The Big River is a tributary of the Coast Fork Willamette River, approximately 12 miles (19 km) long, in western Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of the Calapooya Mountains south of Eugene.[3]

Big River
Big River (Oregon) is located in Oregon
Big River (Oregon)
Location of the mouth of the Big River in Oregon
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyLane and Douglas
Physical characteristics
SourceCalapooya Mountains
 • locationDouglas County, Oregon
 • coordinates43°32′25″N 122°53′52″W / 43.54028°N 122.89778°W / 43.54028; -122.89778[1]
 • elevation3,288 ft (1,002 m)[2]
MouthCoast Fork Willamette River
 • location
Lane County, Oregon
 • coordinates
43°35′43″N 123°04′03″W / 43.59528°N 123.06750°W / 43.59528; -123.06750[1]
 • elevation
1,004 ft (306 m)[1]
Length12 mi (19 km)[3]

It rises in northern Douglas County, northwest of Huckleberry Mountain, approximately 20 miles (32 km) south-southeast of Cottage Grove at 43°32′25″N 122°53′52″W / 43.540398°N 122.897840°W / 43.540398; -122.897840 (Big River source). It flows northwest through Lane County to form the Coast Fork of the Willamette at its confluence with the Little River, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Cottage Grove at 43°35′43″N 123°04′03″W / 43.5953987°N 123.0675727°W / 43.5953987; -123.0675727 (Garoutte Creek mouth)[1][3]

Course

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Flowing northwest from the northern flanks of the Calapooya Mountains in Douglas County, Big River enters Lane County about 1 mile (1.6 km) downstream from the source. Box Canyon enters from the right at about river mile (RM) 9 or river kilometer (RK) 14. Big River receives Boulder Creek from the left, then Edwards Creek enters from the right at about RM 6 (RK 10). After receiving Bar Creek from the left and Martin Creek from the right, Big River meets Little River to form the Coast Fork Willamette River about 40 miles (64 km) from where the larger stream meets the Middle Fork Willamette River to form the Willamette River.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Big River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  2. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. ^ a b c d United States Geological Survey (USGS). "United States Geological Survey Topographic Map". TopoQuest. Retrieved July 26, 2010. The maps, which include river mile (RM) markers for the lower 11 miles (18 km) of the river, cover the following quadrants from mouth to source: Harness Mountain, Burnt Mountain
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