Stillaguamish River

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Stillaguamish River
Stillaguamish River 39160.JPG
The South Fork of the Stillaguamish River near Verlot
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Location of the mouth of the Stillaguamish River in Washington
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Stillaguamish River (the United States)
Location
Country United States
State Washington
Physical characteristics
Source North Cascades
  coordinates 48°12′14″N122°7′38″W / 48.20389°N 122.12722°W / 48.20389; -122.12722 [1]
Mouth Puget Sound
  location
Port Susan
  coordinates
48°14′18″N122°22′38″W / 48.23833°N 122.37722°W / 48.23833; -122.37722 [1]
  elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length67 mi (108 km) [2]
Basin size700 sq mi (1,800 km2)

The Stillaguamish River is a river in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Washington. It is mainly composed of two forks, the longer North Fork Stillaguamish (45 miles (72 km)) and the South Fork Stillaguamish. The two forks join near Arlington. From there the Stillaguamish River proper flows for 22 miles (35 km) to Puget Sound. The river's watershed drains part of the Cascade Range north of Seattle.

Contents

Name

The Stillaguamish River's name is derived from the Stillaguamish people, the Lushootseed-speaking people who had several villages along the river's course. Their name, Stillaguamish, is derived from their Lushootseed endonym, stuləgʷabš, meaning "river people." [3]

Variant spellings of the Stillaguamish River, according to the USGS, include Stoh-luk-whahmpsh River, Steilaguamish River, and Stalukahamish River.

Course

North Fork Valley west of Darrington Stillaguamish River 43681.JPG
North Fork Valley west of Darrington

The Stillaguamish River is formed from the confluence of the North and South Forks, both of which rise in the Cascades. Between the North and South forks there is a portion of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest called the Boulder River Wilderness.

The North Fork rises as several branches in a remote area of Skagit County near Finney Peak, approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Darrington. Collecting many tributary creeks, the river flows south, then west through the foothills along the Skagit-Snohomish county line. Tributaries of the North Fork Stillaguamish River include Boulder River and Deer Creek.

The South Fork (30 miles (48 km)) originates from the northern slopes of Del Campo Peak and Morning Star Peak in central Snohomish County, 20 miles (32 km) south of Darrington, and flows west and northwest by Silverton, Verlot, and Granite Falls.

The two forks unite at Arlington in northwestern Snohomish County. The combined stream flows west before it briefly splits again to encircle the town of Silvana.

The Stillaguamish bifurcates at its delta to form Florence Island before entering Puget Sound. [4] Hatt Slough flows southwest and is now the primary distributary of the Stillaguamish waters into Port Susan, having been diverted in the early twentieth century. The Old Stillaguamish River Channel flows northwest towards Florence and then Stanwood on an 8-mile meandering course. Near the Camano Island bridge this channel again splits, forming Leque Island, with the South Pass flowing into Port Susan and the West Pass emptying into the southern end of Skagit Bay. [5]

Natural history

The Stillaguamish River and its tributaries are known for their salmon runs. Eight salmonid species use the streams for spawning, including Chinook, coho, chum, pink, and sockeye salmon, steelhead trout, sea-run cutthroat, and bull trout.

Hydrology

The north fork of the Stillaguamish river level is monitored by gauges operated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), [6] and river levels can vary by as much as 13 feet (4.0 m). The river level rises and falls very quickly, with the average north fork flood duration of eight hours. Of the five highest north fork flood levels on record, three have occurred since 2009. [7]

History

The Stillaguamish River is the center of Stillaguamish territory. For centuries, the Stillaguamish have fished and hunted and gathered all along its extent. The Stillaguamish had at least ten villages along its course, from its mouth to as far upriver as Hazel and Mt. Higgins (Lushootseed : sx̌ədəlwaʔs). [3] [8] [9] Other Indigenous peoples historically traveled to the Stillaguamish River to fish as well, including the Sauk, the Snohomish, and the Duwamish. [9] [10]

The 2014 Oso landslide occurred on the North Fork of the Stillaguamish.

