American Fork (river)

American Fork
The American Fork near the mouth of American Fork Canyon, March 2007
Location of American Fork River Show map of Utah American Fork (river) (the United States) Show map of the United States
Etymology	To differentiate from the Spanish Fork; or derived from a company name.
Location
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Utah
Physical characteristics
Source	Unnamed stream flowing through the American Fork Canyon
• coordinates	40°25′54″N 111°38′12″W[1]
Mouth	Utah Lake
• location	south of American Fork (city)
• coordinates	40°20′33″N 111°45′36″W[1]
• elevation	4,495 feet (1,370 m)
Basin features
Progression	Utah Lake – Jordan River – Great Salt Lake

The American Fork (commonly known as the American Fork River) is a river in Utah County, Utah, United States.[1]

Description

The river rises at the head of American Fork Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains about 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Salt Lake City. The unnamed stream, which is the source of the American Fork, flows from Mineral Basin, through the length of the American Fork Canyon and has several named tributaries (Silver Creek, Deer Creek, and Cattle Creek). The river runs through northern Utah County and empties into Utah Lake on its north shore.

The city of American Fork is named after this river.[2] The description "American" in the river's name is to distinguish it from the Spanish Fork (river) that also originates in the Wasatch Range; alternatively, it could have been named after the American Fur Company.[3]

Fly fishermen commonly target smaller rainbow trout (measuring 6–12 in.) – and to a lesser extent brown trout – in the river during summer and fall, when strong runoff and snowfall do not limit access.

In addition to fish, a rich community of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies is also present in the American Fork river.[4]

Groundwater contribution of metals to the river

The abandoned Pacific Mine adjacent to the North Fork of the river has been a source of metals that enter the river when it is gaining stream.[5] Spill events contributing toxic metals to the river have deemed waters dangerous to humans at times,[6] but work has also been done by the U.S. Forest Service to remove tailings from mining sites.[7]

See also

• List of rivers of Utah

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: American Fork
2. "American Fork City - American Fork Utah". Archived from the original on 2008-12-24. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
3. "Place Names on the Uinta National Forest". USDA Forest Service. it was named to avoid confusion with the Spanish Fork River to the south, another [source claims] that it was named by early trappers and mountain men who worked the creek for beaver in the early 1800s, in reference to the American Fur Company.
4. Judson, S.W., Nelson, C.R. (December 2010). Provo, UT: Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University. DIVERSITY, PHENOLOGY, AND ELEVATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF EPHEMEROPTERA, PLECOPTERA, AND TRICHOPTERA IN AMERICAN FORK CANYON, UTAH. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41718097.pdf
5. Lachmar, Thomas E.; Burk, Neil I.; Kolesar, Peter T. (2006-06-01). "Groundwater Contribution of Metals from an Abandoned Mine to The North Fork of The American Fork River, Utah". Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 173 (1): 103–120. doi:10.1007/s11270-005-9031-8. ISSN 1573-2932.
6. Penrod, Emma. "9 months after toxic spill, American Fork deemed no longer dangerous". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
7. Lachmar, Thomas E.; McDonough, Hannah L.; Burk, Neil I.; Kolesar, Peter T.; Doucette, William J. (2019-03-01). "Effect of Ore Mineralogy and Bedrock Lithology on Metal Loading Rates and Acid-Mine Drainage: Bayhorse Creek, Idaho and the North Fork of the American Fork River, Utah". Mine Water and the Environment. 38 (1): 3–15. doi:10.1007/s10230-018-00574-1. ISSN 1616-1068.

External links

Media related to American Fork (river) at Wikimedia Commons