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26-645: The Satsop River watershed is located east of the Wynoochee River and south of the Skokomish River watersheds. The main stem Satsop River originates at the confluence of the East and West Forks and flows generally south to Satsop , where it empties into Chehalis River at Chehalis river mile 20.2. U.S. Route 12 crosses the river near its mouth. The main stem river flows through a broad valley used for farming. The river has several significant tributaries, including

52-758: Is 62% corporate (182 sq mi (470 km)), 18% National Forest (52 sq mi (130 km)), 13% private (37 sq mi (96 km)), 6% state (19 sq mi (49 km)), and less than 1% municipal and county (0.9 sq mi (2.3 km)). Commercial forests, including National Forest lands, make up about 95% of the land use in the Satsop watershed. Cropland and pasture account for about 3%. Built-up areas, rural non-farms, and barren lands account for slightly over 1%. The Satsop River's name comes from Upper Chehalis /sácapš/ , literally "made stream", from /sáʔa–/ , "make, do", plus /cápš/ , "stream". The Satsop Native Americans , who lived along

78-529: Is Point Chehalis, at the end of the southern peninsula upon which stands the town of Westport . Grays Harbor is named after Captain Robert Gray , who entered it on May 7, 1792, in the course of his fur-trading voyages along the north Pacific coast of North America. Gray named the bay Bullfinch Harbor, but it was afterward named Gray's Harbor by Captain George Vancouver , whose contemporaneous explorations of

104-517: Is the longest tributary. The total river length from the West Fork's source to the mouth of the main stem Satsop River is approximately 50.5 miles (81.3 km). The length from the source of the Canyon River is nearly as long, at 48.5 miles (78.1 km). Its watershed is 154 square miles (400 km) large. Much of the watershed is privately owned timber lands. The West Fork has two major tributaries,

130-750: The Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington . A tributary of the Chehalis River , the Wynoochee River rises in the Olympic Mountains within the Olympic National Park and flows generally south. Its drainage basin is 218 square miles (560 km ) in area. The name Wynoochee comes from the Lower Chehalis placename /xʷənúɬč/ , meaning "shifting". The city of Montesano

156-540: The 20-mile (32 km) long Canyon River and the 6-mile (9.7 km) long Little River. The Canyon River, West Fork, and Middle Fork all originate close to one another in the Olympic Mountains. The Canyon River's source is approximately 1.6 miles (2.6 km) east of the source of the West Fork and 1.4 miles (2.3 km) west of the source of the Middle Fork. These rivers originate in the southern Olympic Mountains in

182-456: The Little River. A number of projects have been undertaken to improve salmon habitat in the Satsop watershed, including the construction of spawning channels and fish hatcheries. The Satsop River's watershed is prime timber land and much of it is privately owned and regularly harvested. Approximately 70% of the watershed's forests are less than 35 years old. The timber harvesting combined with

208-578: The Satsop River to the Chehalis Reservation. The Satsop population was listed as 350 in 1870 and only 12 in 1885. There is no Satsop tribe today. John Rady became the first settler on the Satsop River in 1852. French Canadians and Germans began to settle in the Satsop Valley in the 1860s and 1870s. The Schafer family was among the early settlers, having moved to the region from Wisconsin. Three of

234-548: The Schafer brothers, sons of the pioneering family, founded one of the biggest and most successful logging companies of the area. From a start using an oxteam to haul logs the Schafer's company grew to own large tracts of timberland served by miles of logging railroads. Under the Chehalis Basin Strategy , the Satsop River received $ 3.0 million in funding beginning in 2023 to improve approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) of

260-458: The United States. It is a ria , which formed at the end of the last ice age, when sea levels flooded the Chehalis River . The bay is 17 miles (27 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide. The Chehalis River flows into its eastern end, where the city of Aberdeen stands at that river's mouth, on its north bank, with the somewhat smaller city of Hoquiam immediately to its northwest, along

286-510: The Upper Chehalis dialect. The Upper and Lower Chehalis dialects are distinct and the boundary between them was at the confluence of the Chehalis and Satsop Rivers. A trail ran through the Satsop lands over which trade passed south to Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay . The Satsops were devastated by smallpox and other epidemics, after which a remnant population moved from their ancestral lands along

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312-510: The West, East, and Middle Forks. These forks are significant rivers in their own right and unite only a few miles north of the Chehalis River. The forks are all much longer than the main stem Satsop River. The West Fork Satsop River rises in the southern Olympic Mountains. It flows south through a narrow gorge. In its final miles the river valley broadens. At 44 miles (71 km) long, the West Fork

338-565: The area began in the early 1870s and was largely dependent on the lumber industry. As the forests of the eastern United States depleted, many loggers from the East and the Midwest migrated to the Grays Harbor area, as well as many Scandinavians and Finns from Europe . Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is located on 1,500 acres (6.1 km ) of intertidal mudflats, salt marsh , and uplands around Hoquiam. The Daily Washingtonian

