The Palix River is a stream in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. Its tributaries include three forks, North, Middle, and South Fork Palix River, as well as the Canon River. The river's length, including the Canon River, its longest tributary, is approximately .Length of Palix River to source of Canon River, calculated in

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using

GNIS The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the associated states of the Marshal ...

coordinates.

Course

The Palix River rises in the

Willapa Hills The Willapa Hills is a geologic, physiographic, and geographic region in southwest Washington. When described as a physiographical province, the Willapa Hills are bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Columbia River to the south, the Olymp ...

Pacific County Pacific County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,365. Its county seat is South Bend, and its largest city is Raymond. The county was formed by the government of Oregon Territory in Febru ...

. It flows generally west to

Willapa Bay Willapa Bay () is a bay located on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state in the United States. The Long Beach Peninsula separates Willapa Bay from the greater expanse of the Pacific Ocean. With over of surface area Willapa Bay is the ...

, an

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 ...

of 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 river has three fork tributaries, the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork Palix River. The North Fork originates a couple miles west of

South Bend South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

, near the source of the Bone River. It flows generally south through hilly terrain, close to the Niawiakum River. In its final mile the North Fork turns west and enters the broad and marshy Palix River

tidal 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 environm ...

in which the Middle Fork and South Fork join. It is approximately long. The South Fork Palix River originates about a mile south of the Palix River estuary. It flows in a curving path southwest then north, less than a mile from the coast, to join the other forks in the Palix estuary. It is approximately long. The Middle Fork Palix River originates about a mile east of the Palix River estuary. It flows west, quickly entering the estuary. In the estuary the Canon River joins the Middle Fork from the south, then the Middle Fork joins the North Fork. It is approximately long. The Canon River is longer than any of the Palix River forks. It originates in the Willapa Hills and flows generally west and northwest through hilly terrain. Part of its course is through a gorge in which it receives its main tributary, Canyon Creek. After exiting the gorge the Canon River flows north and enters the Palix River estuary where it joins the Middle Fork Palix River. It is approximately long. The mainstem Palix River, forms by the confluence of the three forks, flows northwest for a few miles, its estuary merging with the estuary of

just west of Wilson Point. The mouth of the Palix River, near Bay Center, is very close to the Niawiakum River and Bone River mouths.

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...

crosses the mainstem Palix River. The mainstem Palix River is approximately long.

History

According to Edmond S. Meany the river's name, which he spelled "Palux", comes from the Chehalis language and means "slough covered with trees". The name was also applied to a division of the

Chinookan The Chinookan languages are a small family of extinct languages spoken in Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River by Chinook peoples. Although the last known native speaker of any Chinookan language died in 2012, the 2009-2013 American C ...

people who lived along the river.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Washington (state) Rivers of Pacific County, Washington

Course

History

See also

References