The Cascade Canal is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

located in

Klamath Klamath may refer to: Ethnic groups *Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon **Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon *Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people Places in the United States * ...

and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

counties, 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 sover ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. It delivers water from Fourmile Lake in the

Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') flows through Oregon and northern California in the United States, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. By average discharge, the Klamath is the second larges ...

watershed over the Cascade Divide to Fish Lake in the Rogue River watershed. It diverts approximately annually into Fish Lake. About 33 percent of the water diverted from Fourmile Lake is lost or spilled on the way to Fish Lake.

History

Because of water shortages in the nearby

Rogue Valley The Rogue Valley is a valley region in southwestern Oregon in the United States. Located along the middle Rogue River and its tributaries in Josephine and Jackson counties, the valley forms the cultural and economic heart of Southern Oregon nea ...

, the Fish Lake Water Company was established in 1898 to find a way to aid

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

in the region. The company proposed to enlarge Fish Lake and create Fourmile Lake for added water storage, diverting water from Fourmile Lake to Fish Lake to supplement

Little Butte Creek Little Butte Creek is a tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its drainage basin consists of approximately of Jackson County and another of Klamath County. Its two forks, the North Fork and the South Fork, both begin h ...

. Fourmile Lake Dam and Fish Lake Dam were constructed in 1906 and 1908, respectively. Construction of the Cascade Canal began in 1910. By 1915, of the canal had been constructed. It was completed in the fall of 1915 when the last of the canal was built, reaching Fish Lake.

Course

The Cascade Canal begins at Fourmile Lake, located above sea level. It travels southeast, around a ridge named Rye Spur (sometimes known as Aye Spur). At the edge of Rye Spur, the canal curves right forming a half-circle of about radius, then travels northwest until it meets Ursa Creek. At Ursa Creek, it turns sharply southwest, along

Mount McLoughlin Mount McLoughlin is a dormant steep-sided stratovolcano, or composite volcano, in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon and within the United States Sky Lakes Wilderness. It is one of the volcanic peaks in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, within the Hi ...

's flanks. The canal is crossed by the

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

and

Oregon Route 140 Oregon Route 140 (OR 140) is a state highway in southern Oregon, United States. It is the longest state highway in Oregon, running from the community of White City, Oregon (just north of Medford), through Klamath Falls and on to Lakeview. It ...

near the Cascade Divide. It crosses the divide directly between Mount McLoughlin and Brown Mountain, before descending to Fish Lake, at an elevation of . Overall, the canal drops a total of .Total drop calculated by subtracting Fish Lake's elevation from Fourmile Lake's elevation.

Notes

References

{{coord, 42, 25, 04, N, 122, 14, 07, W, display=title Transportation buildings and structures in Jackson County, Oregon Transportation buildings and structures in Klamath County, Oregon Canals in Oregon 1915 establishments in Oregon Canals opened in 1915