The East Fork Lewis River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in the state of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It is the largest tributary of the
Lewis River. Its source is on Green Lookout Mountain in
Skamania County
Skamania County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,036. The county seat and largest incorporated city is Stevenson, although the Carson River Valley CDP is more populous. The ...
. It then flows to the west through
Clark County until it converges with the Lewis about upstream from the
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
.
History
When
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...
was on the
Northern Pacific Railroad Survey in 1853, he logged information in his journals about his visit to the
Yacolt area, including the East Fork Lewis River. McClellan observed a few Klickitat families camped at a waterfall on the Yahkohtl River (a Klickitat name for the East Fork). He described them as "plateau-style Indians" that rode horses and were armed with a shotgun. He observed these people catching
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
from the river. McClellan also noted several waterfalls along the river, which he suggested may be suitable for power generation.
Unlike many "Lewis" names in the region that reference
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...
, the Lewis River was named by an unrelated Adolphus Lewis, a former
Hudson's Bay employee who was an early settler in the area.
Mills were constructed at multiple points along the East Fork after the
Yacolt Burn
The Yacolt Burn is the collective name for dozens of fires in Washington state and Oregon occurring between September 8 and September 12, 1902, causing 38 deaths in the Lewis River area, at least nine deaths by fire in Wind River and 18 deaths in ...
of 1902. They served to salvage partially-burned timber and were dismantled once that task was complete. Two waterfalls on the river, Moulton Falls and Lucia Falls bear the surnames of the owners of mills that were once powered by them.
Course
![Lewisville Park Boat Launch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Lewisville_Park_Boat_Launch.JPG)
The East Fork Lewis River begins on the west slope of Green Lookout Mountain, in the southwest corner of the
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a National Forest located in southern Washington, managed by the United States Forest Service. With an area of 1.32 million acres (5300 km2), it extends 116 km along the western slopes of Cascade Ran ...
in
Skamania County
Skamania County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,036. The county seat and largest incorporated city is Stevenson, although the Carson River Valley CDP is more populous. The ...
. From there it flows primarily westward, with the majority of its basin lying in
Clark County.
Its first notable feature is Sunset Falls, followed by its convergence with Yacolt Creek at Moulton Falls Regional Park, south of
Yacolt. The river then spills over Moulton Falls and Lucia Falls, before flowing north of
Battle Ground through
Lewisville Park
Lewisville Park is a 154-acre regional park located on the East Fork Lewis River, two miles north of Battle Ground in Clark County, Washington. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
History
The park was built sta ...
,
Clark County's oldest county park. From there, the river continues westward, through Daybreak Park, after which it joins Brazee Creek, just before passing through
La Center. Shortly after flowing past the town, the East Fork curves around
Paradise Point
Paradise Point may refer to:
* Paradise Point, Pakistan
* Paradise Point, Queensland
Paradise Point is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Paradise Point had a population of 6,536 people.
Geography
Th ...
just before it merges with the main fork of the
Lewis River.
Sources
The East Fork's headwaters flow through steep, narrow, rocky valleys, forming a canyon in some places. Copper Creek and Upper Rock Creek are its largest primary tributaries. Elevation at the source is approximately .
Watershed
The East Fork's basin is approximately 150,635 acres. The rocky upper basin was formed by erosion as well as volcanic and glacial processes, while the lower reaches of the basin have been formed primarily through erosion as the river flows through alluvial flatlands. The lower basin has a much lower gradient than the upper, and shifting sediment deposits cause frequent
meander
A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...
ing and
braiding
A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair.
The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...
. The upper basin has a large amount of hardened volcanic ash,
pumice
Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...
, and other pyroclastic material. With the presence of these brittle materials combined with its steep gradient, it experiences high levels of erosion, contributing to the sediment deposits downstream.
River modifications
Sunset Falls was a historic natural barrier for
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 thousan ...
migration. The falls were notched in 1982, reducing their height from to . This change allowed 12% of the current
steelhead
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...
run to spawn upstream from the falls.
Wildlife
Many varieties of
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
and
salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...
live and spawn in the East Fork, including
Chinook,
coho
The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientific species name is ...
,
chum, and
steelhead
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...
. In 2014, the East Fork was designated as a wild steelhead
gene bank
Gene banks are a type of biorepository that preserves genetic material. For plants, this is done by in vitro storage, freezing cuttings from the plant, or stocking the seeds (e.g. in a seedbank). For animals, this is done by the freezing of spe ...
by the
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is a department of the government of the state of Washington, United States of America. The WDFW manages over a million acres of land, the bulk of which is generally open to the public, and mor ...
.
See also
*
List of rivers of Washington
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Washington.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin. Respective tributaries are indented under each larger stream's name and are ordered downstream to upstream.
Fraser River (Britis ...
*
Tributaries of the Columbia River
Tributaries and sub-tributaries are hierarchically listed in order from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream. Major dams and reservoir lakes are also noted.
List of major tributaries
The main river and tributaries are (sorted in order from t ...
References
External links
Friends of the East Fork Lewis River
{{authority control
Rivers of Washington (state)
Rivers of Clark County, Washington
Rivers of Skamania County, Washington
Tributaries of the Columbia River