Purisima Creek (San Mateo County)
Purisima Creek is an stream in San Mateo County, California which rises north of Sierra Morena and flows westward to the Pacific Ocean south-southeast of Miramontes Point. Much of its watershed has been incorporated in the Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.History
The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolà expedition, passed through the area on its way north, camping near the creek on October 27, 1769.Tributaries
- Walker Gulch
- Whittemore Gulch
- Grabtown Gulch
- Soda Gulch
Ecology
The California Academy of Sciences has a tule elk skull fragment unearthed one mile inland from the mouth of Purisima Creek in 1951. Elk were thought to be extirpated from the entire state by 1873 when elk hunting was ultimately banned by the California Legislature, and current herds are descended from a small number of elk survivors discovered in southern San Joaquin County.
