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| Landmark #970 | Alameda County | Visited: May 31, 2014 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | The site where the first rainbow trout specimens were collected and named by modern science! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: The naming of the Rainbow Trout species was based on fish taken from the San Leandro Creek drainage. In 1855, Dr. W. P. Gibbons, founder of the California Academy of Sciences, was given three specimens obtained from the creek. He described and assigned them the scientific name Salmo iridia. Rainbow Trout are now worldwide in distribution and are a highly prized game fish.
OTHER TIDBITS: Dr. W.P. Gibbons wasn’t the first person to identify the rainbow trout, though! It was actually German naturalist, Johann Julius Walbaum, who named it Oncorhynchus mykiss in 1792, and that’s the name that stuck! Rainbow trout have been introduced to streams all around the world and are now so common that they’re sometimes a nuisance! They can compete with native trout species and even interbreed with them, an issue that has made purebred rainbow trout, like the ones who live in this park, very rare! A relative of the salmon, rainbow trout come in two types: trout and steelhead. The first only lives in fresh water, and the second spends several years at sea, growing to massive size! They’re both the same species, and sometimes, the children of trout become steelheads and vice versa! That’s pretty neat! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 50 yards past Redwood Gate entrance kiosk Redwood Regional Park Oakland, CA 94619 ANNOTATIONS: 7867 Redwood Road Also, the plaque is on the left, down by the creek! From Los Angeles: ~369mi (594km) — 6.2hrs |
| When should I go? | The park is open every day from 5:00 AM until 10:00 PM, unless otherwise posted! |
