Harlows Creek (Washington)

Last updated

Harlows Creek is a stream in Wahkiakum County in the U.S. state of Washington. [1] The name of the stream used to be Jim Crow Creek until it was changed by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names effective May 10, 2017 as part of an nationwide effort to remove offensive and/or derogatory names from geographic features. The new name commemorates John (1872-1953) and Mary (1888-1963) Harlow, who lived in the area during the 1870s. [1]

1981 USGS topo map showing Harlows Creek as Jim Crow Creek. Also shows Jim Crow Hill, Jim Crow Point, and Jim Crow Sands. USGS 100k topo Grays River 1981 excerpt.jpg
1981 USGS topo map showing Harlows Creek as Jim Crow Creek. Also shows Jim Crow Hill, Jim Crow Point, and Jim Crow Sands.

The origin of the name Jim Crow Creek was a reference to James D. Saules, a free black sailor who travelled widely throughout the Pacific in the 1800s. He was part of the United States Exploring Expedition. After the Cockstock incident along the lower Columbia River four nearby places where named "Jim Crow" due to Saules's involvement: Jim Crow Creek (Harlows Creek), Jim Crow Hill (now Beare Hill), Jim Crow Point (now Brookfield Point), and Jim Crow Sands. [2] The incident also contributed to the Provisional Government of Oregon enacting the Oregon black exclusion laws. All three "Jim Crow" places names in Washington were renamed in 2017 due to the efforts of Washington Senator Pramila Jayapal. Jim Crow Sands, in the Columbia River, is in Oregon and has not been renamed as of 2023. [3]

Harlows Creek originates high on the slopes of Elk Mountain and flows south to the Columbia River, entering the river just east of the historical community of Brookfield, about 13 mi (21 km) east of Astoria, Oregon. Harlows Creek has one named tributary, Fink Creek. [1]

An early 20th century work suggested the point was named for crows that nested there. [4] However, this reference also suggests a tree growing on the point could be seen far out at sea, an idea which should not be taken seriously due to distance as well as geographic features, so the reference itself might have little value.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Bighorn River</span> River in Montana and Wyoming, United States

The Little Bighorn River is a 138-mile-long (222 km) tributary of the Bighorn River in the United States in the states of Montana and Wyoming. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was fought on its banks on June 25–26, 1876, as well as the Battle of Crow Agency in 1887.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Day River (northwestern Oregon)</span> River in Oregon, United States

The John Day River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 6 miles (10 km) long, in northwestern Oregon in the United States. The river rises in the Northern Oregon Coast Range in Clatsop County at 46.138889°N 123.704722°W.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vedder River</span> River in Canada, United States

The Vedder River, called the Chilliwack River above Vedder Crossing, is a river in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methow River</span> River in Washington, United States

The Methow River is a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington in the United States. The river's 1,890-square-mile (4,900 km2) watershed drains the eastern North Cascades, with a population of about 5,000 people. The Methow's watershed is characterized by relatively pristine habitats, as much of the river basin is located in national forests and wildernesses. Many tributaries drain the large Pasayten Wilderness. An earlier economy based on agriculture is giving way to one based on recreation and tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson Creek (Willamette River tributary)</span> Creek in Oregon, USA

Johnson Creek is a 25-mile (40 km) tributary of the Willamette River in the Portland metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the drainage basin of the Columbia River, its catchment consists of 54 square miles (140 km2) of mostly urban land occupied by about 180,000 people as of 2012. Passing through the cities of Gresham, Portland, and Milwaukie, the creek flows generally west from the foothills of the Cascade Range through sediments deposited by glacial floods on a substrate of basalt. Though polluted, it is free-flowing along its main stem and provides habitat for salmon and other migrating fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Coast Range</span> Mountain range in Oregon, United States

The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean. This north-south running range extends over 200 miles (320 km) from the Columbia River in the north on the border of Oregon and Washington, south to the middle fork of the Coquille River. It is 30 to 60 miles wide and averages around 1,500 feet (460 m) in elevation above sea level. The coast range has three main sections, a Northern, Central, and Southern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tryon Creek</span> Tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon

