The Chetco River is a 56-mile (90 km) long stream located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately 352 square miles (912 km2) of Curry County. Flowing through a rugged and isolated coastal region, it descends rapidly from about 3,200 feet (975 m) to sea level at the Pacific Ocean. The river's watershed was originally settled one to three thousand years ago by the Chetco and other Native American tribes. Several explorers, including Sir Francis Drake, George Vancouver, and Jedediah Smith visited the region between the 16th and 19th centuries. European American settlers arrived soon after gold and other precious metals were discovered in the 1840s and 1850s. The watershed remains largely undeveloped, protected by the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. The upper 45 miles (72 km) of the river have been designated Wild and Scenic since October 28, 1988. Supporting a large population of salmon and trout, the Chetco's water is of very high quality. The watershed is home to many other species, including several that are endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains area. The northernmost grove of Redwoods—the tallest trees on Earth—grow in the southern region of the Chetco's drainage basin. In total, the river is home to over 200 species of animals, and 97 percent of the watershed is forested.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chetco_River

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

312:

Constantine the Great defeated Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in Rome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Milvian_Bridge

1919:

The U.S. Congress passed the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, reinforcing Prohibition in the United States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volstead_Act

1954:

The Kingdom of the Netherlands was re-founded as a federacy with the proclamation of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands

1965:

Nostra Aetate, the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions" of the Second Vatican Council, was promulgated by Pope Paul VI, absolving the Jews of the killing of Jesus, and calling for increased relations with all non-Christian religions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostra_Aetate

2007:

In the Argentine general election, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became the first female to be elected President of Argentina, winning with a 22 percent lead over her nearest rival, one of the widest margins obtained by a candidate since the collapse of the National Reorganization Process in 1983. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Kirchner

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

has-been (n): A person, especially one formerly popular or influential, whose popularity or effectiveness has peaked and is now in decline http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/has-been

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more. --Jonas Salk http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonas_Salk