Johnson Creek is a 25-mile (40 km) tributary of the Willamette River in the Portland metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the drainage basin of the Columbia River, its watershed covers 54 square miles (140 km2) of mostly urban land occupied by about 180,000 people. The creek flows generally west from the foothills of the Cascade Range through sediments deposited by glacial floods on a substrate of basalt. Though polluted, it provides habitat for salmon and other migrating fish along its free-flowing main stem. Prior to European settlement, the heavily forested watershed was used by Native Americans of the Chinook band for fishing and hunting. In the 19th century, white settlers cleared much of the land for farming. The stream is named for William Johnson, a settler who in 1846 built a water-powered sawmill along the creek. By the early 20th century, a rail line parallel to the stream encouraged further residential and commercial development. Damage from seasonal flooding grew as urban density increased in the floodplain.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Creek_(Willamette_River)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1497:

Supporters of the Dominican priest Girolamo Savonarola collected and publicly burned thousands of objects such as cosmetics, art, and books in Florence, Italy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_of_the_Vanities

1813:

Napoleonic Wars: Two evenly matched frigates from the French Navy and the British Royal Navy fought for four hours, causing significant damage, but resulting in a stalemate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_7_February_1813

1914:

The film Kid Auto Races at Venice, featuring the first appearance of comedy actor Charlie Chaplin's character "The Tramp", was released. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin

1943:

World War II: Japan successfully withdrew its troops from Guadalcanal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ke

1948:

Neil Harvey became the youngest Australian to score a century in Test cricket. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Harvey

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

instigator: A person who intentionally instigates, incites, or starts something, especially one that creates trouble. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/instigator

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Science makes no pretension to eternal truth or absolute truth; some of its rivals do. That science is in some respects inhuman may be the secret of its success in alleviating human misery and mitigating human stupidity.   --Eric Temple Bell https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eric_Temple_Bell