American River
| American River | |
| River | |
 The American River near Fair Oaks
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Region | Sacramento Valley |
| Part of | Sacramento River watershed |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | South Fork American River |
| - right | North Fork American River |
| City | Sacramento |
| Primary source | North Fork American River |
| - location | Mountain Meadow Lake, Placer County, CA |
| - elevation | 7,923 ft (2,415 m) |
| - coordinates | 39°13′04″N 120°16′28″W / 39.21778°N 120.27444°W |
| Secondary source | South Fork American River |
| - location | Nebelhorn, El Dorado County |
| - elevation | 7,401 ft (2,256 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°48′38″N 120°01′52″W / 38.81056°N 120.03111°W |
| Source confluence | Folsom Lake |
| - location | Near Folsom, California |
| - elevation | 253 ft (77 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°29′28″N 121°09′24″W / 38.49111°N 121.15667°W |
| Mouth | Sacramento River |
| - location | Sacramento, CA |
| - elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°35′51″N 121°30′29″W / 38.59750°N 121.50806°WCoordinates: 38°35′51″N 121°30′29″W / 38.59750°N 121.50806°W |
| Length | 119 mi (192 km), Northeast-southwest Main stem 31 miles (50 km); North Fork 88 miles (142 km) |
| Basin | 2,150 sq mi (5,568 km2) |
| Discharge | for Fair Oaks |
| - average | 3,685 cu ft/s (104 m3/s) |
| - max | 314,000 cu ft/s (8,891 m3/s) |
| - min | 215 cu ft/s (6 m3/s) |
 Map of the American River watershed. It includes the North, Middle, and South forks of the river as well as Rubicon River, a tributary of the Middle Fork.
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The American River (Río de los Americanos during the period before 1847 ruled by Mexico) is a 120-mile-long river in California that runs from the Sierra Nevada mountain range to its confluence with the Sacramento River in the Sacramento Valley. Via the Sacramento River, it is part of the San Francisco Bay watershed. This river is fed by the melting snowpack of the Sierra Nevada and its many headwaters and tributaries, including the North Fork American River, the Middle Fork American River, and the South Fork American River.
The American river is known for the discovery of gold at Coloma in 1848 that started the California Gold Rush and contributed to the initial large-scale settlement of California by European immigrants. Today, the river still has high quality water, and it is the main source of drinking water for Sacramento. This river is dammed extensively for irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectric power. The American River watershed supports Mediterranean, temperate, and montane ecosystems, and it is the home of a diverse array of fish and wildlife.
The Maidu, Miwok, Nisenan, and Wintun peoples inhabited the American River in Sacramento for at least 5,000 years before Spaniards and Americans settled the region, although human habitation in Northern California is believed to date back as much as 12,000 years. They utilized the vast amount of resources of the American River for shelter, clothes, baskets, and other goods before Europeans arrived in the late 18th century. The Nisenan called the river Kum Mayo, meaning "roundhouse river".
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Wikipedia