Newaukum River
Encyclopedia
The Newaukum River is a tributary of the Chehalis River
in the U.S. state
of Washington. It has three main branches, the North Fork, South Fork, and Middle Fork Newaukum Rivers. The length of the three forks and the mainstem river is 56.7 miles (91.2 km).
The river's name comes from the Upper Chehalis
word náwaqwəm, meaning "big prairie".
, the Newaukum River empties into the Chehalis River, at Chehalis river mile
75.2.
, at 46.6664942°N 122.4759475°W. It flows generally west. It exits the mountains and enters broad valleys and prairie lands, flowing by the community of Onalaska
. The river turns north in Newaukum Prairie and joins the North Fork to form the mainstem Newaukum River.
The cities of Chehalis
and Centralia
divert part of the North Fork's waters for municipal use at river mile
12.5
, Coho salmon
, and other fish.
Chehalis River (U.S.)
The Chehalis River is a river in Washington in the United States. It originates in several forks in southwestern Washington, flows east, then north, then west, in a large curve, before emptying into Grays Harbor, an estuary of the Pacific Ocean.-Course:...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington. It has three main branches, the North Fork, South Fork, and Middle Fork Newaukum Rivers. The length of the three forks and the mainstem river is 56.7 miles (91.2 km).
The river's name comes from the Upper Chehalis
Chehalis (tribe)
The Chehalis people are a native people of westernWashington state in the United States. They should not be confused with the similarly named Chehalis First Nation of the Harrison River in the Fraser Valley area of British Columbia....
word náwaqwəm, meaning "big prairie".
Mainstem
Formed by the confluence of the North and South Forks in Newaukum Prairie, the mainstem Newaukum River flows generally west and north. After 10.9 miles (17.5 km), near the city of ChehalisChehalis, Washington
Chehalis is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,259 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County.-History:...
, the Newaukum River empties into the Chehalis River, at Chehalis river mile
River mile
In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...
75.2.
South Fork
The South Fork Newaukum River originates at Newaukum Lake in the Cascade RangeCascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
, at 46.6664942°N 122.4759475°W. It flows generally west. It exits the mountains and enters broad valleys and prairie lands, flowing by the community of Onalaska
Onalaska, Washington
-Use of the name Onalaska in the United States:The name for the community comes from the poem, "The Pleasures of Hope" by Scottish poet Thomas Campbell...
. The river turns north in Newaukum Prairie and joins the North Fork to form the mainstem Newaukum River.
North Fork
The North Fork Newaukum River originates in the Cascade Range at 46.7073263°N 122.5876178°W. It flows generally west for approximately 19 miles (30.6 km) miles, entering a broad valley near its confluence with Mitchell Creek, after which it flows south and southwest. In Newaukum Prairie it is joined by the Middle Fork Newaukum River. Shortly below the Middle Fork confluence the North Fork joins the South Fork to form the mainstem Newaukum River.The cities of Chehalis
Chehalis, Washington
Chehalis is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,259 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County.-History:...
and Centralia
Centralia, Washington
Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 16,336 at the 2010 census.-History:In pioneer days, Centralia was the halfway stopover point for stagecoaches operating between the Columbia River and Seattle. In 1850, J. G. Cochran came from Missouri with his...
divert part of the North Fork's waters for municipal use at river mile
River mile
In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...
12.5
Middle Fork
The Middle Fork Newaukum River, the shortest of the three forks, originates at 46.6345496°N 122.6540061°W. It flows southwest into Alpha Prairie. It turns west and flows through hillier terrain before entering the Newaukum Prairie and emptying into the North Fork Newaukum River.Natural history
The mainstem river and some of its forks and tributaries support both spring and fall Chinook salmonChinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
, Coho salmon
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
, and other fish.