Smith River (Umpqua River tributary)

Smith River
Along Lower Smith River Road northeast of Reedsport
Location of the mouth of the Smith River in Oregon
Etymology	Jedediah Smith, early 19th century explorer[2]
Location
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Douglas County
Physical characteristics
Source	Central Oregon Coast Range
• location	north of Drain, Douglas County, Oregon
• coordinates	43°44′25″N 123°20′22″W / 43.74028°N 123.33944°W / 43.74028; -123.33944[1]
• elevation	1,407 ft (429 m)[3]
Mouth	Umpqua River
• location	Reedsport, Douglas County, Oregon
• coordinates	43°44′13″N 124°04′43″W / 43.73694°N 124.07861°W / 43.73694; -124.07861[1]
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)[1]
Length	91 mi (146 km)[4]
Basin size	352 sq mi (910 km2)[4]
Discharge
• average	735 cu ft/s (20.8 m3/s)[4]

The Smith River is a 90-mile (140 km) tributary of the Umpqua River in the U.S. state of Oregon.^[4] It drains 352 square miles (910 km²) of the Central Oregon Coast Range between the watershed of the Umpqua to the south and the Siuslaw River to the north.^[4][5]

Rising in northern Douglas County about 10 miles (16 km) north of Drain, the river flows generally west in a winding course through the mountains, passing through the Siuslaw National Forest for about 10 miles (16 km) in its lower course. It joins the Umpqua from the north across from Reedsport, about 6 miles (10 km) from the mouth of the Umpqua on the Pacific Ocean.^[5]

The river is named for Jedediah Smith, who in 1828 led a party of explorers from Utah overland to northern California and southern Oregon. From California, they traveled north to the Umpqua River, camping along its banks near the mouth of the Smith River on July 13. An attack by Native Americans on July 14 killed 15 of Smith's party. One man escaped by heading north to Tillamook and then Fort Vancouver. Smith and two others who were not in camp at the time of the attack fled east toward the Willamette Valley and survived. The Smith River in California is also named for Smith.^[2]