The Umpqua River ( ) on the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

coast of Oregon in the United States is approximately long. One of the principal rivers of the

Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...

and known for bass and shad, the river drains an expansive network of valleys in the mountains west of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

and south of the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

, from which it is separated by the

Calapooya Mountains The Calapooya Mountains are a mountain range in Lane and Douglas counties of southwestern Oregon in the United States. The range runs for approximately west from the Cascade Range between Eugene on the north and Roseburg on the south. Geology ...

. From its source northeast of Roseburg, the Umpqua flows northwest through 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 runni ...

and empties into the Pacific at

Winchester Bay Winchester Bay is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Winchester Bay as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may ...

. The river and its tributaries flow almost entirely within Douglas County, which encompasses most of the watershed of the river from the Cascades to the coast. The "Hundred Valleys of the Umpqua" form the heart of the

timber industry Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production Lumber and wood products, including timber for framing, plywood, and woodworking, are create ...

southern Oregon Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oreg ...

, generally centered on Roseburg. The Native Americans in the Umpqua's watershed consist of several tribes, such as the Lower and Upper Umpqua (for which the river is named), and the

Kalapuya The Kalapuya are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American ethnic group, people, which had eight independent groups speaking three mutually intelligible dialects. The Kalapuya tribes' traditional homelands were the Willamette Va ...

. These tribes witnessed much of the Great Flood of 1862, during which the Umpqua and other rivers rose to levels so high that even the oldest natives had never seen a greater flood.

Course

The North Umpqua and South Umpqua rivers rise in the Southern Oregon Cascades, and flow generally west for over to join approximately northwest of Roseburg. In modern terminology, the "Umpqua Valley" is sometimes taken to refer to the populated lower reaches of the South Umpqua south of Roseburg, along the route of

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 Califor ...

. The North Umpqua rises from snowmelt and is considered one of the premier summer

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 ...

streams in the West. From Roseburg, the Umpqua flows generally northwest through broad farming valleys in the Oregon Coast Range in a serpentine course past the settlement of Umpqua and the city Elkton. At Elkton, it turns to flow west through a narrower canyon past Scottsburg, which is located at the

head of tide Head of tide, tidal limit or tidehead is the farthest point upstream where a river is affected by tidal fluctuations, or where the fluctuations are less than a certain amount. This applies to rivers which flow into tidal bodies such as oceans, ...

. At this point, the Umpqua River becomes

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against dir ...

. It enters

on the Pacific near

Reedsport Reedsport is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,310. History Reedsport was established on the estuary of the Umpqua River on January 7, 1852. It was named for a local settler, Alfred ...

. It receives the Smith River from the north near its

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 environment ...

on Winchester Bay. The

Umpqua River Light The Umpqua River Light is a lighthouse on the Oregon Coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Umpqua River on Winchester Bay, in Douglas County, Oregon. History Located at the mouth of Winchester Bay, Oregon, the first Umpqua ...

protects ships nearing the mouth of the river. The Umpqua is one of four major rivers in Oregon that start in or east of the

and reach the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. The others are the Rogue River (in Oregon),

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 ...

(flowing from Oregon to California) and

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 ...

(flowing from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

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 o ...

and the Pacific between Oregon and Washington).

Tributaries

Named tributaries from source to mouth are the North Umpqua and South Umpqua rivers followed by Hidden Valley,

Calapooya The Kalapuya are a Native American people, which had eight independent groups speaking three mutually intelligible dialects. The Kalapuya tribes' traditional homelands were the Willamette Valley of present-day western Oregon in the United St ...

