Crooked River (Oregon)
| Crooked River | ||
 |
||
| Data | ||
| Water code | US : 1140473 | |
| location | Oregon (USA) | |
| River system | Columbia River | |
| Drain over | Deschutes River → Columbia River → Pacific Ocean | |
| Confluence of |
South Fork Crooked River and Beaver Creek in Crook County 44 ° 6 ′ 5 ″ N , 120 ° 3 ′ 4 ″ W |
|
| Source height | 1104 m | |
| muzzle | in Lake Billy Chinook of the Deschutes River Coordinates: 44 ° 34 ′ 25 ″ N , 121 ° 16 ′ 19 ″ W 44 ° 34 ′ 25 ″ N , 121 ° 16 ′ 19 ″ W |
|
| Mouth height | 594 m | |
| Height difference | 510 m | |
| Bottom slope | 2.5 ‰ | |
| length | 201 km | |
| Catchment area | 11,600 km² | |
| Drain |
NNQ (2005) MQ HHQ (2006) |
5.63 m³ / s 32.2 m³ / s 90.72 m³ / s |
| Right tributaries | North Fork Crooked River | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Prineville Reservoir , Lake Billy Chinook | |
| Medium-sized cities | Prineville | |
| National Wild and Scenic River | ||
 The Crooked River in Peter Skene Ogden State Park , view of the Crooked River Railroad Bridge and the Three Sisters in the background |
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 Crooked River in Smith Rock State Park |
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| North Fork Crooked River | ||
| Water code | US : 1146937 | |
| location | Crook County in Oregon (USA) | |
| River system | Columbia River | |
| Drain over | Crooked River → Deschutes River → Columbia River | |
| source | in the Ochoco Mountains 44 ° 14 ′ 5 ″ N , 120 ° 12 ′ 51 ″ W |
|
| muzzle | Crooked River 44 ° 7 ′ 1 " N , 120 ° 14 ′ 43" W. |
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| Mouth height |
1062 m
|
|
| length | 54 km | |
| National Wild and Scenic River | ||
| South Fork Crooked River | ||
| Water code | US : 1166713 | |
| location | Oregon (USA) | |
| River system | Columbia River | |
| Drain over | Crooked River → Deschutes River → Columbia River | |
| source | in Deschutes County 43 ° 38 ′ 55 ″ N , 120 ° 23 ′ 40 ″ W. |
|
| Confluence with |
Beaver Creek to Crooked River 44 ° 6 ′ 5 ″ N , 120 ° 3 ′ 4 ″ W |
|
| Mouth height |
1104 m
|
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The Crooked River is a river in the US state of Oregon .
The river has a drainage basin of over 11,600 square kilometers in the Eastern High Desert of Central Oregon and drains the area east of the Cascade Range and Deschutes River and south of the John Day River .
course
The South Fork Crooked River rises in the High Desert in northeast Deschutes County on the border with Crook County . The river first flows northwards and is fed by numerous mountain streams such as Buck Creek , Twelvemile Creek and Beaver Creek . After the confluence with Beaver Creek, the Crooked River flows westward and is bounded by the Ochoco Mountains to the north and the Maury Mountains to the south . The North Fork Crooked River flows from the Ochoco Mountains and Camp Creek from the Maury Mountains . The river flows into the Prineville Reservoir , a 29-kilometer-long and 12-square-kilometer reservoir, from which it then flows further northwest towards Prineville . There it receives its inflow from the Ochoco Creek and the McKay Creek , which arise in the Ochoco Mountains. Behind Prineville, only smaller streams flow into the Crooked River, which flows further northwest until it flows into Lake Billy Chinook and thus into the Deschutes River.
Especially in the upper reaches it flows through a wide river valley, while in the lower reaches it has dug deep and steep canyons through basalt rocks, as can be seen in Smith Rock State Park and the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint .
history
The name Crooked (dt. "Curved") River it bears because of its numerous turns. The first white travelers like the fur trader Peter Skene Ogden at the beginning of the 19th century reported that there were fertile meadows, beaver dams and pastures along the river. Outside the river valley, on the other hand, the area was stony and barren.
The first white settlers settled on the floodplains of the Crooked River from the 1860s. In 1868 Prineville was founded, which developed into the most important town in the Crooked River basin due to the flourishing cattle and sheep industry in the area. Numerous new settlers came to the region through cattle breeding and timber industry, which is why from 1910 onwards there were grass and water wars between farms and cattle breeders due to water shortages. After several private irrigation projects on the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers failed, state hydraulic engineer John Whistler drafted an irrigation project that would irrigate over 8,000 acres of land using a dam on Ochoco Creek. However, since neither the state of Oregon nor the federal government implemented this plan, the plan was eventually picked up by private landowners and implemented in 1921. However, the damming of the Ochoco to Ochoco Lake did not bring as much water as had been expected, so the project soon ran into financial difficulties. In the decades that followed, ranchers and farmers repeatedly called for government support for their failed irrigation project. It was not until 1956 that the US Congress passed the Crooked River Project , a dam and irrigation plan designed to irrigate 8,000 hectares of land. In 1961, the Bowman Dam was completed, which dammed the Crooked River to the Prineville Reservoir. The dam was named after Arthur R. Bowman, a Crook County official who was instrumental in driving the project forward.
Economical meaning
The waters of the Crooked River are used for agricultural irrigation. By regulating the water level of the dams, many fish species were cut off from their habitats and spawning areas in the upper course of the river, while the release of cool water from the reservoirs during the summer months caused an increase in fish stocks in the lower course of the Crooked River, so that this section is now a popular fishing area . Smith Rock State Park was established in 1959 and Prineville State Park was established in 1962 . In 1988, parts of the Crooked River and its tributaries were placed under protection as the Wild and Scenic River . This change in status enabled the Crooked River to be used more for tourism, recreation and fishing. The lower reaches of the Crooked River is considered an excellent white water area for experienced kayakers and rafting in spring when the snow melts.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A b South Fork Crooked River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ Crooked River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ USGS Real Time Water Data. Retrieved April 21, 2011 .
- ↑ North Fork Crooked River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ a b Crooked River (North Fork), Oregon. In: rivers.gov. National Wild and Scenic Rivers, accessed July 7, 2020 .
- ^ Crooked River, Oregon. In: rivers.gov. National Wild and Scenic Rivers, accessed July 7, 2020 .
- ^ Crooked River Fly Fishing Information and Fishing Reports. In: flyandfield.com. Fly & Field, accessed July 7, 2020 (American English).