# Mess Creek

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River in British Columbia, Canada

Mess Creek Mouth of Mess Creek Location Country Canada Province British Columbia District Cassiar Land District Physical characteristics Source Unnamed lake • location Boundary Ranges • coordinates 57°07′42″N 130°56′12″W / 57.12833°N 130.93667°W / 57.12833; -130.93667[1] • elevation 1,022 m (3,353 ft)[1] Mouth Stikine River • coordinates 57°53′25″N 131°12′29″W / 57.89028°N 131.20806°W / 57.89028; -131.20806[1] • elevation 170 m (560 ft)[1] Length 110 km (68 mi)[1] Basin size 2,330 km2 (900 sq mi)[2] Discharge • average 59.3 m3/s (2,090 cu ft/s)[2] Basin features Tributaries • left Schaft Creek, Tudadela Creek • right Crayke Creek, Dagaichess Creek, Elwyn Creek, Kitsu Creek, Raspberry Creek, Tadekho Creek, Taweh Creek Topo map NTS 104G15 Buckley Lake NTS 104G14 Telegraph Creek NTS 104G7 Mess Lake

**Mess Creek**, formerly known as **Mestua**, is a [tributary](/source/Tributary) of the [Stikine River](/source/Stikine_River) in northwestern [British Columbia](/source/British_Columbia), Canada.[3] It flows north and northwest for about 110 km (68 mi), through a lake and a [gorge](/source/Gorge) to join the Stikine River, which in turn flows southwest across the Canada–United States border into [Alaska](/source/Alaska) where it empties into various [straits](/source/Strait) of the [Inside Passage](/source/Inside_Passage).[1][4] The northern half of Mess Creek forms a western boundary of [Mount Edziza Provincial Park](/source/Mount_Edziza_Provincial_Park) which lies within the traditional territory of the [Tahltan](/source/Tahltan) people.[5][6]

Mess Creek's [watershed](/source/Drainage_basin) covers 2,330 km2 (900 sq mi) and its estimated mean annual [discharge](/source/Discharge_(hydrology)) is 59.3 m3/s (2,090 cu ft/s).[2] The mouth of Mess Creek is located about 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of [Telegraph Creek](/source/Telegraph_Creek), about 73 km (45 mi) west of [Iskut](/source/Iskut) and about 94 km (58 mi) southwest of [Dease Lake](/source/Dease_Lake) in [Cassiar Land District](/source/Cassiar_Land_District).[3][1] Mess Creek's watershed's [land cover](/source/Land_cover) is classified as 38.7% [conifer forest](/source/Conifer), 25% [barren](/source/Barren_vegetation), 15.9% [shrubland](/source/Shrubland), 10% snow/glacier, 8.3% [herbaceous](/source/Herbaceous_plant) and small amounts of other cover.[2]

## Geography

Mess Creek originates from an [unnamed lake](/source/Unnamed_lake) behind an [alluvial fan](/source/Alluvial_fan) at [57°07′42″N 130°56′12″W / 57.12833°N 130.93667°W / 57.12833; -130.93667](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Mess_Creek&params=57_07_42_N_130_56_12_W_). From its source the creek flows about 45 km (28 mi) north into [Mess Lake](/source/Mess_Lake) and then continues northwest for another 63 km (39 mi) into the Stikine River.[1] About midway through its course, Mess Creek is bounded on the east by the [Mess Creek Escarpment](/source/Mess_Creek_Escarpment).[5] This is a long, often cliff-like feature forming the western edge of the [Mount Edziza volcanic complex](/source/Mount_Edziza_volcanic_complex).[7][8] The final 12 km (7.5 mi) of Mess Creek flows through a gorge.[1]

Mess Creek contains seven named [right tributaries](/source/Right_tributaries). The first one is [Tadekho Creek](/source/Tadekho_Creek) which flows northwest into Mess Creek just south of Mess Lake.[9] [Kitsu Creek](/source/Kitsu_Creek) is the second named right tributary which flows northwest and then north into Mess Creek.[10] The third named right tributary is [Raspberry Creek](/source/Raspberry_Creek_(British_Columbia)) which flows northwest into Mess Creek.[11] [Taweh Creek](/source/Taweh_Creek), the fourth named right tributary, flows northwest into Mess Creek west of [Mount Edziza](/source/Mount_Edziza).[12] The fifth named right tributary, [Crayke Creek](/source/Crayke_Creek), flows southwest into Mess Creek off Mount Edziza.[13] [Elwyn Creek](/source/Elwyn_Creek) is the sixth named right tributary which flows west into Mess Creek.[14] The seventh named right tributary is Dagaichess Creek which flows southeast into Mess Creek just south of Telegraph Creek.[15]

Only two left tributaries of Mess Creek are named. The first one is Schaft Creek which flows north into Mess Creek on the west side of Mount Edziza Provincial Park.[16] The other named left tributary, Tudadela Creek, flows north into Mess Creek.[17]