, Mill, Hubbard, and Rock creeks. Next come Bottle, Cougar, Wolf, Powell, Leonard, Basin, and Lost creeks followed by Galagher Canyon. Yellow Creek is next, then Deep Gulch and McGee, Waggoner, Martin, Brads, Williams, Whitehorse, Mehl, Fitzpatrick, and Heddin creeks. The map includes

river mile A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the river kilometer. They are analogous to vehicle road ...

markers. Further downstream is Elk Creek then Grubbe, Hart, Beener, Gould, Sawyer, Paradise, Stony Brook, and Little Stony Brook creeks. Then come Scott, Butler, Lutsinger, Weatherly, Burchard, Golden, Wells, and Little Mill Creek. Mill Creek is next, followed by Luder, Charlotte, Franklin, Indian Charlie, Harvey, and

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

creeks. Entering the lower reaches are the Smith River and Scholfield, Providence, and Winchester creeks.

History

In the early 19th century, the Upper Umpqua tribe ceded most of its land to the U.S. government in the 1854

Treaty with the Umpqua and Kalapuya The Treaty with the Kalapuya, etc., also known as the Kalapuya Treaty or the Treaty of Dayton, was an 1855 treaty between the United States and the bands of the Kalapuya tribe, the Molala tribe, the Clackamas, and several others in the Oregon T ...

, agreeing to move to a reservation in Lincoln County as part of the

Confederated Tribes of Siletz The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in the United States is a federally recognized confederation of more than 27 Native American tribes and bands who once inhabited an extensive homeland of more than 20 million acres from northern Califo ...

. The Umpqua River valley was inhabited by several different bands of Indians: primarily the Athabaskan-speaking Upper Umpqua, Takelman speaking Cow Creek Band of Umpqua, the Yoncalla (a Kalapuyan people) in the north, and the Quich (Lower Umpqua) from Scottsburg/Wells Creek to the coast. The Quich (or Kuitsh) spoke a dialect of the

Siuslaw language Siuslaw was the language of the Siuslaw people and Lower Umpqua ( Kuitsh) people of Oregon. It is also known as ''Lower Umpqua''. The Siuslaw language had two dialects: Siuslaw proper (Šaayušƛa) and Lower Umpqua (Quuiič). Classification Si ...

. In the Great Flood of 1862, the Umpqua River had the largest flood known to all of the area's Indians at the time, and water was higher than the 1853 flood. It rose from November 3 to December 3, subsided for two days then rose again until December 9. At Fort Umpqua, communication up river was cut off above Scottsburg, and the river was full of floating houses, barns, rails and produce. The Coquille River swept away settlers' property. Great damage also occurred on the Rogue River and on other small streams.

Recreation

The Umpqua River is a popular

flyfishing Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...

and

whitewater rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

destination. It has a high concentration of

steelhead trout 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 ...

and is also home to salmon, sturgeon, bass, and shad. There are several campgrounds and RV parks on the Umpqua River, some of which offer riverfront RV camping, boat ramps, fish cleaning stations, and hot showers for guests to use.Umpqua River RV Park, Camping, Umpqua River Lodging and Information
/ref>

Gallery

File:Umpqua Forks.jpg, The Umpqua River's headwaters at the confluence of the North Umpqua (left) and the South Umpqua (center) File:Scholfield Creek, Reedsport, Oregon.jpg, Scholfield Creek, in Reedsport. File:Umpqua River Pacific Ocean.jpg, The mouth of the Umpqua River on the Pacific Ocean at

File:Bridge over Umpqua in Myrtle Creek.jpg, Bridge over the South Umpqua near Myrtle Creek

References

External links

Umpqua River
in the ''

Oregon Encyclopedia The ''Oregon Encyclopedia of History and Culture'' is a collaborative encyclopedia focused on the history and culture of the U.S. state of Oregon. Description The encyclopedia is a project of Portland State University's History Department, thOreg ...

''
Oregon Coastal Atlas: Umpqua River Estuary

The Umpqua Basin Explorer
from

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

Floods of November 1996 through January 1997 in the Umpqua River Basin, Oregon
nited States Geological Survey {{authority control Rivers of Oregon Oregon Coast Range Rivers of Douglas County, Oregon