[150], Species diversity is greatest along the lower river and its tributaries. [104] It is the oldest vertical-lift bridge in operation in the United States[105] and the oldest highway bridge in Portland. [11], Fish in the Willamette basin include 31 native species, among them cutthroat, bull, and rainbow trout, several species of salmon, sucker, minnow, sculpin, and lamprey, as well as sturgeon, stickleback, and others. [26], The Willamette River drains a region of 11,478 square miles (29,730 km2), which is 12 percent of the total area of Oregon. [5][32], Sixty-four percent of the watershed is privately owned, while 36 percent is publicly owned. [9] Between the 1850s and the 1960s, channel-straightening and flood control projects, as well as agricultural and urban encroachment, cut the length of the river between the McKenzie River confluence and Harrisburg by 65 percent. You can make the trip as long or short as you like, since the trail system loops all around the park, though check the map for trails that are closed during the week for logging. The parking area is approximately 300 yards away from the entry station for the hotsprings and the Rider Creek Trail #3319 continues west another 1/4 mile to Terwilliger Hot Springs. [114], Rainstorms and warm temperatures in December 1861 combined with a well-above-average snowpack in the Cascades created the largest Willamette River flood in recorded history. Discover historic covered bridges. The pelts of these animals commanded substantial prices in either the United States, Canada or eastern Asia, because of their "thick, luxurious and water-repellent" qualities. [46] From the 18th to the mid-19th century, much of the Pacific Northwest and most of its rivers were involved in the fur trade, in which fur trappers (mostly French-Canadians working for the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, which later merged) hunted for beaver and sea otter on rivers, streams, and coastlines. "[73] He then discouraged tourism in the state and made it harder for companies to qualify for a permit to operate near the river. [147] The Willamette River's water quality is rated excellent near the source, though it gradually declines to fair near the mouth. [139] As a result, this section of the river was designated a Superfund site in 2000,[140] involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cleanup of the river bottom. [128] In the next couple of days, the river receded, but on December 27, it was at 29.8 feet (9.1 m), which was still nearly 12 feet (3.7 m) above the flood stage. "[4], A 1927 City Club of Portland report labeled the waterway "filthy and ugly", and identified the City of Portland as the worst offender. Laenen, Antonius; Dunnette, David A. Flowing northward between the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Range, the river and its tributaries form the Willamette Valley, a basin that contains two-thirds of Oregon's population, including the state capital, Salem, and the state's largest city, Portland, which surrounds the Willamette's mouth at the Columbia. In the southeastern corner of Oregon is Steens Mountain, an 80 km (50 mi) long fault-block mountain rising from the Alvord Desert to a hight of 2,968 m at its peak. They include the River Mill Hydroelectric Project, the Oak Grove project, and the dam at Timothy Lake. (1997). [117][118] Portland's main street was completely submerged, communication over the Cascades was cut off, and many rail lines were forced to shut down. (U.S. EPA, Record of Decision, January 6, 2017, p. 88), (U.S. EPA, Record of Decision, January 6, 2017, p. 144), some of the costliest flooding in the river's recorded history, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, List of crossings of the Willamette River, "Willamette River Dredged Material Management Plan Project", "United States Geological Survey Topographic Map", "Water-Year Summary for Site USGS 14211720", "Willamette River Multi-Purpose Development in the 1930s", "Sediment Oxygen Demand in the Lower Willamette River, Oregon, 1994", "Local Tide Predictions and Water Levels", "Earthquake Education: Historic Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest", "The Basins: About the Willamette River basin", "Oregon – Place 2009 Population Estimates", "Where did the Oregon Trail Go? The new wall had 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) removable steel plates designed to better prevent future flooding. Among the 29 non-native species in the basin, there are brook, brown, and lake trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, carp, bluegill, and others. The bill passed, but Governor Charles Martin vetoed it. The smaller Multnomah Channel, a distributary, is 21 miles (34 km) long, about 600 feet (180 m) wide, and 40 feet (12 m) deep. Save your favorites and build your own unique Oregon Wine Country trip. [46], The dams on the Willamette's major tributaries are primarily large flood-control, water storage, and power-generating dams. The dams are used primarily to produce hydroelectricity, to maintain reservoirs for recreation, and to prevent flooding. [60] Any boats whose owners found it absolutely necessary to get past the falls had to be portaged. [114] From Eugene to Portland, thousands of acres of farmland were washed away, and many towns in the valley were damaged or destroyed. It is the tallest bridge in Portland, with 400-foot (120 m) tall towers and a 205-foot (62 m) navigational clearance. The river and its tributaries support 60 fish species, including many species of salmon and trout; this is despite the dams, other alterations, and pollution (especially on the river's lower reaches). They are used to regulate river flows so as to cut peaks off floods and increase low flows in late summer and autumn, and to divert water into deeper, narrower channels to prevent flooding. Bike along the Willamette Scenic Bikeway. [107] It carries trains on its lower deck, MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) light-rail trains and motorized vehicles on its upper deck, and foot and bicycle traffic