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| South Umpqua River | |
|---|---|
 The South Umpqua near its confluence with the North Umpqua | |
  Location of the mouth of the South Umpqua River in Oregon | |
| Etymology | Indigenous people's name for the region near the river[2] |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Douglas |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of forks near Fish Mountain |
| • location | Northwest ofCrater Lake,Cascade Range |
| • coordinates | 43°06′26″N122°35′22″W / 43.10722°N 122.58944°W /43.10722; -122.58944[1] |
| • elevation | 2,009 ft (612 m)[3] |
| Mouth | Confluence withNorth Umpqua River |
• location | NearRoseburg |
• coordinates | 43°16′04″N123°26′46″W / 43.26778°N 123.44611°W /43.26778; -123.44611[1] |
• elevation | 361 ft (110 m)[1] |
| Length | 115 mi (185 km)[4] |
| Basin size | 1,800 sq mi (4,700 km2)[5] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | nearWinston, about 20 miles (32 km) from themouth[6] |
| • average | 2,747 cu ft/s (77.8 m3/s)[6] |
| • minimum | 16 cu ft/s (0.45 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 125,000 cu ft/s (3,500 m3/s) |
TheSouth Umpqua River is a tributary of theUmpqua River, approximately 115 miles (185 km) long, in southwesternOregon in theUnited States.[4] It drains part of theCascade Range east ofRoseburg. The river passes through a remote canyon in its upper reaches then emerges in the populatedSouth Umpqua Valley east ofCanyonville.
It rises in the high Cascades north ofFish Mountain, formed by the confluence of two short forks in easternDouglas County approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest ofCrater Lake. It flows generally southwest through a remote canyon in theUmpqua National Forest toTiller, then west pastMilo andDays Creek. It emerges into the South Umpqua Valley atCanyonville, passing underInterstate 5 and flowing north along the highway pastTri-City,Myrtle Creek, andRoseburg. It joins theNorth Umpqua from the south to form the Umpqua approximately 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Roseburg.
It receivesCow Creek from the south approximately 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Tri-City.
One of the main tributaries of the South Umpqua River is Cow Creek, which also flows west from the Cascade Mountains, but South of Canyonville. On its westward journey, the Cow Creek more or less runs parallel to the South Umpqua River, with an east–west mountain ridge separating them.
Cow Creek runs further west, swings around north and makes its confluence with the South Umpqua River at Tri City. The Cow Creek has such a significant flow that it is almost a toss-up as to which should be called the river and which the creek.
For centuries the South Umpqua River and Cow Creek were the homelands for the Umpqua Indians. However, gold was discovered on the South Umpqua River in 1848 causing an influx of gold miners and the homesteaders found the rich agricultural land of the area desirable.
In 1853 a treaty was negotiated betweenJoel Palmer, Superintendent of Indians, representing the Government of the United States and Chief Quintioosan and others, representing theCow Creek Band of theUmpqua people.[7] Although the US Government ratified the treaty, the terms agreed upon in the treaty were never honored.
Beginning in the 1820s, trappers and traders of theHudson's Bay Company began using the South Umpqua River valley to move along what became known as theSiskiyou Trail. The Siskiyou Trail was based on existing Indian footpaths, and became an important link between the Pacific Northwest and California's Central Valley.
In 1846, spurred by the desire to create a safer trail for emigrants to use to reach the Willamette Valley,Jesse andLindsay Applegate,Levi Scott, and 13 other companions explored a new route through the valley that connected the southern Willamette Valley with Goose Lake in Northern California. This trail became known as theApplegate Trail, and linked up with the northernmost branch of the California Trail.
Interstate 5 closely follows the original Siskiyou Trail route through the valley today.
The South Umpqua River valley became an important timber-producing region in the 20th century. In the 21st century, tourism became important to the South Umpqua Valley.
The Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians received a land claims settlement from the US federal government in 1988.
Using the land claims settlement of $1.5 million, the Cow Creek Band operates a casino, hotel, convention center, and other businesses in Canyonville on the South Umpqua River.
South Umpqua Falls nearTiller is the site of a popular picnic area andUnited States Forest Service campground near the river. Open from May 1 to October 31, the campground has 16 sites suitable for tents or trailers.[8]
