Cow Creek is a medium-sized river in southwestern
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, a tributary of the
South Umpqua River. It drains an area of over on the western foothills of the
Cascade Range and within 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 region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean. This north-south ru ...
. Although the vast majority of the basin is within
Douglas County, a tiny portion in the southeast extends into northern
Jackson County.
Course
The stream rises in the
Umpqua National Forest
Umpqua National Forest, in southern Oregon's Cascade Range, covers an area of in Douglas, Lane, and Jackson counties, and borders Crater Lake National Park. The four ranger districts for the forest are the Cottage Grove, Diamond Lake, North Um ...
at the confluence of South Fork Cow Creek and East Fork Cow Creek. The south fork, which is much larger, is sometimes considered the main stem. In its first few miles the creek flows west through an agricultural valley and through
Galesville Reservoir
Galesville Reservoir is a water storage reservoir in Klamath Mountains of Douglas County, Oregon. The dam was completed in October 1986.
This reservoir is the outlet of the Upper Cow Creek Watershed, which contains of land. The dam was proposed ...
. Cow Creek runs alongside
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south 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 through the states of Californi ...
for several miles and receives Windy Creek from the right at
Glendale, Oregon
Glendale is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 874 at the 2010 census.
History
After construction of a railroad line south from Roseburg in 1881–83, Solomon Abraham, the local right-of-way agent, platted the ...
. The stream then bends northwest into a canyon, receiving West Fork Cow Creek on the left and Middle Creek from the right. It then continues northwards, bending steadily eastwards and doubling back on its former course. The river emerges from the mountains near
Riddle
A riddle is a statement, question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: ''enigmas'', which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that requ ...
, and bends sharply south around a ridge, joining the South Umpqua about west of
Canyonville.
See also
*
List of longest streams of Oregon
Seventy-seven rivers and creeks of at least 50 miles (80 km) in total length are the longest streams of the U.S. state of Oregon. All of these streams originate in the United States except the longest, the Columbia, which begins in the ...
*
Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians
The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, known to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians of Oregon is a federally recognized Native American tribal government based in Roseburg, Oregon, United States. T ...
References
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Rivers of Oregon
Rivers of Jackson County, Oregon
Rivers of Douglas County, Oregon