From high in the mountains of Sequoia National Park to the fertile farmland of the valley floor, the Kaweah River is one of the central California's major rivers. We explore its history and what makes it unusual, today on KVPR's Central Valley Roots.
The river originates at the Great Western Divide in the High Sierra, which separates the waters of the Kaweah from those of the Kern River. The Kaweah's Middle, North and South Forks converge at Three Rivers, before they reach Terminus Dam and Lake Kaweah in the foothills.
But as the river enters the floor of the San Joaquin Valley, it does something unusual, at least for our region. While most of our other rivers continue to collect smaller tributaries as they head downstream, the Kaweah does the opposite. It spreads out in multiple smaller creeks, in a broad alluvial fan, creating the fertile Kaweah Delta.
Not far below the dam at McKay's Point, the St John's River breaks off from main channel and heads toward Woodlake and curves around Visalia's northern edge. It’s a relatively new channel, and dates to a massive flood in 1862. It’s named for early settler Loomis St. John.
Meanwhile other channels break off forming Mill Creek, Packwood Creek, Cameron Creek and Deep Creek. These channels brought water and fertile soil to the Visalia region and made the area's famous native oak forest thrive. Before modern diversions, the waters of these channels would eventually flow to Tulare Lake.
As for its name, the Kaweah River has had several. Early Spanish colonists called it Rio de San Gabriel, and Rio San Francisco. White settlers also often called its lower reaches the Four Creeks. Another account says some Native Americans called it Pi-pi-yu-na. As for the name Kaweah, it’s named for the Kaweah tribe, and is reportedly an example of onomatopoeia, based on the sound of a bird. According to historian Frank Latta, "Ga-We-Hah" translates to “crow cry.”
