The Calawah River is a 31 mi (50 km)[2] tributary of the Bogachiel River in Clallam County in the U.S. state of Washington, on its Olympic Peninsula.[3] Its two major tributaries are the South and North Forks Calawah River.[4] The river drains an unpopulated portion of the low foothills of the Olympic Mountains; its entire watershed consists of virgin forest.[5] The river drains 129 square miles (330 km2) above U.S. Highway 101, which crosses the river about 6.6 miles (10.6 km) upstream of its mouth.[6]

Calawah River
Calawah River, looking upstream from the US Highway 101 bridge
Map
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
RegionClallam County, Washington
Physical characteristics
SourceOlympic Mountains
 • locationOlympic Peninsula
 • coordinates47°58′14″N 124°20′03″W / 47.97056°N 124.33417°W / 47.97056; -124.33417
MouthBogachiel River
 • coordinates
47°55′58″N 124°26′51″W / 47.93278°N 124.44750°W / 47.93278; -124.44750
 • elevation
26 ft (7.9 m)
Length31 mi (50 km)
Basin size160 sq mi (410 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationUSGS gage 12043000 at river mile 6.6, near Forks, WA[1]
 • average1,048 cu ft/s (29.7 m3/s)[1]
 • minimum15 cu ft/s (0.42 m3/s)
 • maximum38,100 cu ft/s (1,080 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftSouth Fork Calawah River
 • rightNorth Fork Calawah River

The river's name comes from the Quileute word qàló?wa:, meaning "in between",[7] or "middle river".[8]

The highway 101 bridge over the Calawah River, near Forks, Washington

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Water-Data Report 2008, 12043000 Calawah River near Forks, WA" (PDF). USGS. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  2. ^ "Physical characteristics of selected rivers draining the Olympic Peninsula, Washington". Archived from the original on 2009-05-13. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  3. ^ Landes, Henry (1917). Bulletin. Washington Geological Survey, p. 88
  4. ^ "Calawah River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  5. ^ Wood, Robert (2000). Olympic Mountains Trail Guide: National Park and National Forest. The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 0-89886-618-9, p. 310
  6. ^ "Calawah River Streamflow for Forks, Washington". National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  7. ^ Bright, William (2007). Native American placenames of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-8061-3598-4.
  8. ^ Parratt, Smitty (1984). Gods & goblins: A Field Guide to Place Names of Olympic National Park. CP Publications. p. 18. ISBN 0-914195-00-X.