Pistol River

This article is about the stream in Oregon. For the nearby community, see Pistol River, Oregon. For the viewpoint, see Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint.

Pistol River
Aerial view of the river's mouth At the river mouth
Name origin: A pistol lost in the river in 1853
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Curry
Source	near Sugarloaf Mountain
- location	Siskiyou National Forest, Southern Oregon Coast Range
- elevation	3,179 ft (969 m)
- coordinates
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
- location	Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, near Pistol River
- elevation	7 ft (2 m)
- coordinates
Length	21 mi (34 km)
Basin	105.1 sq mi (272.2 km2)
The Pistol River watershed The Pistol River watershed
Location of the mouth of the Pistol River in Oregon

File:Pistol River mouth.jpg

Pistol river mouth seen from space

The Pistol River is a coastal stream that meanders for through the Southern Oregon Coast Range to the Pacific Ocean near the unincorporated community of Pistol River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Flowing generally southwest from its origin near Sugarloaf Mountain in the Siskiyou National Forest, the river enters the sea at Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, south of Gold Beach. The river received its name after pioneer James Mace lost his pistol in it in 1853.

The Pistol River supports populations of chinook salmon, threatened coho salmon, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. The river flows generally through forests where logging has damaged the fish habitat. Work to restore the habitat is ongoing.

Course

From its headwaters in the forest, the river flows south at first, receiving Meadow Creek from the left and then the East Fork Pistol River, also from the left. Turning southwest, it receives the North Fork Pistol River from the right and Sunrise Creek from the left about from the mouth before turning west toward the ocean. South Fork Pistol River enters from the left, then Deep Creek and Glade Creek, both from the right about 5 miles (8 km) from the mouth. Crook Creek enters from the right at the community of Pistol River, where the river passes under Pistol River Loop Highway and then U.S. Route 101 before entering the Pacific Ocean at Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint.

Watershed

The Pistol River's watershed encompasses approximately of Curry County. As of 2001, about 57 percent of the basin was public land managed by the United States Forest Service (52 percent) and the Bureau of Land Management (5 percent). About 43 percent of the basin was privately owned. Forestry, whether public or private, was the dominant land use, involving 97 percent of the watershed. The remaining 3 percent was used for farming, livestock grazing, and rural homes.

See also

• List of rivers of Oregon

External links

• Pistol River Watershed

• McArthur & McArthur 2003, p. 767.
• Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
• McGuire 2001, pp. 2–3.
• McGuire 2001, p. 1.
• Sheehan 2005, p. 81.
• McGuire 2001, pp. 37–38.
• The maps include river mile (RM) markers for the stream's lowermost . Relevant quadrangles from mouth to source include Cape Sebastian, Sundown Mountain, Collier Butte, and Quosantana Butte.