Chetco River

Chetco River
Chetco River near Boulder Creek
Etymology	Named after the Chetco Native Americans
Location
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Curry County
Physical characteristics
Source	Northwest of Chetco Peak
• location	Oregon Coast Range, Curry County, Oregon
• coordinates	42°07′47″N 123°52′39″W / 42.12972°N 123.87750°W / 42.12972; -123.87750[1]
• elevation	3,201 ft (976 m)[a]
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
• location	Brookings, Curry County, Oregon
• coordinates	42°02′43″N 124°16′14″W / 42.04528°N 124.27056°W / 42.04528; -124.27056[1]
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)[1]
Length	56 mi (90 km)[2]
Basin size	352 sq mi (910 km2)[2]
Discharge
• location	river mile 10.7 (river kilometer 17.2)[3]
• average	2,263 cu ft/s (64.1 m3/s)[3]
• minimum	42 cu ft/s (1.2 m3/s)(October 14, 1987)[3]
• maximum	85,400 cu ft/s (2,420 m3/s)(December 22, 1964)[3]
National Wild and Scenic River
Type	Wild, Scenic, Recreational
Designated	October 28, 1988

The Chetco River is a 56-mile-long (90 km) stream located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately 352 square miles (912 km²) of Curry County. Flowing through a rugged and isolated coastal region, it descends rapidly from about 3,200 feet (975 m) to sea level at the Pacific Ocean. Except for the lowermost 5 miles (8 km), the river is located entirely within the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. The river rises in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, northwest of Chetco Peak at the junction of the Oregon Coast Range and the Klamath Mountains. It flows generally north, west, and then southwest, before emptying into the ocean between Brookings and Harbor, approximately 6 miles (10 km) north of the California state line. The Chetco River's watershed remains largely undeveloped, protected by the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. The upper 45 miles (72 km) of the river have been designated Wild and Scenic since 1988.

Native Americans have lived in the Chetco River's watershed for the last one to three thousand years. Several explorers, including Sir Francis Drake, George Vancouver, and Jedediah Smith, visited the region between the 16th and 19th centuries, and found the Chetco people inhabiting the area. Non-indigenous settlers arrived soon after gold and other precious metals were discovered in the 1840s and 1850s. The town of Brookings was founded in the early 20th century, and incorporated in 1951. Fourteen thousand residents of Brookings and Harbor rely on the Chetco for drinking water.

Supporting a large population of salmon and trout, the Chetco's water is of very high quality. The watershed is home to many other species, including several that are endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains area. The northernmost grove of Redwoods—the tallest trees on Earth—grow in the southern region of the Chetco's drainage basin. In total, the river is home to over 200 species of animals, and 97 percent of the watershed is forested.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).