The Williams River is a tributary, about long, of the
South Fork Coos River 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 sove ...
of
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 ...
. Formed by the confluence of Lost Creek and Little Cow Creek, it begins in western
Douglas County near the
Coos County line and flows generally northwest through the
Southern Oregon Coast Range
The Southern Oregon Coast Range is the southernmost section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in the southwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States, roughly between the Umpqua River and the middle fork of the ...
. In eastern Coos County, it joins Tioga Creek to form the South Fork Coos River about from its confluence with the
Millicoma River.
Course
From its source east of Bear Mountain, the Williams River flows northwest through forests south of Yew Ridge in western Douglas County west of
Roseburg. Just beyond
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) 18 or river kilometer (RK) 29, the Williams receives Wilson Creek from the
left. Turning north parallel to Threemile Ridge, which is on the left, the river receives Fivemile 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 ...
about a mile further downstream. Below this, Panther Creek enters from the right, and the river turns west, soon receiving Bear Gulch from the left.
Near RM 14 (RK) 23, the Williams leaves Douglas County and enters Coos County, receiving Gooseberry Gulch from the left just beyond the border. Turning northwest, the stream receives Fall Creek from the right, re-entering Douglas County about a mile downstream from where it left it. The river then turns north and receives Cabin Creek from the left. Cedar Creek enters from the right at about RM 8 (RK 13). Curving again to the northwest and then the west, the Williams receives Skip Creek from the right and re-enters Coos County. Bottom Creek enters from the right before the river merges with Tioga Creek to form the South Fork Coos River.
The Williams supports resident
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-salm ...
as well as
salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...
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 ...
, but access to the stream is limited. Most of the surrounding land is privately owned, and roads are sometimes blocked by gates. Salmon and steelhead fishing is not allowed on the stream, and other fishing is rated poor.
[Shewey, p. 113]
See also
*
List of rivers of Oregon
This is a partial listing of rivers in the state of Oregon, United States. This list of Oregon rivers is organized alphabetically and by tributary structure. The list may also include streams known as creeks, brooks, forks, branches and prongs, as ...
References
Works cited
*Shewey, John (2007). ''Complete Angler's Guide to Oregon''. Belgrade, Montana: Wilderness Adventures Press.
External links
Coos Watershed Association
{{authority control
Rivers of Douglas County, Oregon
Rivers of Oregon
Rivers of Coos County, Oregon