364-579: The area. The Satsop River is one of the larger tributaries of the Chehalis River, especially in the summer. In August, approximately 30% of the Chehalis River's flow at Cosmopolis comes from the Satsop River. The Satsop and its tributaries support a variety of migratory fish, including chinook , chum , and coho salmon. The Middle Fork Satsop River in particular supports very large runs of all three species. The West Fork Satsop also supports sizable runs of all three species. Other tributaries important for salmon spawning include Decker Creek, Canyon River, and

390-568: The bayshore. Besides the Chehalis, many lesser rivers and streams flow into Grays Harbor, such as the Hoquiam River and Humptulips River . A pair of low peninsulas separate it from the Pacific Ocean, except for an opening about two miles (3 km) in width. The northern peninsula, which is largely covered by the community of Ocean Shores , ends in Point Brown. Facing that across the bay-mouth

416-554: The general vicinity of Chapel Peak, Dusk Point, and Anderson Butte. The East Fork Satsop River originates at the confluence of Phillips Creek and Stillwater Creek. It flows generally southwest through a broad and flat valley. Bingham Creek is its main tributary, joining from the north. Below Bingham Creek the East Fork flows through Carstairs Prairie before being joined by Decker Creek and the Middle Fork Satsop River, both from

442-478: The habitat of aquatic species and extended the operating life of the plant by several decades. This article related to a river in the state of Washington is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuarine bay located 45 miles (72 km) north of the mouth of the Columbia River , on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state , in

468-689: The mouth of Johns River . Sand Island, Goose Island and Whitcomb Flats are included in Washington Natural Areas Program . Johns River Wildlife Area , managed by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife , includes the Markham island. In the early 20th century, Grays Harbor was the largest lumber shipyard in the world. The Industrial Workers of the World led strikes in the area in 1912, 1917, and 1923. Some of these labor actions were militant, such as an armed union ship in 1906 shooting at

494-428: The north. The East Fork is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long. Its headwater tributary, Stillwater Creek, is 3 miles (4.8 km) long. The Middle Fork Satsop River rises in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains and flows south, passing through steep gorges and canyons. At 35 miles (56 km) long it is the second longest tributary. Shortly below the Middle Fork's confluence with Baker Creek its valley widens as

520-423: The region's steep slopes presents erosion and mass wasting hazards. In addition there is a relatively high density of roads, mostly for logging, which increases the erosion and sedimentation risks. Rainfall in the region ranges from 70 to 175 inches per year, which further increases the danger of destructive erosion. Wynoochee River The Wynoochee River is a 60-mile (97 km) long river located in

546-496: The region—the ships of the two captains had met at sea, only days earlier—were well publicised at the time, while Gray's voyages were not. Gray's Harbor was the name that stuck (the apostrophe was omitted under US Board on Geographic Names guidelines). A few days later, on May 11, Gray found a navigable channel into the estuary of the Columbia River , and sailed into it , the first white man known to have done so. Settlement of

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572-508: The river approaches its confluence with the East Fork Satsop River. Most of the watershed of the Middle Fork is second-growth forest used for timber production. Decker Creek flows through broad prairie lands and gently sloping valleys. It joins the East Fork Satsop River upstream from the Middle Fork confluence. Decker Creek is approximately 16 miles (26 km) long. Land ownership within the Satsop River's watershed, approximately,

598-672: The river, were neighbors of the Lower Chehalis , Humptulip, and the Hoquiam peoples, with whom they shared a similar political organization. The relation of the Satsops to other Native Americans remains unclear. Some ethnologists classify the Satsops as a subdivision of the Lower Chehalis people while others place them closer to the Upper Chehalis (Kwaiailk) people, in part because the Satsop Coast Salish dialect appears most closely related to

624-466: The waterway near Satsop and the Chehalis River conjunction. The plans include the elimination of excess erosion, some due to previous control attempts, as well the reintroduction of riparian habitats. Over 30 logjam jacks are to be installed along with 350 acres (140 ha) of ecosystem improvements. The project, planned to be completed in 2028, is meant to also increase the biome for salmon and other aquatic species while helping mitigate flood concerns in

650-785: Was a daily newspaper in Grays Harbor founded by Otis M. Moore. Islands include: Protection Island ( 46°56′39″N 124°07′34″W  /  46.94417°N 124.12611°W  / 46.94417; -124.12611 ) is listed by USGS, but as of 2018 is listed by the City of Ocean Shores as an accreted landform called Damon Point, a 61-acre (25 ha) park attached to Point Brown. Named bars include Whitcomb Flats ( 46°54′39″N 124°04′54″W  /  46.91083°N 124.08167°W  / 46.91083; -124.08167 ), near Westport. A large unnamed bar or island ( 46°54′40″N 124°00′25″W  /  46.911°N 124.007°W  / 46.911; -124.007 ) also stands off of Markham at

676-409: Was a recipient of the installation of flood control measures near Montesano's wastewater treatment plant which rests near the river. As part of the Chehalis Basin Strategy , log jacks were placed during 2018-2019 that helped increase the riverbank of the migrating river, which was threatening the plant that during flooding would have inundated the community with sewage runoff. The fortification increased

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