About the California Delta
Sacramento River near Isleton
The California Delta is located roughly between Sacramento on the north and Stockton on the south and encompasses about 1,000 miles of waterways. The main contributing rivers are the Sacramento River, coming in from the north, and the San Joaquin River, coming in from the south. Other rivers feeding into the two major rivers include the American River, the Mokelumne River, the Cosumnes River and the Calaveras River. Before these rivers empty into the Pacific Ocean through the San Francisco Bay, they pass through some of the best boating waterways in this country, if not the world. The California Delta is a labyrinth of sloughs with names like Potato Slough, Whites Slough, Snodgrass Slough, Lost Slough, Georgiana Slough, Steamboat Slough, and many, many more. As one explores these watery avenues, vistas of vine-covered trees, blackberry brambles, or tule grasses appear at almost every turn. It truly is a boater’s paradise.
Interactive Map of the California Delta
History of the California Delta Levee System
Levee repair near Walnut Grove
The Delta was originally populated by the Maidu Indians. Spanish explorers first arrived on the scene in 1772, and were followed by many others, including the trappers who introduced malaria in the early 1800's, resulting in the death of many of the Maidu people. With the discovery of gold in the California foothills, men began to flock to this new world in search of their fortune. At the same time, settlement of the Delta was commencing. These early farmers needed a way to keep their lands from flooding in the spring and winter, and thus began the construction of the levee system which defines the Delta today. A large population of Chinese had come to the area following the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, and provided much of the labor to build the levees. The first levees were made from the peat soil of the Delta, which is great for growing crops, but not a very good building material. These early levees were prone to leak and fail, and by the late 1800's, the recently invented clamshell dredge had taken over the building of the levees. This construction lasted for about 40 years, and the maintenance continues to this day.
