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- Alternate meanings: Deschutes River (disambiguation)
The Deschutes River is a river which runs through central Oregon and is a major tributary to the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many of the tributaries that descend from the eastern, drier flank of the mountains. It provided a major route to and from the Columbia for Native Americans and later pioneers on the Oregon Trail. It flows mostly through rugged and arid country and its valley provides a cultural heart for central Oregon. Today the river provides irrigation and is a popular in the summer for whitewater rafting and fishing.
Description
The headwaters of the Deschutes River is Little Lava Lake, a lake in the Cascade Mountains located approximately 26 miles northwest of the city of LaPine. The river flows south into Crane Prairie Reservoir then into a second reservoir (the Wickiup Reservoir, from there it heads in a northeasterly direction past the resort community of Sunriver into the city of Bend. In Bend, much of the river's waters are diverted for irrigation; as a result, the river is a much smaller stream leaving the city of Bend than it is entering it.
The river continues north from Bend, past the city of Redmond. As it heads north through the Central Oregon desert; the river begins to carve a gorge. By the time it reaches Lake Billy Chinook west of Madras, the river is approximately 300 feet below the surrounding plateau. At Lake Billy Chinook (a lake formed by Round Butte Dam), the river is joined by the Crooked and Metolius rivers.
Beyond the dam, the river continues to flow north in a gorge well below the surrounding countryside. It passes through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, including the city of Warm Springs and the Kah-Nee-Tah resort. The northern stretch, in and around the city of Maupin is a highly-regarded whitewater stream. The river ends at its confluence with the Columbia, five miles southwest of Biggs Junction.
History
The river was named Riviere des Chutes or Riviere aux Chutes, French for River of the Falls, during the period of fur trading. The waterfall it referred to was the Celilo Falls on the Columbia River, near where the Deschutes flowed into it. (These falls no longer exist; having been innundated by the lake behind The Dalles Dam).
Lewis and Clark encountered the river on October 22, 1805 and referred to it by the Native American name Towarnehiooks; on their return journey they gave it the new name Clarks River. During the middle 19th century, the river was major obstacle for emigrants on the Oregon Trail. The major crossing point on the river was near its mouth in present-day Deschutes River State Recreation Area. Many emigrants camped on the bluff on the west side of the river after making the crossing. The remains of the trail leading up to the top of the bluff are still visible.
Fishing
The river is world renowned for its fly fishing. It is home to a unique wild and native strain of rainbow trout known locally as "redsides." The redsides grow larger than most and also have a distinct darker red stripe than most wild rainbow trout.
Fly fishermen come from around the world in the last two weeks in May through the first two weeks in June to take advantage of the Stone fly and Salmon Fly hatch. These bugs are in the river year-round, however their large adults are a major food source for the fish.
River use
Much of the flow of the upper Deschutes River is diverted into canals to irrigate farmland; Irrigation Districts take as much as 97% of the river's flow in the summer months. The growth of cites like Bend and Redmond also increased demand on the river's water, which is overallocated. Because the existing canals lose about 65% of their water due to leaks and evaporation, there is pressure to convert these canals into pipelines, a move that is resisted by many locals for historic or scenic reasons.
The lower river is used primarily for recreation. The Deschutes river also runs South to North, which is unusual in the U.S. (though several other tribuataries of the Columbia River in Oregon, including the Willamette and the John Day rivers, also flow in a northerly direction.)
See also
"Deschutes River"