What is Pit River Country?

The Pit River is the largest river system in Northern California. It  flows from Goose Lake north of Alturas to the Sacramento River near Redding. As it flows toward the Sacramento, it is fed by 21 named tributaries. All together the system totals more than 1000 miles of streams and consists of a watershed of about 4,324

“PitRiverMap” by Background layer attributed to DEMIS Mapserver, modified by Shannon1 – Background from http://www2.demis.nl/mapserver/mapper.asp. Licensed under GFDL via Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PitRiverMap.jpg#/media/File:PitRiverMap.jpg

square miles. On the maps of the earliest fur traders it was known as the Upper Sacramento.

When it passes Fall River Valley, it is fed by the springs of Ajumawi State Park and the Fall River. Then, at Lake Britton, it is fed by Hat Creek, which flows from MT Lassen down through Hat Creek Valley; and Burney Creek, which flows through Burney and Black Ranch and then over the falls in McArthur-Burney Falls State Park. After that, it flows down to Big Bend, where there are wonderful hot springs.

I call the land and the communities in this watershed Pit River Country. It corresponds to the traditional lands of the Pit River Tribe. Some of the towns in this region are Burney, Fall River Mills, McArthur, Old Station, Montgomery Creek, Round Mountain, and Big Bend.