Whychus Creek is a tributary of the Deschutes River in Deschutes and Jefferson counties in the

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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 ...

. Formerly named ''Squaw Creek'', considered derogatory in the 21st century, it was renamed in 2006. Explorer John C. Frémont camped along the stream in 1843 but did not identify it by name.

Robert S. Williamson Robert Stockton Williamson (January 21, 1825 – November 10, 1882) was an American soldier and engineer, noted for conducting surveys for the transcontinental railroad in California and Oregon. Inducted into the Army Corps of Engineers in 186 ...

, a surveyor who camped there in 1855, said its Indian (Native American) name was ''Why-chus''.

Course

Whychus Creek begins about above sea level at the base of Bend Glacier on Broken Top in the Cascade Range. Flowing generally north through the Three Sisters Wilderness, the stream plunges over Upper Chush Falls before receiving Park Creek from the left and plunging over Chush Falls. Downstream of the waterfalls, the creek receives South Fork and North Fork from the left and Snow Creek from the

right Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical ...

. Turning northeast, the creek intersects Whychus Creek Canal, which diverts water to McKenzie Canyon Reservoir and other parts of the Three Sisters Irrigation District. Flowing by the southeast side of the city of

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

, Whychus Creek passes under

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...

and

Oregon Route 126 Oregon OR 126 (OR 126) is a state highway that connects coastal, western, and central parts of the U.S. state of Oregon. A short freeway section of OR 126 in Eugene and Springfield is concurrent with Interstate 105 (I-105). Rout ...

, which overlap in this vicinity, before receiving Indian Ford Creek from the left. Continuing northeast, the creek leaves Deschutes County and enters Jefferson County and the

Crooked River National Grassland Crooked River National Grassland is a National Grassland located in Jefferson County in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It has a land area of . It contains two National Wild and Scenic Rivers, the Deschutes River and the Cro ...

. The creek empties into the Deschutes River downstream of the city of Redmond and about from the larger stream's confluence with the Columbia River. The map quadrangles include

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 roa ...

(RM) markers along the Deschutes River.

References

External links

*
Photos
of the creek by Ian Sane
Real-time flow data, Whychus Creek
–

United States Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...

Whychus Creek Restoration
–

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news story and ''

Oregon Field Guide ''Oregon Field Guide'' is a weekly television program produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting focusing on recreation, the outdoors, and environmental issues in the state of Oregon. The show has become part of the Oregon zeitgeist. Steve Amen is th ...

'' video {{authority control Rivers of Deschutes County, Oregon Rivers of Jefferson County, Oregon Sisters, Oregon Rivers of Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States

Course

See also

References

External links