Horse Creek (McKenzie River tributary)

Last updated
Horse Creek
Horse Creek Covered Bridge, Spanning Horse Creek Road at Milepost 1.28, McKenzie Bridge vicinity (Lane County, Oregon).jpg
Horse Creek Bridge formerly spanned Horse Creek.
USA Oregon relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the mouth of Horse Creek in Oregon
EtymologyFor a team of horses lost along the creek by 19th-century emigrants [1]
Location
Country United States
State Oregon
County Lane
Physical characteristics
Source Cascade Range
  coordinates 43°58′43″N121°51′10″W / 43.97861°N 121.85278°W / 43.97861; -121.85278
  elevation5,401 ft (1,646 m) [2]
Mouth McKenzie River
  coordinates
44°10′12″N122°10′29″W / 44.17000°N 122.17472°W / 44.17000; -122.17472 Coordinates: 44°10′12″N122°10′29″W / 44.17000°N 122.17472°W / 44.17000; -122.17472 [3]
  elevation
1,352 ft (412 m) [3]

Horse Creek is a tributary of the McKenzie River in near the unincorporated community of McKenzie Bridge in Lane County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in the Cascade Range in the Three Sisters Wilderness of the Willamette National Forest. Its headwaters are near the Deschutes County border and the Pacific Crest Trail. It flows generally northwest to meet the river about 65 miles (105 km) upstream of the McKenzie's confluence with the Willamette River. [4]

Contents

The creek flows through a series of lakes—Sunset, Horse, Middle Horse, and Lower Horse—in its upper reaches, then passes through Cedar Swamp. Named tributaries from source to mouth are Eugene, Mosquito, Pothole, Roney, Castle, Separation, Halfinger, and Spring creeks. Below that come Avenue, Cedar Swamp, Wilelada, Owl, and King creeks. [4]

Horse Creek branches into distributaries as it nears the river. The named ones are East Fork Horse Creek and West Fork Horse Creek. Two additional named tributaries, Taylor and Drury creeks, enter the West Fork before it meets the river. [4]

Horse Creek Campground along the creek's lower reaches has room for up to 60 campers and 23 vehicles. Amenities include drinking water, picnic tables, toilets, and campfire rings. The campground is open from early May to late October. [5]

Covered bridge

The Horse Creek Bridge was a covered bridge spanning Horse Creek near McKenzie Bridge. Built in 1937, it was dismantled in 1987, and its timbers were used in two other covered bridges, one in Cottage Grove and the other in Myrtle Creek. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

Pudding River

The Pudding River is a 62-mile (100 km) tributary of the Molalla River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its drainage basin covers 528 square miles (1,368 km2). Among its tributaries are Silver Creek, Butte Creek, Abiqua Creek, and the Little Pudding River.

Molalla River

The Molalla River is a 51-mile (82 km) tributary of the Willamette River in the northwestern part of Oregon in the United States. Flowing northwest from the Cascade Range through Table Rock Wilderness, it passes the city of Molalla before entering the larger river near Canby. The Molalla is the largest Willamette tributary unblocked by a dam.

Clackamas River

The Clackamas River is an approximately 83-mile (134 km) tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, in the United States. Draining an area of about 940 square miles (2,435 km2), the Clackamas flows through mostly forested and rugged mountainous terrain in its upper reaches, and passes agricultural and urban areas in its lower third. The river rises in eastern Marion County, about 55 miles (89 km) east-southeast of Salem. The headwaters are on the slopes of Olallie Butte in the Mount Hood National Forest, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Mount Jefferson, at an elevation of 4,909 feet (1,496 m) in the Cascade Range. The Clackamas flows briefly north and then flows northwest through the mountains, passing through North Fork Reservoir and Estacada. It then emerges from the mountains southeast of Portland. It joins the Willamette near Oregon City and forms the boundary between Oregon City and Gladstone.

McKenzie River (Oregon) Mckenzie Blue River

The McKenzie River is a 90-mile (145 km) tributary of the Willamette River in western Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Cascade Range east of Eugene and flows westward into the southernmost end of the Willamette Valley. It is named for Donald McKenzie, a Scottish Canadian fur trader who explored parts of the Pacific Northwest for the Pacific Fur Company in the early 19th century. As of the 21st century, six large dams have been built on the McKenzie and its tributaries.

Salmon River (Clackamas County, Oregon)

The Salmon River is a 33.5-mile (53.9 km) river in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon that drains part of southwestern Mount Hood. The entire length of the river is a protected National Wild and Scenic River. Several portions are in protected wilderness. It is affluent to the Sandy River, a tributary of the Columbia River.

Tryon Creek 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.

Mill Creek (Marion County, Oregon)

Mill Creek is a 26-mile (42 km) tributary of the Willamette River that drains a 111-square-mile (290 km2) area of Marion County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Flowing generally west from its source south of Silver Falls State Park, it passes through the cities of Aumsville, Stayton, Sublimity, and Turner before emptying into the Willamette in Salem.

