into Bodega Bay in 1809 on the Kodiak and returned to Novo Arkhangelsk, Alaska (Sitka), with beaver skins and over 2,000 sea otter pelts. French naval captain Cyrille Laplace visited the Russian farms with the Aleksandr Rotchev, the last manager of Fort Ross, in 1839. After spending time at the Chernykh farm (near Graton probably on Purrington Creek) they rode to the Kirill Timofeevich Khlebnikov farm (near Bodega Corners) on Salmon Creek and wrote, "we had stopped a moment by a little river on the banks of which my traveling companion pointed out to me the former habitations of beaver, probably destroyed by the Indians in order to catch the rich prize that lay within." In 2009 and 2010 the California Department of Fish and Game have re-introduced coho salmon into Salmon Creek. It is also the only extant location of the nearly extinct Baker's larkspur. Bridges At least seven bridges span Salmon Creek. The newest and longest of these is the State Route 1 bridge, which is long and was built in 1983. Freestone Flat Road crosses on a steel truss long which was built in 1955, making it the oldest of the seven. Bodega Highway crosses in two places: from State Route 1 on a bridge long built in 1962 and at Valley Ford-Freestone Road on a bridge built in 1968. Salmon Creek Road spans the creek on a bridge dating from 1958, Bohemian Highway crosses on a bridge from 1971, and Scouts Camp Road crosses on a structure from 1960. Further reading DFG California Department of Fish and Game 1964. Salmon Creek Stream Survey, April 29, 1964 by Weldon Jones DFG California Department of Fish and Game 2004. Salmon Creek Stream Survey, September 2004 USGS BODEGA HEAD Quad, California, Topographic map – 1972 USGS VALLEY FORD Quad, California, Topographic map – 2009 USGS CAMP MEEKER Quad, California, Topographic map – 2009 See also List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area Salmon Creek Middle School References External links Salmon Creek Watershed Council Occidental Arts and Ecology WATER Institute Rivers of Sonoma County, California Rivers of Northern California