Whychus Creek

Whychus Creek
Whychus Creek is located in Oregon
Whychus Creek
Location of the mouth of Whychus Creek in Oregon
EtymologyNative American (Indian) name for the creek, according to 19th-century surveyor, Robert S. Williamson[2]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyDeschutes and Jefferson
Physical characteristics
SourceBroken Top, Cascade Range
 • locationDeschutes National Forest, Deschutes County
 • coordinates44°05′21″N 121°41′36″W / 44.08917°N 121.69333°W / 44.08917; -121.69333[1]
 • elevation7,617 ft (2,322 m)[3]
MouthDeschutes River
 • location
Crooked River National Grassland, Jefferson County
 • coordinates
44°27′35″N 121°20′07″W / 44.45972°N 121.33528°W / 44.45972; -121.33528[1]
 • elevation
2,110 ft (640 m)[1]
Basin size253 sq mi (660 km2)[4]
TypeWild, Scenic
DesignatedOctober 28, 1988

Whychus Creek is a tributary of the Deschutes River in Deschutes and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Oregon.[5] Formerly named Squaw Creek, considered derogatory in the 21st century,[2] it was renamed in 2006.[6] Explorer John C. Frémont camped along the stream in 1843 but did not identify it by name. Robert S. Williamson, a surveyor who camped there in 1855, said its Indian (Native American) name was Why-chus.[2]

  1. ^ a b c "Whychus Creek". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 907. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  3. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  4. ^ Upper Deschutes Watershed Council (2009). "Whychus Creek Restoration Monitoring Plan" (PDF). Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. p. 1. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  5. ^ "Whychus Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  6. ^ "Sisters Country Timeline". Sisters Country Historical Society. 1996. Retrieved May 1, 2012.