Flowing Freely EarthCache
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Congratulations to traveyes for the FTF
The Rogue River is once more flowing freely past this point. The Rogue River in southwestern Oregon is one of the nation's most outstanding rivers and the second largest producer of salmon in Oregon outside of the Columbia basin. Because of its scenic beauty, world-class whitewater, and its internationally renowned salmon and steelhead fishery, it was one of the original group of rivers designated as “wild and scenic” with the passage of the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968.
The Rogue River is approximately 215 miles long (you are approximately at mile 93 from the coast at the cache site) and flows in a general westward direction from the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific coast. The river begins at Boundary Springs near Crater Lake national park. Along its course the river receives water from many tributaries such as the South Fork Rogue River, Elk Creek, the Applegate River and the Illinois River. The Rogue River drains water from 5,156 square miles in southern Oregon and northern California. In the 215 miles the river travels it drops a little more than 1 mile in elevation (5,320 feet to be exact).
The Rogue River travels through three mountain ranges of varying ages. It begins in the High Cascades which are geologically young. They are composed of volcanic rock produced between 7.6 million years ago up until the eruption of Mount Mazama (which formed Crater Lake) in 5700 BCE. The Western Cascades merge with the High Cascades to the west. The Western Cascades are much older (as old as 40 million years) than the High Cascades. The river has created steep narrow gorges and rapids through these mountains. Bear Creek marks the boundary where the Rogue crosses from the High Cascades to the Klamath Mountains which are even more ancient (150-130 million years old) than the upstream mountains. These mountains were formed as the tectonic plates along the west coast collided.
From the coordinates you can see where the old Savage Rapids Dam once stood. The north end of the dam was the large concrete structure across the river and the south end was the wall you see on the bank on this side.
Just beyond the remains of the old dam you can see the new irrigation pump station on the south side of the river.
Savage Rapids Dam was built in 1921 and dedicated on November 5, 1921. It was 40 feet tall and 500 feet long. The dam created a backwater that extended up the river for 2.5 miles during irrigation season. During the winter the water was allowed to go to a lower lever by removing “stop logs” and the backwater extended about a half mile up stream. The dam’s only real purpose was irrigation water. It did not provide any flood control, hydro electric power or other significant beneficial uses. There were some who used the backwater for boating but it was not a major use.
There were fish ladders at the dam and, though they were upgraded in 1955 and 1978, they were old and did not meet current standards. They only allowed a limited number of fish to pass the dam. Savage Rapids Dam was called, by some, “the biggest fish killer on the Rogue.”
Construction of the pumping plant to replace the dam's water diversion function began in the summer of 2008. In April 2009, construction of the coffer dam began. Removal of Savage Rapids Dam was completed in October 2009.
In order to record a “find” for this cache please email the answers to the following questions. 1. What is the composition of the river bottom at this point in the river? 2. What is the composition of the river banks? 3. Why do you not see sandy beaches along the Rogue River? 4. What do you see on the third power pole west of the coordinate area (up along the road)? 5. Though not necessary a picture of yourself or your gps with the river in the background would be appreciated.
References
Wikipeda “Rogue River (Oregon)”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_River_(Oregon)
Wikipeda “Savage Rapids Dam”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Rapids_Dam
Savage Rapids Dam, Rogue River near Grants Pass, Oregon www.usbr.gov/pmts/.../SavageRapids/SavageRapids.htm
Savage Rapids Dam Removal — WaterWatch
waterwatch.org/programs/freeing-the.../savage-rapids-dam-removal
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