Balch Creek is a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning at the crest of the Tualatin Mountains, the creek flows generally east down a canyon and through Forest Park, a large municipal park in Portland. It then enters a pipe and remains underground until reaching the river. Danford Balch, after whom the creek is named, settled a land claim along the creek in the 19th century, and was the first person legally hanged in Oregon. Basalt, mostly covered by silt in the uplands and sediment in the lowlands, underlies the Balch Creek watershed, which includes the Audubon Society of Portland nature sanctuary. Mixed conifer forest with a well-developed understory of shrubs and flowering plants is the natural vegetation. Sixty-two species of mammals and more than 112 species of birds use Forest Park. A small population of coastal cutthroat trout resides in the stream, which in 2005 was the only major water body in Portland that met state standards for bacteria, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. Although nature reserves cover much of the upper and middle parts of the watershed, industrial sites dominate the lower part.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balch_Creek
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
337:
After disposing of all relatives who possibly held a claim to the throne, Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans jointly became Roman emperors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constans
1488:
Anne became Duchess of Brittany, a central figure in the struggle for influence that led to the union of Brittany and France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Brittany
1739:
The Stono Rebellion, at the time the largest slave rebellion in the Thirteen Colonies of British America, erupted near Charleston, South Carolina. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stono_Rebellion
1965:
Hurricane Betsy made its second landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, US, leaving 76 dead and becoming the first hurricane to cause over $1 billion (unadjusted) in damage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Betsy
1990:
Sri Lankan Civil War: The Sri Lankan Army massacred at least 184 Tamil refugees in the Batticaloa District. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_Batticaloa_massacre
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
huwasi: (Hittite mythology) A sacred stone treated as a deity. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/huwasi
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
There are many evils in this country. The only remedy for every one of them is freedom for the nation. --Kalki Krishnamurthy https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kalki_Krishnamurthy