| Siuslaw River | |
| Name Etymology: | From a Yakonan name for a locality, tribe or chief[1] |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Oregon |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the Siuslaw River in Oregon |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Oregon |
| Subdivision Type4: | County |
| Subdivision Name4: | Lane |
| Length: | 110miles[2] |
| Discharge1 Location: | near Mapleton, 23.7miles from the mouth[3] |
| Discharge1 Min: | 45cuft/s |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 1974cuft/s |
| Discharge1 Max: | 49400cuft/s |
| Source1: | Central Oregon Coast Range |
| Source1 Location: | about 10miles west of Cottage Grove |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 43.8231°N -123.2617°W[4] |
| Source1 Elevation: | 636feet[5] |
| Mouth: | Pacific Ocean |
| Mouth Location: | Florence |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 44.0169°N -124.1372°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 0feet |
| Basin Size: | 773sqmi[6] |
The Siuslaw River [7] is a river, about 110miles long, that flows to the Pacific Ocean coast of Oregon in the United States.[2] It drains an area of about 773mi2 in the Central Oregon Coast Range southwest of the Willamette Valley and north of the watershed of the Umpqua River.[6]
It rises in the mountains of southwestern Lane County, about 10miles west of Cottage Grove.[8] It flows generally west-northwest through the mountains, past Swisshome, entering the Pacific at Florence.[8] The head of tide is 26miles upstream.[9]
It is part of the homeland of the Siuslaw people, after whom it is named.[10] Citizens of the Siuslaw nation lived in villages along the river until 1860 when they were forcibly removed to an Indian reservation in Yachats whereupon their homes, farms, gardens and villages were destroyed and occupied by U.S. settler-colonists.[10]
The valley of the river has been one of the productive timber regions in Oregon. The lower course of the river passes through Siuslaw National Forest.
The Coos Bay branch of the Coos Bay Rail Link crosses many bridges as it follows the narrow, winding valley of the Siuslaw River to the swing bridge at Cushman.
The river has historically been a spawning ground for Chinook and coho salmon. Although the Chinook population is substantial, coho numbers have declined from an annual average of 209,000 fish between 1889 and 1896 to just over 3,000 fish between 1990 and 1995. The estuary of the river is surrounded by extensive wetlands that are a significant habitat for migratory birds along the coast.[11] [12] It is one of the very few Western Oregon rivers where all major forks are undammed.[13]