Sprague River (Oregon)

The Sprague River is a tributary of the Williamson River, approximately 75 miles (121 km) long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains an arid volcanic plateau region east of the Cascade Range in the watershed of the Klamath River.

For other places with the same name, see Sprague River.
Sprague River
The lower Sprague River
Sprague River and vicinity
Sprague River (Oregon) is located in Oregon
Sprague River (Oregon)
Location of the mouth of the Sprague River in Oregon
EtymologyCapt. F.B. Sprague, commander of Fort Klamath in 1866[1]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyKlamath
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of the Sprague River's north and south forks
 • locationnear Bly, Klamath County, Oregon
 • coordinates42°26′16″N 121°06′34″W[2]
 • elevation4,325 ft (1,318 m)[3]
MouthWilliamson River
 • location
Chiloquin, Klamath County, Oregon
 • coordinates
42°34′16″N 121°52′28″W[2]
 • elevation
4,163 ft (1,269 m)[2]
Basin size1,565 sq mi (4,050 km2)[4]
Discharge 
 • location1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of Chiloquin, 5.4 miles (8.7 km) from mouth[4]
 • average580 cu ft/s (16 m3/s)[4]
 • minimum50 cu ft/s (1.4 m3/s)
 • maximum14,900 cu ft/s (420 m3/s)
Official nameSprague River (North Fork)
TypeScenic
DesignatedOctober 28, 1988

It is formed by the confluence of its north and south forks in eastern Klamath County, approximately 35 miles (56 km) east-northeast of Klamath Falls at 42.437650°N 121.109435°W / 42.437650; -121.109435 (Sprague River source). The North Fork Sprague River, 30 miles (48 km), rises in southwestern Lake County in the Fremont National Forest near Gearhart Mountain at 42.5287618°N 120.8183115°W / 42.5287618; -120.8183115 (North Fork Sprague River source) and flows southwest. The South Fork Sprague River, 30 miles (48 km), rises northeast of Quartz Mountain Pass at 42.4815400°N 120.7869201°W / 42.4815400; -120.7869201 (South Fork Sprague River source) and flows west-northwest. The combined stream flows west through the broad Sprague Valley, past the small communities of Bly, Beatty, and Sprague River. It joins the Williamson from the east at Chiloquin, about 10 miles (16 km) north of the mouth of the Williamson on Upper Klamath Lake at 42.5712475°N 121.8744593°W / 42.5712475; -121.8744593 (Sprague River mouth).

It receives the Sycan River from the north at Beatty. Superb trout fishing exists in the Sprague and its tributaries.

See also

References
  1. McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003). Oregon Geographic Names, Seventh Edition. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 904. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  2. "Sprague River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 1980-11-28. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  3. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  4. "Water-Data Report 2007: 11501000 Sprague River near Chiloquin, OR" (pdf). United States Geological Survey. 2007. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
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