Umpqua River

Anglers on the Umpqua River

Template: Infobox River / BILD_fehlt

The Umpqua River is a river in Douglas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It rises in the Cascade Range and empties into the Pacific Ocean.

• 4.1 traffic

Geography

The about 178 km long Umpqua River is one of the major rivers on the coast of Oregon. The river drains a network of valleys in the mountains on the west side of the Cascade Range and has two source streams, the North and the South Umpqua River.

The North Umpqua River with its crystal clear water springs from the eight acres, situated on 1853 m height Maidu Lake in Mount Thielsen Wilderness north of Crater Lake. The stream flow to numerous other streams, including some from the Diamond Lake. The North Umpqua River flows westward along the south side of Calapooya Mountains through the Umpqua National Forest. He flows over numerous waterfalls and rapids, including the 34 m high Toketee Falls.

The South Umpqua River rises in the Rogue - Umpqua Divide Wilderness and has a higher water temperature than the northern arm, leads in the summer but a lower amount of water. Its main tributary is the Cow Creek.

The two source rivers flow northwest of Roseburg along the Umpqua River. The river then flows northwest through the Oregon Coast Range, where the flow range is considered boundary between the Central and the Southern Oregon Coast. Shortly before his mouth still flowing to the Smith River before it empties into the Winchester Bay near Reedsport in the Pacific.

History

The significance of the derived from the language of Umpqua Umpqua Indians word is not clearly understood, the best known translations are " thundering water" or " along the water ." Another translation is " tired " It received its name in 1825 by the British botanist David Douglas, when he traveled in the region. Originally lived seven Indian tribes along the river. From 1819 Trapper hunted the North West Company by beavers along the river. 1836 the trading post Fort Umpqua was founded in Elkton, which existed until 1854, and the first European settlement was south of the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Environment

In 1984, the Boulder Creek Wilderness, a jungle area on the North Umpqua River, designated as 7729 -acre Wilderness Area. 1988, a 54 km long section of the North Umpqua River between the mouth of Rock Creek to Soda Springs to the Wild and Scenic River was declared with recovery function.

In the lower reaches is at Oregon State Route 38 between Reedsport and Elkton Umpqua State Scenic Corridor, a 44 -acre State Park, which consists of five separate sections and an old stock of California bay trees and other trees protects the river. On one of the sections there is a picnic area on the river bank.

Fauna

In the river there are a variety of fish species such as Chinook salmon, rainbow trout, Cutthroatforellen, Alosa, black bass and white and green sturgeon.

Flora

The headwaters of the North and South Umpqua Rivers are on the densely forested west side of the Cascade Range. While still Western Hemlock nand Douglas fir dominate the headwaters of the North Umpqua River, the forest around the headwaters of the South Umpqua River lights and consists of sugar pine and ponderosa pine. In dry summer, the north arm carries more than 20 times as much water as the south arm.

Economy

The region along the river was felling area since the beginning of the 20th century. The forests in the lower reaches were managed by the Bureau of Land Management since 1916, was founded in 1907 in the forests of the Oregon Coast Range, the Umpqua Forest Reserve, 1908 saw the establishment of the Umpqua National Forest.

While there are no dams in the lower reaches of the river, there are eight dams on the North Fork, including the 23 m high Soda Springs Dam. The dams were built in 1947-1956 and are used for power generation by 194 megawatts.

The first tourists arrived in the 1920s to Diamond Lake. Today, tourism is becoming more and more important along the river. The Umpqua River is considered one of the best fishing spots in the United States, can be fished throughout the year by the number of fish species in the. At its lower reaches, there are numerous boat ramps for fishing along the river there are several campsites. Winchester Bay is on the estuary for both sport fishing as well as for sea anglers as a popular destination. Also, the North and the South Umpqua River are popular fishing destinations, especially for fly fishermen. Other activities include rafting, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking or horseback riding. Along the North Umpqua Rivers leads of the 127 km long North Umpqua Trail, a hiking trail eröffneter 1996.

Traffic

The U.S. Highways 38 and 138 are parallel to the lower reaches of the Umpqua Rivers, U.S. Highway 101 crosses the river near the mouth at Reedsport. The Rogue - Umpqua National Scenic Byway leads partially along the North Umpqua River to Diamond Lake.