on a cantilevered walkway attached to the lower deck. Reset Overlays. [51] Many of these emigrants followed the Oregon Trail, a 2,170-mile (3,490 km) trail across western North America that began at Independence, Missouri, and ended at various locations near the mouth of the Willamette River. [86] Flood-control dams operated by the USACE are estimated to hold up to 27 percent of the Willamette's runoff. The Izaak Walton League and the Oregon affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation countered the governor's veto with a ballot initiative, which passed in November 1938. WFO Boundary. Parking lot capacity is limited and parking with any portion of a vehicle on the paved surface of Forest Road 19 is prohibited. [75] By 2007 the Greenway had grown to include more than 170 separate land parcels, including 10 state parks. At or Below Low Water Threshold Last map update: 01/21/2021 at 01:11:23 pm PST 01/21/2021 at 21:11:23 UTC What is UTC time? [10], Interstate 5 and three branches of Oregon Route 99 are the two major highways that follow the river for its entire length. This page was last edited on 19 December 2020, at 21:35. [81][82], In June 2014, Dean Hall became the first person to swim the entire length of the Willamette River. The water trail system is meant to protect and restore waterways in the United States and enhance recreation on and near them. The Willamette Valley is 150 miles of rolling hills, historic towns and rich velvety wine! Salmon was the most important fish to Willamette River tribes as well as to the Native Americans of the Columbia River, where white traders traded fish with the Native Americans. [83][84] He swam 184 miles (296 km) from Eugene to the river mouth in 25 days.[84]. [56] McLoughlin attempted to persuade the British government (which still held sway over the area) to allow American settlers to live on the land, and provided significant help to American colonization of the area, all against the HBC's orders. [61][62] In 1873, the construction of the Willamette Falls Locks bypassed the falls and allowed easy navigation between the upper and lower river. [46], In 2008, government agencies and the non-profit Willamette Riverkeeper organization designated the full length of the river as the Willamette River Water Trail. When that occurred, some of the raw sewage in the system flowed into the river instead of into the city's wastewater treatment plant. There are more than 20 major dams on the Willamette's tributaries, as well as a complex series of levees, dikes, and channels to control the river's flow. [2] Watersheds bordering the Willamette River basin are those of the Little Deschutes River to the southeast, the Deschutes River to the east, and the Sandy River to the northeast; the North Umpqua and Umpqua rivers to the south; coastal rivers including (from south to north) the Siuslaw, the Alsea, the Yaquina, the Siletz, the Nestucca, the Trask, and the Wilson to the west; the Nehalem and the Clatskanie to the northwest, and the Columbia River to the north. [11] The main stem of the Willamette varies in width from about 330 to 660 feet (100 to 200 m). The river was an important transportation route in the 19th century, although Willamette Falls, just upstream from Portland, was a major barrier to boat traffic. [135] In October, they were replaced by a larger steel wall that cost the city about $300,000. Near its mouth north of downtown Portland, the river splits into two channels that flow around Sauvie Island. Although people had been traveling to Oregon since 1836, large-scale migration did not begin until 1843, when nearly 1,000 pioneers headed westward. Disclaimer. [4] In the 1960s, Oregon Governor Tom McCall led a push for stronger pollution controls on the Willamette. [39], Around the year 1850, the Kalapuya numbered between 2,000 and 3,000 and were distributed among several groups. [109] Further downstream, the St. Johns Bridge, a steel suspension bridge built in 1931, replaced the last of the Willamette River ferries in Portland. There were once many tribal villages along the lower river and in the area around its mouth on the Columbia. W2r is a women-owned watershed science and engineering design firm based in Portland, Oregon. Linn City (originally Robins Nest) was established across the Willamette from Oregon City. ; Norman, James B. [25], The northern part of the watershed is underlain by a network of faults capable of producing earthquakes at any time, and many small quakes have been recorded in the basin since the mid-19th century. [108] When small ships must pass under the bridge, its double vertical-lift span can raise a lower railway deck without disturbing traffic on the upper deck. [129] The river continued to pose flood threats through January 1965,[130] and more stormy weather occurred along the Pacific Coast. A permit is required for camping along the Willamette River Water Trail; call or visit the park office to obtain one. In 1855, Joel Palmer, an Oregon legislator, negotiated a treaty with the Willamette Valley tribes, who, although unhappy with the treaty, ceded their lands to non-natives. [29] The basin's high population density, its nearness to this subduction zone, and its loose soils, which tend to amplify shaking, make the Willamette Valley especially vulnerable to damage from strong earthquakes. It was incorporated in 1844, becoming the first city west of the Rocky Mountains to have that distinction. [17] The National Weather Service issues tide forecasts for the river at the Morrison Bridge. McCall learned that the river was heavily polluted in Portland. [15][114][115] This flood destroyed the town of Linn City. [50], In the middle part of the 19th century, the Willamette Valley's fertile soils, pleasant climate, and abundant water attracted thousands of settlers from the eastern United States, mainly the Upland South borderlands of Missouri, Iowa, and the Ohio Valley. The machinery to operate the swing span was removed in the 1950s. Shopping Districts in the Willamette Valley. 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