Tryon Creek is a 4.85-mile (7.81 km) tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the drainage basin of the Columbia River, its watershed covers about 6.5 square miles (16.8 km2) in Multnomah and Clackamas counties. The stream flows southeast from the Tualatin Mountains through the Multnomah Village neighborhood of Portland and the Tryon Creek State Natural Area to the Willamette in the city of Lake Oswego. Parks and open spaces cover about 21 percent of the watershed, while single-family homes dominate most of the remainder. The largest of the parks is the state natural area, which straddles the border between the two cities and counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Fork Willamette River</span> River in Oregon, United States

The Middle Fork Willamette River is one of several forks that unite to form the Willamette River in the western part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is approximately 115 miles (185 km) long, draining an area of the Cascade Range southeast of Eugene, which is at the southern end of the Willamette Valley.

The Gates River is a short river in the Lillooet Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 14.5 km in length, it flows generally northeast from the outlet of Birken Lake to its mouth at the head of Anderson Lake. Its main tributaries are Haylmore Creek, from the southeast, and Blackwater Creek, from the northwest, which originates near the head of Birkenhead Lake. Augmented by the waters of McGillivray Creek, Lost Valley Creek and others, its flow becomes the Seton River from the foot of Anderson Lake onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dairy Creek (Oregon)</span> River in Oregon, United States

Dairy Creek is a 10.55-mile (16.98 km) tributary of the Tualatin River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at the confluence of its east and west forks near the unincorporated community of Schefflin and meanders southeast across the Tualatin Valley to the Tualatin River near Hillsboro, in Washington County. East Fork Dairy Creek begins at 45.788446°N 123.041498°W in Columbia County, slightly north of its border with Washington County, and flows generally south for 22 miles (35 km). West Fork Dairy Creek, also about 22 miles (35 km) long, forms at 45.7553899°N 123.178168°W, near the unincorporated community of Tophill, and flows generally southeast. Before railroads displaced river boats on the Tualatin, some steamships also worked the lower section of Dairy Creek, with plans to go as far up stream as Centerville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifteenmile Creek (Columbia River tributary)</span> River in Oregon, United States

Fifteenmile Creek is a 54-mile (87 km) long tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains 373 square miles (966 km2) of Hood River and Wasco counties. Arising in the Cascade Range near Mount Hood, it flows northeast then west to its confluence with the Columbia near The Dalles.

Woodson is an unincorporated community in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 30 seven miles west of Clatskanie and three miles east of Westport, on Westport Slough, a tributary of the Columbia River. In December 2007, the debris overflow from the flooding of Eilersten Creek caused evacuations and mud cover on Woodson Road north of the highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whychus Creek</span> River in Oregon, United States

Whychus Creek is a tributary of the Deschutes River in Deschutes and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formerly named Squaw Creek, considered derogatory in the 21st century, it was renamed in 2006. Explorer John C. Frémont camped along the stream in 1843 but did not identify it by name. Robert S. Williamson, a surveyor who camped there in 1855, said its Indian name was Why-chus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph George Megler</span> American politician

Joseph George Megler, generally known as J.G. Megler, was a German-American salmon cannery owner and politician in Washington. He was a member of the Washington House of Representatives for the first legislature in 1889 and five terms thereafter. He was also a member of the Washington State Senate for two terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookfield, Washington</span> Ghost town in Washington (state)

Brookfield was a salmon-canning and fishing town located on the Columbia River in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States, from 1873 to 1957. It was the home of the J.G. Megler Company.

Arkansas Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington.

Shovel Creek is a stream in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. It is a tributary of the Snake River.

James D. Saules was a sailor of the United States Exploring Expedition. In 1841 he survived the sinking of the USS Peacock at the Columbia Bar. Saules subsequently was among the first black settlers of the Oregon Country. While residing in the Willamette Valley he became involved in the Cockstock incident.

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Harlows Creek
  2. "Brookfield, Brookfield Point, and Three Tree Point, Washington". Columbia River Images. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  3. St. John, Natalie (22 April 2018). "What's in a name? Jim Saules, not Jim Crow". The Astorian. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  4. Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 123.

46°15′59″N123°33′08″W / 46.26639°N 123.55222°W / 46.26639; -123.55222