The Cispus River is about 54 miles (87 km) long[3] and flows into the Cowlitz River at Lake Scanewa in the Cascade Range of Washington.[5] Its tributaries drain most of south-central and southeastern Lewis County, extreme northeast Skamania County, and some of western Yakima County.
| Cispus River | |
|---|---|
 Bridge at Forest Service Road 2306 | |
  Location of the mouth of the Cispus River in Washington  Cispus River (the United States) | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Lewis, Skamania |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Goat Rocks Wilderness |
| • location | Cascade Range |
| • coordinates | 46°29′41″N 121°25′45″W / 46.49472°N 121.42917°W[2] |
| Mouth | Cowlitz River |
• location | Lake Scanewa |
• coordinates | 46°28′35″N 122°5′39″W / 46.47639°N 122.09417°W[1] |
• elevation | 833 ft (254 m)[1] |
| Length | 54 mi (87 km)[3] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | river mile 17.4 near Randle[4] |
| • average | 1,001 cu ft/s (28.3 m3/s)[4] |
| • minimum | 165 cu ft/s (4.7 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 9,800 cu ft/s (280 m3/s) |
History
editThe river was the location of a site known to the Upper Cowlitz tribe as "Yuyutla". Translated as "person who shouts", the location was used by various other Native American groups in the region for thousands of years. Archeological studies started in the late 20th century provided evidence of tool building and hunting at the site which is thought to be located near Randle on a trail leading from a nearby campground. Research also included the find of a long-serving communal shelter and work site at Layser Cave.[6][7]
German settlers in the mid-1800s founded the homestead community of Rhine, named after the river in Germany, which was located on the river near Cowlitz Falls. The community, which became a ghost town, renamed itself to Cispus.[8]
Course
editThe main stem begins in Lewis County in a high, glacial valley to the north of Snowgrass Flats in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, located on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. From here the river flows in a southwesterly direction and takes on the waters of several important headwater tributaries such as Walupt Creek.
About 40 miles (64 km) from its mouth, the Cispus River receives Muddy Fork from the left.[3] Muddy Fork starts 7 miles (11 km) from this junction, at Mount Adams' Lava Glacier and is named for the glacial debris and silt in the water which give the river a muddy appearance. The Cispus River flows through a heavily forested valley, much of the forest regrown after the Cispus Burn, which occurred the first decade of the 20th century and consumed most of the lower drainage.
The rushing Canyon Creek enters the river originating high on the slopes of Mount Adams. A few miles down the North Fork Cispus enters the main branch about 20 miles (32 km) from its start. From here on, the Cispus River flows westerly, passing campgrounds and trails in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Two tributaries, Yellowjacket and McCoy Creeks, flow into the river from the south about midway though its course. Beyond here, the river passes beneath Tower Rock, a prominent quartz diorite monolith on the south side of the river. Soon after this the river leaves the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and enters the Weyerhaeuser Cowlitz Tree Farm. The Cispus River ends its course entering the Cowlitz River at Lake Scanewa, just upstream from Cowlitz Falls and Riffe Lake.
Ecology and environment
editThe watershed is populated by hundreds of trees known as "basket trees", where the bark was used by indigenous people to create a variety of containers.[6] Near Randle, the Cispus watershed contains old-growth Douglas fir forests, hosting trees up to 600-years old. Other timber species include alder, cedar, hemlock, and maple.[7]
There is a stream flow monitoring station on the river which sends its data live to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Parks and recreation
editThe Cispus is host to the Cowlitz Falls Park, a day use area situated near its junction with Lake Scanewa.[9] Whitewater rafting also takes place on the Cispus River.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cispus River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cispus River
- ^ a b c United States Geological Survey. "United States Topographic Map". TopoQuest. Retrieved January 27, 2013. River miles are marked and numbered on the relevant map quadrangles.
- ^ a b "Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005; Cowlitz River Basin; 14231900 Cispus River above Yellowjacket Creek, near Randle, WA" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ^ "Cowlitz Falls Project". Lewis County Public Utility District. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
- ^ a b Emerson, Amy (May 3, 2003). "Digging up the past: East Lewis County man preserves ancient heritage of Gifford Pinchot National Forest". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Rose, Buddy (April 15, 2005). "Barrier-free trail". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ "Rhine After German River". June 6, 1953. p. 3D. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ Rose, Buddy (October 29, 2004). "Coho bring anglers to Lake Scanewa". The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington). Retrieved February 7, 2024.