Middle Santiam River

Middle Santiam River
Sunnyside County Park on the Middle Santiam River.
Middle Santiam River is located in Oregon
Middle Santiam River
Location of the mouth of the Middle Santiam River in Oregon
EtymologyKalapuya tribe that lived near the river until removal to the Grande Ronde Reservation[2]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyLinn
Physical characteristics
SourceIron Mountain
 • locationCascade Range, Willamette National Forest, Linn County, Oregon
 • coordinates44°24′09″N 122°09′43″W / 44.40250°N 122.16194°W / 44.40250; -122.16194[1]
 • elevation4,149 ft (1,265 m)[3]
MouthSouth Santiam River
 • location
Foster Reservoir, Linn County, Oregon
 • coordinates
44°24′58″N 122°38′02″W / 44.41611°N 122.63389°W / 44.41611; -122.63389[1]
 • elevation
640 ft (200 m)[1]
Length39 mi (63 km)[4]
Basin size104 sq mi (270 km2)[5]

The Middle Santiam River is a tributary of the South Santiam River, 38.5 miles (62.0 km) long, in western Oregon in the United States. It drains a remote area of the Cascade Range east of Sweet Home in the watershed of the Willamette River.

It rises in the Cascades in eastern Linn County in the Willamette National Forest, about half a mile west of Iron Mountain. It flows briefly north, then generally west and southwest through the mountains and Middle Santiam Wilderness. In central Linn County it is impounded at the Green Peter Dam to form the Green Peter Reservoir. Approximately 4 miles (6 km) downstream from the dam it joins the South Santiam from the northeast as an arm of Foster Reservoir.

location geolocation usgs map
mouth, Foster Lake 44°24′58″N 122°38′02″W / 44.416235°N 122.633972°W / 44.416235; -122.633972 (Middle Santiam River mouth RM 0) Sweet Home
junction Quartzville Creek
Green Peter Lake
44°28′34″N 122°30′02″W / 44.476235°N 122.500638°W / 44.476235; -122.500638 (Middle Santiam River RM 8.9) Cascadia
RM 15.4 44°30′01″N 122°23′44″W / 44.500401°N 122.395636°W / 44.500401; -122.395636 (Middle Santiam River RM 15.4) Yellowstone Mountain
RM 25.3 44°31′01″N 122°15′02″W / 44.517068°N 122.250632°W / 44.517068; -122.250632 (Middle Santiam River RM 25.3) Chimney Peak
source 44°24′09″N 122°09′43″W / 44.402623°N 122.162015°W / 44.402623; -122.162015 (Middle Santiam River source, RM 38.5) Harter Mountain
  1. ^ a b c "Middle Santiam River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  2. ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003). Oregon Geographic Names (Seventh ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 848. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  3. ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates
  4. ^ United States Geological Survey. "United States Geological Survey Topographic Map". TopoQuest. Retrieved July 25, 2009. The map quadrants include river mile (RM) markers for the river's first 35 miles (56 km). The additional length is approximate.
  5. ^ "Willamette Basin Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs): Chapter 9: South Santiam Subbasin TMDL" (PDF). Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2010.