Gales Creek (Oregon)
Encyclopedia
Gales Creek, is a tributary
, 23.5 miles (37.8 km) long, of the Tualatin River
in Washington County
, Oregon
, United States
. The headwaters of Gales Creek are on the north side of the mountain Round Top
in the Northern Oregon Coast Range
. The community of Gales Creek, Oregon
, is near the creek, which further downstream forms the southwest border of the city of Forest Grove
.
Finger Creek and Coffee Creek enter in quick succession before Gales Creek passes under Route 6 and flows by Gales Creek Children's Camp, passes under Route 6 again and then County Road 374 before reaching the community of Glenwood
and receiving Beaver Creek from the left 18 miles (29 km) from the mouth. Turning south, the creek receives Bateman Creek from the right about 2 miles (3.2 km) below Glenwood. Gales Creek turns to the southeast, and Lyda Creek enters from the right before Gales Creek passes under Route 6 for the third time and receives White Creek from the right. At this point, Gales Creek is flowing parallel to Oregon Route 8, which is on the stream's right.
Passing under Parson Road Bridge, the creek receives Little Beaver Creek from the left before passing under Clapshaw Hill Road Bridge and receiving Fir Creek from the right and passing under Route 8 at the community of Gales Creek. Here Iller Creek enters from the right at RM 11.44 (RK 18.41). Flowing south, Gales Creek receives Clear Creek from the right, Kelley Creek from the left, and Godfrey Creek from the right in quick succession. It then passes under Roderick Road Bridge and receives Roderick Creek from the right 7.7 miles (12.4 km) from the mouth.
Trending southeast again, the creek passes under Stringtown Road Bridge before receiving Prickett Creek from the right and passing under Ritchey Road Bridge at RM 3.66 (RK 5.89). It then flows along the southwest side of Forest Grove, passing an Oregon Water Resources Department
(OWRD) stream gauge
2.36 miles (3.8 km) from the mouth at the Oregon Route 47 Bridge. Shortly thereafter, the creek flows under a Southern Pacific Railroad bridge, continues about another 1.5 miles (2.4 km), and empties into the Tualatin River about 57 miles (91.7 km) from its confluence with the Willamette River
.
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...
, 23.5 miles (37.8 km) long, of the Tualatin River
Tualatin River
The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River located in Oregon in the United States. The river is approximately long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley...
in Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The headwaters of Gales Creek are on the north side of the mountain Round Top
Round Top (Oregon)
Round Top is a mountain in Washington County, Oregon in the Northern Oregon Coast Range and is located west of Timber, on Oregon Route 6 and south of South Saddle Mountain.From 1933 to 1946, the summit was the site of a fire lookout tower and cabin....
in the Northern Oregon Coast Range
Northern Oregon Coast Range
The Northern Oregon Coast Range is the northern section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, located in the northwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States. This section of the mountain range, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, contains peaks as high...
. The community of Gales Creek, Oregon
Gales Creek, Oregon
Gales Creek is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States on Oregon Route 8 northwest of Forest Grove in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range....
, is near the creek, which further downstream forms the southwest border of the city of Forest Grove
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
.
Course
Gales Creek arises at an elevation of 2387 feet (727.6 m) above sea level and falls 2233 feet (680.6 m) between source and mouth to an elevation of 154 feet (46.9 m). The stream begins at river mile (RM) 23.5 or river kilometer (RK) 37.8 on the north side of Round Top, a mountain in the Northern Oregon Coast Range. Lying entirely within Washington County, the creek at first flows west, then south, then east just before reaching Gales Creek Forest Park, on the left, and receiving Low Divide Creek from the right at RM 22.76 (RK 36.63). Downstream of the park, Oregon Route 6 is on the right as the stream receives North Fork Gales Creek from the left and shortly thereafter South Fork Gales Creek from the right 20.7 miles (33.3 km) from the mouth.Finger Creek and Coffee Creek enter in quick succession before Gales Creek passes under Route 6 and flows by Gales Creek Children's Camp, passes under Route 6 again and then County Road 374 before reaching the community of Glenwood
Glenwood, Washington County, Oregon
Glenwood is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States, northwest of Forest Grove on Oregon Route 6.The name Glenwood was first used for this locale around 1880. Glenwood post office was established in 1886, though it was not always in the same location...
and receiving Beaver Creek from the left 18 miles (29 km) from the mouth. Turning south, the creek receives Bateman Creek from the right about 2 miles (3.2 km) below Glenwood. Gales Creek turns to the southeast, and Lyda Creek enters from the right before Gales Creek passes under Route 6 for the third time and receives White Creek from the right. At this point, Gales Creek is flowing parallel to Oregon Route 8, which is on the stream's right.
Passing under Parson Road Bridge, the creek receives Little Beaver Creek from the left before passing under Clapshaw Hill Road Bridge and receiving Fir Creek from the right and passing under Route 8 at the community of Gales Creek. Here Iller Creek enters from the right at RM 11.44 (RK 18.41). Flowing south, Gales Creek receives Clear Creek from the right, Kelley Creek from the left, and Godfrey Creek from the right in quick succession. It then passes under Roderick Road Bridge and receives Roderick Creek from the right 7.7 miles (12.4 km) from the mouth.
Trending southeast again, the creek passes under Stringtown Road Bridge before receiving Prickett Creek from the right and passing under Ritchey Road Bridge at RM 3.66 (RK 5.89). It then flows along the southwest side of Forest Grove, passing an Oregon Water Resources Department
Oregon Water Resources Department
The Oregon Water Resources Department is the chief regulatory agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for management of all surface and ground water in the state, which by statute belongs to the public...
(OWRD) stream gauge
Stream gauge
A stream gauge, stream gage or gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water surface elevation and/or volumetric discharge are generally taken and observations of biota may also be...
2.36 miles (3.8 km) from the mouth at the Oregon Route 47 Bridge. Shortly thereafter, the creek flows under a Southern Pacific Railroad bridge, continues about another 1.5 miles (2.4 km), and empties into the Tualatin River about 57 miles (91.7 km) from its confluence with the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
.
Discharge
The OWRD monitors the flow of Gales Creek at a stream gauge at the Route 47 bridge in Forest Grove. The gauge is 2.36 miles (3.8 km) upstream of the mouth of the creek. The average flow of the creek at this station in 2008, the only full calendar year for which data was available in 2010, was 202 cuft/s. The maximum flow recorded there was 1880 cuft/s on January 11, 2008, and the minimum flow was 6.4 cuft/s on September 17, 2008.Works cited
- Breuner, Nancy; Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (1998). "Gales Creek Watershed Assessment Project". Tualatin River Watershed Council. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- McArthur, Lewis A., and McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names, 7th ed. Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.