Elk Creek is an tributary of the Rogue River in the

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Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. Beginning at above

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in the western

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of the

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, it flows generally southwest through the

Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior or strikes out on an independent and possibly destructive path. Rogue, rogues, or going rogue may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * ...

and the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

Elk Creek Project lands to Rogue Elk Park in Jackson County. Here the creek enters the Rogue River downstream from

Lost Creek Lake Lost Creek Lake is a reservoir located on the Rogue River (Oregon), Rogue River in Jackson County, Oregon, Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The lake is impounded by William L. Jess Dam which was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engi ...

and river miles upstream of the small town of

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

. Elk Creek Dam, an incomplete flood-control structure that blocked fish migration for more than 20 years, was partly demolished in 2008 to restore

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

anadromous fish Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousa ...

passage.

Course

In its first or so, Elk Creek receives Brush Creek from the

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, Swanson and Bitter Lick creeks from the

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, and Button Creek from the left. From here to the creek mouth, Elk Creek Road runs parallel to the stream along its right bank. Thereafter, Dodes Creek enters from the left and Sugarpine, Jones, Shell, and Flat creeks from the right. Near

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(RM) 7 or river kilometer (RK) 11, Middle Creek enters from the right, and shortly thereafter Alco Creek also enters from the right. Elk Creek receives West Branch Elk Creek from the right about from the mouth, slightly upstream of the Elk Creek Dam. Below the dam, the creek passes a

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(USGS)

stream gauge A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation (" stage") and/or v ...

, which is on the right at RM 1.3 (RK 2.1). Shortly thereafter, Berry Creek enters from the right. The creek then passes Rogue Elk County Park, which is on the left, flows under Crater Lake Highway /

Oregon Route 62 Oregon Route 62 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the city of Medford, and U.S. Route 97 between Chiloquin and Klamath Falls. The highway approaches Crater Lake National Park from the south, and is known as the Crater Lake Highway ...

, and enters the Rogue River from its

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on the

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. The maps include

(RM) markers for the lower of the creek.

Dam

Elk Creek Dam was about from the mouth of the creek. It was one of three dams authorized by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1962 to help control flooding along the Rogue River. The other two were the Lost Creek Dam, later renamed the William L. Jess Dam, on the Rogue

main stem In hydrology, a main stem or mainstem (also known as a trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". The mainstem extends all the way from one specific headwater to the outlet of the river, although t ...

, and the Applegate Dam on the

Applegate River The Applegate River is a -long tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately . Rising in northern California, it soon crosses the border and flows northeast then northwest to meet the Rogue about west of Gr ...

. When the Elk Creek Dam was about one-third finished, lawsuits to protect

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and other migratory fish led to a court

injunction An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a special court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. It was developed by the English courts of equity but its origins go back to Roman law and the equitable rem ...

that stopped construction in 1987. After 1992, fish trying to swim past the dam were trapped and hauled around it in trucks. Litigation and political battles lasting more than 20 years led to the compromise of demolishing about 15 percent of the dam and leaving the rest intact so that it might be restored in the future. In 2008, the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

dismantled part of the dam with explosives and restored the creek to its original channel. Originally scheduled to be high, the dam had reached a height of before work was stopped.

References

External links

Rogue Basin Partnership
{{authority control Rivers of Oregon Rogue River (Oregon) Rivers of Jackson County, Oregon Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Dams in Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States

Course

Dam

See also

References

External links