American River Confluence

The descendants of three immigrant families must put aside a decade full of grievances to try to save the legacy of their ancestral home. “Filled with descriptions of the beauty and grace of some of the United States’ greatest cities and areas, [this] is a true American story. As it delves into the realities of the various divides Americans coped with in the sixties, readers will be rooting for O’Connor’s . . . characters’ [whose] voices, personalities, and lifestyles are so unique, memorable, and engaging that it is nearly impossible to forget them.” —From a review of American River: Tributaries by The Book Review Directory Book three of the American River Trilogy begins with the three families—the McPhalans, the Morales, and the Ashidas—in turmoil. Following Owen McPhalan’s death, his daughter Kate has inherited Mockingbird Valley Ranch only to discover that the once profitable family business is no longer sustainable. Desperate to find a way to save Mockingbird, she struggles to formulate a plan. But she hasn’t counted on the wrath of Dan Papadakis, Owen’s former campaign manager, who is working behind the scenes to undermine her efforts. American River: Confluence is the culmination of a compelling historical drama about the lives, loves, triumphs and sacrifices of the descendants of three immigrant families who settled along California’s American River, and who are called upon to put aside a decade full of grievances and betrayals to try to save the history and legacy of their ancestral home.

Originating in the Sierra Nevada, the North and Middle Forks of the American River join just upstream of the city of Auburn (Figure 1). From the North and Middle Forks confluence, the river flows past Auburn before entering Folsom Lake. Flows are released from Folsom Dam into Lake Natoma, which serves primarily as a reregulating reservoir. From Nimbus Dam, water is released downstream into the lower American River. It then flows through the American River Parkway (Figure 2), located in the densely populated Sacramento metropolitan area, for a distance of 23 miles before reaching its confluence with the Sacramento River. The average annual runoff is about 2.7 million acre-feet. The annual flow regime of the river, however, has changed significantly since construction of Folsom and Nimbus Dams in 1955. Nimbus Salmon and Steelhead Hatchery is located just below Nimbus Dam (Figure 3). Built in the early 1950's to compensate impacts of the Folsom project, it is operated by the California Department of Fish and Game under contract with the Federal Government. The lower American River floodplain is about 4,800 acres in size with an additional 4,000 acres of undeveloped adjacent lands. Of the 8,800 acres, about 5,000 acres are administered by Sacramento County as the American River Parkway (Figure 2). The parkway supports over 5 million visitor-use days annually with an estimated nonmarket value of $96 million (California Department of Fish and Game 1986), making it a very valuable regional asset.

Produced by the California State Park volunteer group, Auburn State Recreation Area Canyon Keepers (ASRACK), for trails in the Auburn State Recreation Area (ASRA) in the Northern California Sierra foothills.

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