John Day River (northwestern Oregon)

John Day River
Name origin: John Day of the Astor–Hunt party of 1811–12 [1]
Country United States
State Oregon
County Clatsop
Source Northern Oregon Coast Range
 - location Clatsop State Forest
 - elevation 467 ft (142 m) [2]
 - coordinates 46°08′20″N 123°42′17″W / 46.13889°N 123.70472°W / 46.13889; -123.70472 [3]
Mouth Columbia River
 - location Cathlamet Bay
 - elevation 3 ft (1 m) [3]
 - coordinates 46°10′53″N 123°44′26″W / 46.18139°N 123.74056°W / 46.18139; -123.74056Coordinates: 46°10′53″N 123°44′26″W / 46.18139°N 123.74056°W / 46.18139; -123.74056 [3]
Location of the mouth of the John Day River in Oregon
This article is about the John Day River in northwestern Oregon. There is also a John Day River in eastern Oregon.

The John Day River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 6 miles (10 km) long, in northwestern Oregon in the United States. The river rises in the Northern Oregon Coast Range in Clatsop County[4] at 46°08′20″N 123°42′17″W / 46.138889°N 123.704722°W / 46.138889; -123.704722 (John Day River source).[3]

Flowing generally north, the river enters the Columbia at John Day Point, east of Tongue Point and about 4 miles (7 km) east of Astoria.[4] It passes under U.S. Route 30 near the unincorporated community of John Day[4] (not to be confused with the city of the same name in Grant County). The mouth of the river is about 15 miles (24 km) upstream from the mouth of the Columbia on the Pacific. The John Day River has only one named tributary, Jack Creek, which enters from the left.[4]

The river is named for John Day, a hunter and fur trapper who took part in William Price Hunt's overland expedition for John Jacob Astor in 1811–12.[5] John Day Point takes its name from the river, as did a former railway station in the vicinity.[1] Lewis and Clark, who camped near here in 1805, referred to the river as Kekemarke, their version of a Native American name.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 513. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  2. ↑ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "John Day River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved January 24, 2016 – via Acme Mapper.
  5. ↑ Topinka, Lyn. "John Day River (Clatsop County, Oregon)". Columbia River Images. Retrieved January 25, 2016.

External links


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