Crooked Creek (Wenaha River tributary) explained

Crooked Creek
Map:Wenaha river map.png
Pushpin Map:USA Oregon
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of the mouth of Crooked Creek in Oregon
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United States
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:Washington, Oregon
Length:13.4miles
Source1:Blue Mountains
Source1 Location:Columbia County, Washington
Source1 Coordinates:46.0878°N -117.6692°W[1]
Source1 Elevation:5240feet
Mouth:Wenaha River
Mouth Location:Wallowa County, Oregon
Mouth Coordinates:45.9769°N -117.5531°W
Mouth Elevation:1906feet

Crooked Creek is a 13.4miles[2] tributary of the Wenaha River, flowing through southeast Washington and northeast Oregon in the United States. Beginning at McBain Spring in the Blue Mountains of Columbia County, Washington,[3] it flows south then turns east, entering Garfield County.[4] It then turns south again, entering Wallowa County, Oregon, and joins the Wenaha River about 5miles upstream of Troy.[5]

The creek and its tributaries form a network of canyons cut into the horizontal basalt layers of the Blue Mountains. The entirety of the creek flows within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness of the Umatilla National Forest. Its major tributaries, listed from upstream to downstream, are Third, Second, Cherry, Melton and First Creeks, all joining from the left.[3] [4] The 19miles Crooked Creek Trail begins at the crest of the Blue Mountains at Indian Corral, and descends to the Wenaha River via Trout, Third and Crooked Creeks. Much of the area was burned during the 2015 Grizzly Bear Complex fire.[6] [7]

It was historically called the "Crooked Fork" of the Wenaha River.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. 1119561. Crooked Creek. November 28, 1980. February 18, 2024.
  2. United States Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed February 2, 2024
  3. Web site: U.S. Geological Survey Topographic Map: Oregon Butte, Washington quad . U.S. Geological Survey . TopoQuest . February 18, 2024.
  4. Web site: U.S. Geological Survey Topographic Map: Diamond Peak, Washington quad . U.S. Geological Survey . TopoQuest . February 18, 2024.
  5. Web site: U.S. Geological Survey Topographic Map: Eden Ridge, Oregon quad . U.S. Geological Survey . TopoQuest . February 18, 2024.
  6. Web site: Crooked Creek Trail. U.S. Forest Service. February 19, 2024.
  7. Web site: Crooked Creek. Washington Trails Association. February 19, 2024.
  8. Book: A Geographic Dictionary of Washington. Landes, Henry. Frank M. Lanborn. 1917. 9780722247266.