Bridgeport Valley
Encyclopedia
The Bridgeport Valley is a large, fertile mountain basin between the eastern Sierra Nevada and the Bodie Hills
of the U.S. state
of California
. The valley is 10 miles (16.1 km) long and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) wide, and is used primarily for ranching. The East Walker River
is the main stream flowing through the Bridgeport Valley; tributaries include Robinson and Swauger Creeks. The only town in the valley is Bridgeport
, near Bridgeport Reservoir
, which is formed by a dam that floods the northern end of the valley.
Although the surrounding terrain is predominantly steep and rugged, the floor of the valley is generally flat and lies at an elevation of some 6460 feet (1,969 m). Vertical relief on the sheer western side can be up to 3000 feet (914.4 m), while on the eastern side, the slopes are more gradual, rising 1500 to 2500 ft (457.2 to 762 m) above the valley floor. Numerous peaks exceeding 10000 feet (3,048 m) in height border the valley within a few miles on the west, south and east sides. The highest mountain that directly borders the valley is Mount Jackson, at 9377 feet (2,858.1 m) above sea level.
U.S. Highway 395 bisects the valley, running from southeast to northwest. California State Route 182 also runs through the northern portion of the valley.
The north, west and southwest slopes of the valley border on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
.
Bridgeport Valley is believed to be a triangular graben
valley, bordered by geologic fault
s on almost all sides. The bedrock below the valley floor has dropped significantly below the level of the surrounding peaks, and streams flowing into it from the Sierra have deposited several hundred feet of sediments into it, creating the flat floor seen today. Thus a major portion of the valley floor actually lies on a large alluvial fan
formed by Robinson Creek sediment deposits to the southwest, where the creek exits out of the mountains into the Bridgeport Valley. The channels of the alluvial fan branch out towards the north, northeast and east creating a highly fertile and well-watered grassy region. One of the valley's alternate names, "Big Meadows", likely originated from this quality.
In 1857, gold was discovered close to the Bridgeport Valley, starting the first major gold rush to the east of the Sierra Nevada in California.
Bodie Hills
The Bodie Hills are a low mountain range in Mono County, California, is where the mining district and town of Bodie, California is located. The Hills are between Bridgeport and the Nevada border, where they become the Bodie Mountains in Mineral County, Nevada...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. The valley is 10 miles (16.1 km) long and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) wide, and is used primarily for ranching. The East Walker River
East Walker River
The East Walker River is a tributary of the Walker River, approximately long, in eastern California and western Nevada in the United States. It drains part of the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in the watershed of Walker Lake in the Great Basin....
is the main stream flowing through the Bridgeport Valley; tributaries include Robinson and Swauger Creeks. The only town in the valley is Bridgeport
Bridgeport, California
Bridgeport is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Mono County, California. It lies at an elevation of 6463 feet in the middle of the Bridgeport Valley. Bridgeport is located at the intersection of highways US 395 and State Route 182. The population was 575 at the 2010...
, near Bridgeport Reservoir
Bridgeport Reservoir, California
Bridgeport Reservoir, also known as Bridgeport Lake, is a lake at the lower end of Bridgeport Valley in Mono County, California. Its earth-filled dam was constructed in 1923 by the Walker River Irrigation District, along the East Walker River...
, which is formed by a dam that floods the northern end of the valley.
Although the surrounding terrain is predominantly steep and rugged, the floor of the valley is generally flat and lies at an elevation of some 6460 feet (1,969 m). Vertical relief on the sheer western side can be up to 3000 feet (914.4 m), while on the eastern side, the slopes are more gradual, rising 1500 to 2500 ft (457.2 to 762 m) above the valley floor. Numerous peaks exceeding 10000 feet (3,048 m) in height border the valley within a few miles on the west, south and east sides. The highest mountain that directly borders the valley is Mount Jackson, at 9377 feet (2,858.1 m) above sea level.
U.S. Highway 395 bisects the valley, running from southeast to northwest. California State Route 182 also runs through the northern portion of the valley.
The north, west and southwest slopes of the valley border on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is the principal U.S. National Forest located in the U.S. state of Nevada. With an area of , it is the largest National Forest of the United States outside of Alaska...
.
Bridgeport Valley is believed to be a triangular graben
Graben
In geology, a graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. Graben is German for ditch. Graben is used for both the singular and plural....
valley, bordered by geologic fault
Geologic fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement along the fractures as a result of earth movement. Large faults within the Earth's crust result from the action of tectonic forces...
s on almost all sides. The bedrock below the valley floor has dropped significantly below the level of the surrounding peaks, and streams flowing into it from the Sierra have deposited several hundred feet of sediments into it, creating the flat floor seen today. Thus a major portion of the valley floor actually lies on a large alluvial fan
Alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...
formed by Robinson Creek sediment deposits to the southwest, where the creek exits out of the mountains into the Bridgeport Valley. The channels of the alluvial fan branch out towards the north, northeast and east creating a highly fertile and well-watered grassy region. One of the valley's alternate names, "Big Meadows", likely originated from this quality.
In 1857, gold was discovered close to the Bridgeport Valley, starting the first major gold rush to the east of the Sierra Nevada in California.