Cottonwood River is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Fraser River

Fraser River

The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...

 in the Central Interior of British Columbia

British Columbia Interior

The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Rising at the confluence of the Swift River and Lightning Creek

Lightning Creek

Lightning Creek is a waterway in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Much of the city's Southside lies within its watershed. It is a tributary of the Oklahoma River....

 at Coldspring House

Coldspring House

Coldspring House is an unincorporated locality and former roadhouse on the Cariboo Wagon Road in the Cariboo Country of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Located just east of the confluence of Lightning Creek and the Swift River between Quesnel and Barkerville along that route...

 in the Cariboo goldfields

Cariboo Gold Rush

The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Although the first gold discovery was made in 1859 at Horsefly Creek, followed by more strikes at Keithley Creek and Antler Horns lake in 1860, the actual rush did not begin until 1861, when these discoveries were...

 of the northern Cariboo Plateau

Cariboo Plateau

The Cariboo Plateau is a volcanic plateau in south-central British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Fraser Plateau that itself is a northward extension of the North American Plateau...

, it flows northwest and then turns southwest to join the Fraser just north of the city of Quesnel

Quesnel, British Columbia

-Demographics:Quesnel had a population of 9,326 people in 2006, which was a decrease of 7.1% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Quesnel was $54,044, which is slightly above the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709....

, which is at the confluence of the Quesnel River

Quesnel River

The Quesnel River is a major tributary of the Fraser River in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia. It begins at the outflow of Quesnel Lake, at the town of Likely and flows for about northwest to its confluence with the Fraser at the city of Quesnel.- History :Just downstream from...

 with the Fraser.

It is the namesake of the settlement of Cottonwood

Cottonwood, British Columbia

Cottonwood, including the Cottonwood Ranch and Cottonwood House, is an unincorporated settlement in the North Cariboo region of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada...

, located 8 km northwest of its origin at the confluence of Lightning Creek and the Swift, and also of Cottonwood House, a heritage property adjoining the settlement, which is situated along the highway from Quesnel to Wells

Wells, British Columbia

Wells is a small mining and tourist town in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia, located on BC Highway 26, 74 km from Quesnel and 8 km before the highway's terminus at Barkerville...

 and the museum town and former "capital" of the Cariboo Gold Rush, Barkerville. Cottonwood House was a road house on the last leg of the Cariboo Wagon Road, which ran from Yale

Yale, British Columbia

Yale is an unincorporated town in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was founded in 1848 by the Hudson's Bay Company as Fort Yale by Ovid Allard, the appointed manager of the new post, who named it after his superior, James Murray Yale, then Chief Factor of the Columbia District...

 north to Quesnel and then turned east to reach Barkerville and is now a historic park and small museum. Also named for the river is the Cottonwood Canyon

Cottonwood Canyon (Fraser River)

Cottonwood Canyon is a canyon along the Fraser River in the North Cariboo region of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is located west of the Cariboo Mountains on the Fraser River south of its confluence with the east-flowing West Road River and north of its confluence with the...

, which lies along the Fraser to the north of the Cottonwood's confluence.

Cottonwood River Provincial Park

Cottonwood River Provincial Park

Cottonwood River Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located northeast of the confluence of the Quesnel and Cottonwood Rivers in that province's North Cariboo region.-See also:*Cottonwood Canyon*Cottonwood, British Columbia...

is situated to the northeast of the confluence of the Quesnel and Cottonwood Rivers.