Jesus Maria Creek is an westward-flowing stream originating west of Summit Level Ridge on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in Calaveras County, California, United States.
History Gold was discovered along the banks of Jesus Maria Creek in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. The name was derived from a Mexican vegetable peddler named Jesus Maria, who sold to miners in the early 1850s.
Watershed Jesus Maria Creek originates just west of Summit Level Ridge, a ridge separating it from the Mokelumne River watershed to the north. The creek has several named tributaries, heading downstream first Mexican Gulch on the left, then Salamander Creek, on the left, then Spring Gulch on the right, then Wet Gulch on the right. It then flows through the historic mining town of Jesus Maria, before joining North Fork Calaveras River.
Ecology Although Jesus Maria Creek flows are seasonal, there are perennial reaches such as where Railroad Flat Road crosses the creek, that could sustain resident rainbow trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss).
See also Calaveras River
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