On December 5, 2023, the river crested at 21.34 feet (6.50 m) near Arlington and set a new record amid regional floods. [11] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most populous in the United States. The county seat and largest city is Everett. The county forms part of the Seattle metropolitan area, which also includes King and Pierce counties to the south.

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

Arlington is a city in northern Snohomish County, Washington, United States, part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The city lies on the Stillaguamish River in the western foothills of the Cascade Range, adjacent to the city of Marysville. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Everett, the county seat, and 40 miles (64 km) north of Seattle, the state's largest city. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Arlington had a population of 19,868; its estimated population is 20,075 as of 2021.

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

Darrington is a town in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located in a North Cascades mountain valley formed by the Sauk and North Fork Stillaguamish rivers. Darrington is connected to nearby areas by State Route 530, which runs along the two rivers towards the city of Arlington, located 30 miles (48 km) to the west, and Rockport. It had a population of 1,347 at the 2010 census.

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

Oso is a census-designated place (CDP) in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located to the west of Darrington, south of the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River and approximately 50 air miles (80 km) from Seattle. The population of Oso was 172 at the 2020 census. The area was the site of a large landslide in March 2014 that killed 43 people, the deadliest incident of its kind in U.S. history.

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

Stanwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is located 50 miles (80 km) north of Seattle, at the mouth of the Stillaguamish River near Camano Island. As of the 2020 census, its population is 7,705.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stillaguamish people</span> Lushootseed-speaking people from Western Washington

The Stillaguamish people are a Southern Coast Salish people Indigenous to the Stillaguamish River valley in northwestern Washington State in the United States, near the city of Arlington, Washington. The Stillaguamish speak Northern Lushootseed, a Coast Salish language. Although usage of the language has declined, there are ongoing revitalization efforts by the Stillaguamish Tribe.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Oso landslide</span> Landslide east of Oso, Washington, United States

A major landslide occurred 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Oso, Washington, United States, on March 22, 2014, at 10:37 a.m. local time. A portion of an unstable hill collapsed, sending mud and debris to the south across the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, engulfing a rural neighborhood, and covering an area of approximately 1 square mile (2.6 km2). Forty-three people were killed and 49 homes and other structures destroyed. The landslide has been described as one of, if not the most, deadly landslide in American history.

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Florence Island is the main island formed by the diked river delta of the Stillaguamish River as it flows into Port Susan on Puget Sound.

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Stillaguamish River
  2. Including North Fork
  3. 1 2 Bates, Dawn; Hess, Thom; Hilbert, Vi (1994). Lushootseed Dictionary. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN   978-0-295-97323-4. OCLC   29877333.
  4. "Snohomish County – Florence". An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties. Interstate Publishing Company. 1906. p. 368 via The Internet Archive.
  5. Coffler, Sarah; Joy, Joe (October 2005). Old Stillaguamish River Channel Diel Surveys (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Ecology. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  6. "National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service". water.weather.gov. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  7. "Historical Crests for North Fork Stillaguamish River near Arlington". water.weather.gov. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  8. Lane, Barbara (1973). Anthropological Report on the Identity, Treaty Status and Fisheries of the Stillaguamish Indians (PDF).
  9. 1 2 Baldwin, Garth L.; Hillstrom, Jefferey K.; Austin, Stephen F. (March 21, 2023). A Cultural Resources Assessment of the Amber Grove Development (TPN 31051400101800), Arlington, Snohomish County, Washington. Blaine: Drayton Archaeology. pp. 8–10.
  10. Tall, Jonathan; Tizon, Maya; Hansen, Jordan; de Lapparent Alvarez, Aina (December 5, 2023). "Stillaguamish River flood breaks record after 6 inches of rain". The Everett Herald . Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  11. Zhou, Amanda (December 7, 2023). "In tiny Silvana, flooding is a way of life. It's getting worse". The Seattle Times . Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.