## Geology

Mess Creek flows through a long and narrow [graben](/source/Graben)-like [depression](/source/Depression_(geology)) bounded by steeply-[dipping](/source/Strike_and_dip) [faults](/source/Fault_(geology)) that extend to the north. A more than 24 km-long (15 mi) fault along the eastern edge of this structure shows signs of having been active contemporaneously with [volcanism of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex](/source/Volcanism_of_the_Mount_Edziza_volcanic_complex). It has vertically displaced [Holocene](/source/Holocene) [basalt](/source/Basalt) flows by 15 to 20 m (50 to 70 ft) and older basalt flows by 91 to 122 m (299 to 400 ft), such that the western side of the fault has been downthrown. The downthrowing of this fault during the Holocene may have been due to the draining of [magma chambers](/source/Magma_chamber) following eruptions at the Mount Edziza volcanic complex.[18]

Two groups of hot springs occur along Mess Creek. The Mess Lake Hot Springs near the southeastern corner of Mess Lake have deposited massive [tufa](/source/Tufa) over an area of more than 120 ha (300 acres). Discharge at these hot springs may be linked to shallow [hydrothermal](/source/Hydrothermal) systems driven by residual [magmatic](/source/Magma) heat as they are adjacent to [The Ash Pit](/source/The_Ash_Pit), a recently active eruptive centre of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex. The Mess Creek Hot Springs 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Mess Lake have a recorded temperature of 42.5 °C (108.5 °F) and may be discharging from a deeply circulating hydraulic system along a major fault on the western side of Mess Creek valley.[8]

## History

The historic [Yukon Telegraph Trail](/source/Yukon_Telegraph_Trail) runs along the eastern side of Mess Creek.[19] It was built to serve the nearly 3,000 km-long (1,900 mi) Yukon Telegraph Line which was constructed by the Dominion Government Telegraph Service between 1897 and 1901 to send messages from [Ashcroft, British Columbia](/source/Ashcroft%2C_British_Columbia), in the south to [Dawson City](/source/Dawson_City), [Yukon](/source/Yukon), in the north.[20]

## See also

- [List of rivers of British Columbia](/source/List_of_rivers_of_British_Columbia)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-KF_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-KF_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-KF_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-KF_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-KF_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-KF_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-KF_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-KF_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-KF_1-8) Elevation, length and coordinates derived from [Google Earth](/source/Google_Earth) and the [Canadian Geographical Names Database](https://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/search-place-names/search)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-watertool_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-watertool_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-watertool_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-watertool_2-3) ["Northwest Water Tool"](https://nwwt.bcwatertool.ca). *BC Water Tool*. GeoBC, Integrated Land Management Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bcgnis_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bcgnis_3-1) ["Mess Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/22550.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Stikine River"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/7821.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-HR_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-HR_5-1) "A 502" (Topographic map). [*Telegraph Creek, Cassiar Land District, British Columbia*](https://web.archive.org/web/20210502071600/https://volcano.si.edu/maps/GVAlaskaCanada/G910509-006.jpg) (3 ed.). 1:250,000. 104 G (in English and French). [Department of Energy, Mines and Resources](/source/Department_of_Energy%2C_Mines_and_Resources). 1989. Archived from [the original](https://volcano.si.edu/maps/GVAlaskaCanada/G910509-006.jpg) on 2021-05-02. Retrieved 2021-09-25.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Markey, Sean; Halseth, Greg; Manson, Don (2012). *Investing in Place: Economic Renewal in Northern British Columbia*. [University of British Columbia Press](/source/University_of_British_Columbia_Press). p. 242. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7748-2293-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7748-2293-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Mess Lake Escarpment"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/22549.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Souther_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Souther_8-1) [Souther, J. G.](/source/Jack_Souther) (1992). The Late Cenozoic Mount Edziza Volcanic Complex, British Columbia. *[Geological Survey of Canada](/source/Geological_Survey_of_Canada)* (Report). Memoir 420. Canada Communication Group. pp. 32, 241, 242. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.4095/133497](https://doi.org/10.4095%2F133497). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-660-14407-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-660-14407-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Tadekho Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/16745.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Kitsu Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/4622.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Raspberry Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/23314.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Taweh Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/18502.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Crayke Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/4820.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Elwyn Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/9936.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Dagaichess Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/7546.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Schaft Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/17243.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["Tudadela Creek"](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/23924.html). *[BC Geographical Names](/source/BC_Geographical_Names)*. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-MD_18-0)** [Souther, Jack Gordon](/source/Jack_Souther) (1966). "Cordilleran Volcanic Study, 1966". [Report of Activities, Part A: May to October, 1966](https://web.archive.org/web/20230107151915/https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/rncan-nrcan/M41-1-4-67-1A-eng.pdf) (PDF) (Report). [Geological Survey of Canada](/source/Geological_Survey_of_Canada). p. 91. Archived from [the original](https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/rncan-nrcan/M41-1-4-67-1A-eng.pdf) (PDF) on 2023-01-07. Retrieved 2023-05-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Mussio, Russell, ed. (2018). *Northern BC Backroad Mapbook*. Mussio Ventures. p. 88. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-926806-87-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-926806-87-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["Yukon Telegraph Trail"](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=17944). [Canadian Register of Historic Places](/source/Canadian_Register_of_Historic_Places). Retrieved 2023-09-26.

## External links

- ["Mess Creek"](https://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique?id=JBOFG). *[Geographical Names Data Base](/source/GeoBase_(geospatial_data)#Geographical_Names_Data_Base)*. [Natural Resources Canada](/source/Natural_Resources_Canada).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mess Creek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mess_Creek) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mess_Creek?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.