path in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.The path is named for the Ohlone Indians who originally lived in the area....
bicycle and pedestrian path has its northern terminus at Baxter Creek Gateway Park, located just north of where the BART tracks cross over San Pablo Avenue in Richmond.
The origins of the name Baxter Creek is unknown, but historians believe it to be from a family which once owned land in the area. Stege is from Richard Stege and Bishop comes from Thomas Bishop, who once owned large tracts of land in the area.
Much of the streamside vegetation that had been restored to Booker T. Anderson Park was chainsawed away and leveled due to concerns that the riparian habitat hid muggings, drug dealings, and public sex
Public sex
Public sex refers to sexual acts that take place in public or semi-public places, and does not necessarily imply that the sexual activity takes place outdoors. Public places where sex acts can be performed include a car , on a beach, in the woods, as well as in a theatre, bus, street, besides...
from police patrols.
See also
- Cerrito CreekCerrito CreekCerrito Creek is one of the principal watercourses running out of the Berkeley Hills into San Francisco Bay in northern California. It is significant for its use as a boundary demarcation historically, as well as presently. In the early 19th century, it separated the vast Rancho San Antonio to...
- List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Richmond GreenwayRichmond Greenway-History:It runs along what was formerly the right-of way of the Santa Fe Railroad parallel to Ohio Street, between the end of the Ohlone Greenway adjacent to the intersection of Macdonald and San Pablo Avenues, and Point Richmond. There is a connector from the trail to the Macdonald 80 Shopping...