Row River

The Row River is a river, approximately 20 miles (32 km) long, in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It rises in the Cascade Range and flows into the Coast Fork Willamette River near Cottage Grove. The stream was originally known as the "East Fork Coast Fork", but was later renamed after a dispute (row) between neighbors and brothers-in-law George Clark and Joseph Southwell over "trespassing" livestock.[1][6] Clark was killed as a result of the row.[1] The name rhymes with "cow" rather than with "slow".[1] A post office named Row River operated from 1911 to 1914 a little north of the present site of Dorena at 43.740123°N 122.880347°W / 43.740123; -122.880347.[1]

Row River
Dorena Bridge over the Row River
Location of the mouth of the Row River in Oregon
EtymologyA dispute or row between two brothers-in-law who lived near the stream[1]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyLane
Physical characteristics
SourceCascade Range
 • locationConfluence of Brice Creek and Layng Creek, Lane County, Oregon
 • coordinates43°42′13″N 122°46′13″W[2]
 • elevation1,121 ft (342 m)[3]
MouthCoast Fork Willamette River
 • location
near Cottage Grove, Lane County, Oregon, United States
 • coordinates
43°49′14″N 123°02′36″W[2]
 • elevation
617 ft (188 m)[2]
Length20 mi (32 km)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationnear Cottage Grove, 5.5 miles (8.9 km) from mouth[5]
 • average728 cu ft/s (20.6 m3/s)[5]
 • minimum0.20 cu ft/s (0.0057 m3/s)
 • maximum21,400 cu ft/s (610 m3/s)

Course

The Row River, about 20 miles (32 km) long, drains a portion of the Umpqua National Forest on the west face of the central Oregon Cascades between Cottage Grove and Oakridge. Its headwaters are near the unincorporated community of Disston, where Layng Creek and Brice Creek join at 43.70331°N 122.77093°W / 43.70331; -122.77093 (Row River source). The river flows predominately westward.[7][8]

About 1 mile (1.6 km) below Disston, Gleason Creek enters from the right bank, and about 1 mile (1.6 km) later, the Row receives Hunt Creek from the right and passes over 15-foot (4.6 m) Wildwood Falls at 43.699845°N 122.818954°W / 43.699845; -122.818954 (Wildwood Falls).[9] A quarter-mile (500 m) later it passes through Lasells D. Stewart Park, and 1 mile (1.6 km) later through the community of Culp Creek, where it receives Sharps Creek and then Culp Creek, both from the left bank. Turning northwards, the river receives Hawley Creek from the left just above river mile (RM) 15 or river kilometer (RK 24) and shortly thereafter flows through Dorena. At RM 14 (RK 23), Cedar Creek enters from the right. Soon the river turns sharply west, passes a United States Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauge at RM 13.2 (RK 21.2), and turns to the northwest. Over the next stretch, it receives Pitcher Creek, King Creek, and Anderson Creek, all from the left, before entering Dorena Lake at RM 11 (RK 18).[7][8]

While part of the lake, the Row River receives Vaughn Creek from the left, Smith Creek from the right, Bluff Creek from the left, Rat Creek from the right, and Baker Creek from the left before reaching Dorena Dam and spillway at about RM 7.5 (RK 12.1). The river passes a second USGS stream gauge 5.5 miles (8.9 km) from the mouth, and soon Hann's Creek enters from the right. In its final 5 miles (8 km), the river receives Mosby Creek from the left, turns northwest, flows by Cottage Grove State Airport, and passes under Interstate 5 before entering the Coast Fork Willamette River just below the larger stream's RM 21 (RK 34).[7][8]

Discharge

The USGS monitors the flow of the Row River at two gauges, one near Dorena, 13.2 miles (21.2 km) from the mouth and the other above Cottage Grove, 5.5 miles (8.9 km) from the mouth. The average flow of the creek at the Dorena gauge is 589 cubic feet per second (16.7 m3/s). This is from a drainage area of 211 square miles (546.5 km2). The maximum flow recorded there was 33,100 cubic feet per second (940 m3/s) on December 22, 1964, and the minimum flow was 9.7 cubic feet per second (0.27 m3/s) on September 4–6, 2003.[10] At the Cottage Grove gauge, the average flow is 728 cubic feet per second (20.61 m3/s). This is from a drainage area of 270 square miles (700 km2). The maximum flow recorded there was 21,400 cubic feet per second (606 m3/s) on December 28, 1945, and the minimum flow was 0.20 cubic feet per second (0.0057 m3/s) from September 25 to October 7, 1958.[11]

See also

References
  1. McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 828. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  2. "Row River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-11-28. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  3. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  4. "Online Topographic Maps from the United States Geological Survey: Culp Creek Quad". TopoQuest. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  5. "Water-data report 2007: 14155500 Row River near Cottage Grove, OR" (pdf). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  6. "Indians, Surveyors, Incidents Gave Names to Streams, Lakes and Mountains". Eugene Register-Guard. 4 January 1942. p. 5. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  7. United States Geological Survey. "United States Geological Survey Topographic Map: Culp Creek, Blue Mountain, Dorena Lake, and Cottage Grove, Oregon, quadrangles". TopoQuest. Retrieved 2009-03-15. The maps include river mile (RM) markers from the mouth to RM 20 or river kilometer (RK) 32, at Disston.
  8. Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (1991 ed.). DeLorme Mapping. § 41–42. ISBN 0-89933-235-8.
  9. "Wildwood Falls". Northwest Waterfall Survey. 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  10. "14154500 Row River above Pitcher Creek, near Dorena, OR" (pdf). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  11. "14155500 Row River near Cottage Grove, OR" (pdf). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
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