The Umpqua River ( ) on the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

coast of Oregon in the United States is approximately long. One of the principal rivers of the

Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...

and known for bass and shad, the river drains an expansive network of valleys in the mountains west of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

and south of the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, the ...

, from which it is separated by the Calapooya Mountains. From its source northeast of Roseburg, the Umpqua flows northwest through the

Oregon Coast Range The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges Physiographic regions of the world, physiographic region, in the United States, U.S. state of Or ...

and empties into the Pacific at Winchester Bay. The river and its tributaries flow almost entirely within Douglas County, which encompasses most of the watershed of the river from the Cascades to the coast. The "Hundred Valleys of the Umpqua" form the heart of the

timber industry Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

southern Oregon Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia thr ...

, generally centered on Roseburg. The Native Americans in the Umpqua's watershed consist of several tribes, such as the Lower and Upper Umpqua (for which the river is named), and the

Kalapuya The Kalapuya are a Native American people, which had eight independent groups speaking three mutually intelligible dialects. The Kalapuya tribes' traditional homelands were the Willamette Valley of present-day western Oregon in the United Sta ...

. These tribes witnessed much of the Great Flood of 1862, during which the Umpqua and other rivers rose to levels so high that even the oldest natives had never seen a greater flood.

Course

The North Umpqua and South Umpqua rivers rise in the Southern Oregon Cascades, and flow generally west for over to join approximately 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 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

. The North Umpqua rises from snowmelt and is considered one of the premier summer

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the Fish migration#Classification, anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or Columbia River redband trout (''O. m. gairdneri'', also called redband steelhead). Steelhead are native to cold-wa ...

streams in the West. From Roseburg, the Umpqua flows generally northwest through broad farming valleys in the Oregon Coast Range in a serpentine course past the settlement of Umpqua and the city Elkton. At Elkton, it turns to flow west through a narrower canyon past Scottsburg, which is located at the

head of tide Head of tide, tidal limit or tidehead is the furthest point upstream where a river is affected by tidal fluctuations, or where the fluctuations are less than a certain amount. The river section influenced by tides and marine forces, but without ...

. At this point, the Umpqua River becomes

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...

. It enters Winchester Bay on the Pacific near Reedsport. It receives the Smith River from the north near its

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

on Winchester Bay. The Umpqua River Light protects ships nearing the mouth of the river. The Umpqua is one of four major rivers in Oregon that start in or east of the

and reach the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. The others are the Rogue River (in Oregon),

Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk language, Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath language, Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok language, Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') is a long river in southern Oregon and northern California. Beginning near Klamath Falls, Oregon, Klama ...

(flowing from Oregon to California) and

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

(flowing from

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and the Pacific between Oregon and Washington).

Tributaries

Named tributaries from source to mouth are the North Umpqua and South Umpqua rivers followed by Hidden Valley, Calapooya, Mill, Hubbard, and Rock creeks. Next come Bottle, Cougar, Wolf, Powell, Leonard, Basin, and Lost creeks followed by Galagher Canyon. Yellow Creek is next, then Deep Gulch and McGee, Waggoner, Martin, Brads, Williams, Whitehorse, Mehl, Fitzpatrick, and Heddin creeks. The map includes

river mile A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its river mouth, mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometre, kilometers is the river kilometer. They are an ...

markers. Further downstream is Elk Creek then Grubbe, Hart, Beener, Gould, Sawyer, Paradise, Stony Brook, and Little Stony Brook creeks. Then come Scott, Butler, Lutsinger, Weatherly, Burchard, Golden, Wells, and Little Mill Creek. Mill Creek is next, followed by Luder, Charlotte, Franklin, Indian Charlie, Harvey, and Dean creeks. Entering the lower reaches are the Smith River and Scholfield, Providence, and Winchester creeks.

History

In the early 19th century, the Upper Umpqua tribe ceded most of its land to the U.S. government in the 1854 Treaty with the Umpqua and Kalapuya, agreeing to move to a reservation in Lincoln County as part of the

Confederated Tribes of Siletz The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in the United States is a federally recognized confederation of more than 27 Native American tribes and bands who once inhabited an extensive homeland of more than 20 million acres from northern Califo ...

. 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 (or Kuitsh) spoke a dialect of the

Siuslaw language Siuslaw was the language of the Siuslaw people and Lower Umpqua ( Kuitsh) people of Oregon. It is also known as ''Lower Umpqua''. The Siuslaw language had two dialects: Siuslaw proper (Šaayušƛa) and Lower Umpqua (Quuiič). Classification Si ...

. In the Great Flood of 1862, the Umpqua River had the largest flood known to all of the area's Indians at the time, and water was higher than the 1853 flood. It rose from November 3 to December 3, subsided for two days then rose again until December 9. At Fort Umpqua, communication up river was cut off above Scottsburg, and the river was full of floating houses, barns, rails and produce. The Coquille River swept away settlers' property. Great damage also occurred on the Rogue River and on other small streams.

Recreation

The Umpqua River is a popular flyfishing and

whitewater rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

destination. It has a high concentration of

steelhead trout Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or Columbia River redband trout (''O. m. gairdneri'', also called redband steelhead). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacif ...

and is also home to salmon, sturgeon, bass, and shad. There are several campgrounds and RV parks on the Umpqua River, some of which offer riverfront RV camping, boat ramps, fish cleaning stations, and hot showers for guests to use.Umpqua River RV Park, Camping, Umpqua River Lodging and Information
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Gallery

File:Umpqua Forks.jpg, The Umpqua River's headwaters at the confluence of the North Umpqua (left) and the South Umpqua (center) File:Scholfield Creek, Reedsport, Oregon.jpg, Scholfield Creek, in Reedsport. File:Umpqua River Pacific Ocean.jpg, The mouth of the Umpqua River on the Pacific Ocean at Winchester Bay File:Bridge over Umpqua in Myrtle Creek.jpg, Bridge over the South Umpqua near Myrtle Creek

References

External links

Umpqua River
in the '' Oregon Encyclopedia''
Oregon Coastal Atlas: Umpqua River Estuary

The Umpqua Basin Explorer
from

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

Floods of November 1996 through January 1997 in the Umpqua River Basin, Oregon
nited States Geological Survey {{authority control Rivers of Oregon Oregon Coast Range Rivers of Douglas County, Oregon Oregon placenames of Native American origin