Santiam River

The Santiam River (san-tee-AM) is a tributary of the Willamette River, approximately 10 miles (16 km) long, in western Oregon in the United States. Through its two principal tributaries, the North Santiam and the South Santiam rivers, it drains a large area of the Cascade Range at the eastern side of the Willamette Valley east of Salem and Corvallis.

The main course of the river is short, formed in the Willamette Valley by the confluence of the North and South Santiam rivers on the border between Linn and Marion counties approximately 8 mi (13 km) northeast of Albany. It flows generally WNW in a slow meandering course to join the Willamette from the east approximately 8 mi (13 km) north of Albany.

Both the North and South Santiam rise in high Cascades in eastern Linn County. The Middle Santiam River joins the South Santiam where the South Santiam is impounded to form Foster Lake. The North Santiam is impounded to form the 400-ft (120 m) deep Detroit Lake in the Cascades. The Santiam is a major source of water supply for Salem.

Santiam City was a small community built along the river's banks during Oregon's settlement in the 1850s, but was destroyed by the Great Willamette Flood of 1861 which crested on December 21861. [The Great Willamette Flood of 1861 also destroyed and .] [ cite web
url = http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=06CA6808-E26A-5869-A052252B0B835B04
title = The Great Flood of 1861
author = Cain Allen
publisher = Oregon Historical Society
work = The Oregon History Project
date = 2004
accessdate = 2007-11-22 ] [ cite web
url = http://www.oregonpioneers.com/Flood_1861.htm
title = Marion County Flood of 1861
author = Stephenie Flora
work = The Oregon Territory and Its Pioneers
accessdate = 2007-11-22 ]

ee also

*List of Oregon rivers

References

External links