Umpqua River

Umpqua River
Fishing in the Umpqua River
Name origin: An Indian word for the locality of the river, later applied to the tribe as well[1]
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Douglas
Source	Confluence of North and South Umpqua
- location	northwest of Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon
- elevation	362 ft (110 m) [2]
- coordinates	43°16′05″N 123°26′46″W / 43.26806°N 123.44611°W / 43.26806; -123.44611 [3]
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
- location	Reedsport, Douglas County, Oregon
- elevation	0 ft (0 m) [3]
- coordinates	43°40′09″N 124°12′18″W / 43.66917°N 124.205°W / 43.66917; -124.205 [3]
Length	111 mi (179 km) [4]
Basin	5,000 sq mi (13,000 km2) [5]
Discharge	for near Elkton, 56.9 miles (91.6 km) from the mouth
- average	5,365 cu ft/s (152 m3/s) [6]
- max	265,000 cu ft/s (7,504 m3/s)
- min	640 cu ft/s (18 m3/s)
Umpqua River with tributaries

The Umpqua River (UHMP-kwah) on the Pacific coast of Oregon in the United States is approximately 111 miles (179 km) long. One of the principal rivers of the Oregon coast, it drains an expansive network of valleys in the mountains west of the Cascade Range and south of the Willamette Valley, from which it is separated by the Calapooya Mountains. The "Hundred Valleys of the Umpqua" form the heart of the timber industry of southern Oregon, generally centered on Roseburg. The river and its tributaries flow entirely within Douglas County, which encompasses most of the watershed of the river from the Cascades to the coast.

Course

It is formed by the confluence of the North Umpqua and South Umpqua rivers, both of which rise in the Southern Oregon Cascades, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Roseburg. In modern terminology, the "Umpqua Valley" is sometimes taken to refer to the populated lower reaches of the South Umpqua south of Roseburg, along the route of Interstate 5. The North Umpqua rises from snowmelt and is considered one of the premier summer steelhead streams in the West. The combined river flows generally northwest through the Oregon Coast Range in a serpentine course past Umpqua and Elkton. At Elkton it turns to flow west past Scottsburg, which is located at the head of tide. It enters Winchester Bay on the Pacific at Reedsport. It receives the Smith River from the north near its estuary on Winchester Bay. The Umpqua River Light protects ships nearing the mouth of the river. The Umpqua River is one of only three major rivers in Oregon that start in or east of the Cascade Range and reach the Pacific Ocean. The others are the Rogue River (in Oregon) and Klamath River (flowing from Oregon to California).

History

The mouth of the Umpqua River on the Pacific Ocean at Reedsport

In the early 19th century the river valley was largely inhabited by the Coquille tribe of Native Americans. The tribe ceded most of its land to the U.S. government in the 1854 Treaty with the Umpqua and Kalapuya,^{[citation needed]} agreeing to move to a reservation in Lincoln County as part of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. The river itself is named for the Umpqua, a band of the Coquille.

The Umpqua River valley was inhabited by several different bands of Indians: primarily the Athabaskan speaking Upper Umpqua, Takelman speaking Cow Creek Band of Umpqua, the Yoncalla (a Kalapuyan people) in the north, and the Quich (Lower Umpqua) from Scottsburg/Wells Creek to the coast. The Quich spoke a language distantly related to Alsea/Yakonan and the Coos Bay languages.

Recreation

The Umpqua River boasts some of the world's best fly-fishing, salmon fishing, and sturgeon fishing.^{[citation needed]} Umpqua river fishing is also famous for its small-mouth bass, striped bass, and shad population.^[7]

See also

• List of rivers of Oregon

References

External links

• Umpqua River in the Oregon Encyclopedia
• Oregon Coastal Atlas: Umpqua River Estuary
• The Umpqua Basin Explorer from Oregon State University