Blue River (Oregon) Tributary of the McKenzie River in Linn and Lane counties in the U.S. state of Oregon

Blue River is a tributary of the McKenzie River in Linn and Lane counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. From its source at the confluence of Mann and Wolf creeks in the Cascade Range, it flows generally southwest to join the McKenzie near the community of Blue River. Saddle Dam and Blue River Dam block the river about 2 miles (3 km) from its mouth to form Blue River Reservoir, a multipurpose impoundment built in 1968 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

The North Fork Malheur River is a 59-mile (95 km) tributary of the Malheur River in eastern Oregon in the United States. Rising in Big Cow Burn in the Blue Mountains, it flows generally south to join the larger river at Juntura. The upper 25.5 miles (41.0 km) of the river have been designated Wild and Scenic. This part of the river basin offers camping, hiking, and fishing opportunities in a remote forest setting. The lower river passes through Beulah Reservoir, which stores water for irrigation and has facilities for boaters.

Kiger Creek (Harney County, Oregon)

Kiger Creek is a tributary of Swamp Creek in Harney County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It originates on Steens Mountain and flows generally north through Kiger Gorge to meet Swamp Creek near the unincorporated community of Diamond. The combined streams flow into Diamond Swamp and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

The Little North Santiam River is a 27-mile (43 km) tributary of the North Santiam River in western Oregon in the United States. It drains 113 square miles (290 km2) of the Cascade Range on the eastern side of the Willamette Valley east of Salem.

South Fork McKenzie River

The South Fork McKenzie River is a tributary, about 31 miles (50 km) long, of the McKenzie River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at about 4,500 feet (1,400 m) above sea level near Mink Lake in the Three Sisters Wilderness of the Cascade Range. Flowing northwest within Lane County, it meets the McKenzie River about 60 miles (97 km) from the larger river's confluence with the Willamette River.

Mosby Creek (Oregon)

Mosby Creek is a 21-mile (34 km) tributary of the Row River in Lane County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at the confluence of the east and west forks of the creek near the Calapooia Divide and the border with Douglas County. From its source it flows generally north-northwest to meet the river slightly east of Cottage Grove and about 4 miles (6 km) from the larger stream's confluence with the Coast Fork Willamette River.

Smith River is a tributary of the McKenzie River in Linn County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins near Browder Ridge in the Cascade Range and flows generally south through the Willamette National Forest to meet the larger river at Trail Bridge Reservoir, about 82 miles (132 km) upstream of the McKenzie's mouth on the Willamette River.

Roaring River is a tributary of the South Fork McKenzie River in Lane County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins along the west side of Roaring River Ridge in the Cascade Range and flows generally north through the Willamette National Forest to meet the larger stream about 22 miles (35 km) from its confluence with the McKenzie River.

The South Fork Umatilla River is a tributary of the Umatilla River in Umatilla County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its headwaters lie in the Umatilla National Forest in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon near Pileup Saddle and Black Mountain. The South Fork flows generally north between Goodman Ridge and Bobsled Ridge to meet the North Fork Umatilla River near Graves Butte. Together the forks form the main stem Umatilla.

Fall Creek (Middle Fork Willamette River tributary)

Fall Creek is a 34-mile (55 km) tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River in Lane County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning in the Cascade Range, the creek flows generally west through the Willamette National Forest to enter the Middle Fork upstream of Jasper, southeast of Springfield and Eugene.

Myrtle Creek is a short tributary of the South Umpqua River in Douglas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its main stem, formed by the confluence of two forks just south of the city of Myrtle Creek, is only about 1 mile (1.6 km) long. Its only named tributaries are the two forks, North Myrtle Creek and South Myrtle Creek, each of which is much longer than the main stem.

Pass Creek (Elk Creek tributary)

Pass Creek is a tributary of Elk Creek in the Umpqua River basin of the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at Divide between the Coast Fork Willamette River watershed and the Umpqua watershed along Interstate 5 (I-5) in Lane County. It flows west into Douglas County and continues generally southwest to meet Elk Creek at the city of Drain, 24 miles (39 km) upstream of Elk Creek's confluence with the Umpqua.

Lost Creek (Middle Fork Willamette River tributary)

Lost Creek is a tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in the Cascade Range foothills between Dorena Lake and Lookout Point Lake and flows generally north to meet the river downstream of Lowell. Along the way, it passes by the rural community of Dexter, then under Oregon Route 58, and through part of Elijah Bristow State Park. Named tributaries of Lost Creek from source to mouth are Guiley, Gossage, Carr, Middle, Anthony, and Wagner creeks.

References

  1. McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names, 7th ed. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 480. ISBN   0-87595-277-1.
  2. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. 1 2 "Horse Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved April 6, 2016 via Acme Mapper. The map includes mile markers along the McKenzie River and lower reaches of Horse Creek.
  5. "Horse Creek Group Campground, OR". Recreation.gov. 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  6. "Myrtle Creek (Horse Creek) Covered Bridge" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 6, 2016.