WikiPortallus: Klamath Falls, Oregon.html

Klamath Falls (pronounced /ˈklæməθ/, klam-əth) is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, after the Link River on whose falls this city sits; the name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892. The population was 19,462 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 20,720 in 2006.³ It is the county seat of Klamath County.⁴

History

The Klamath Indians and Modoc Indians were the first inhabitants of the area. The Klamath name for this place was Yulalona or Iwauna, which referred to the phenomenon of the Link River flowing upstream when the south wind blew hard. Their name for the falls was Tiwishkeni, or "where the falling waters rush"^{citation needed}.

The Modoc Tribe's homeland is about 20 miles south of Klamath Falls, but when they were pushed onto a reservation with their adversaries the Klamath, a rebellion ensued and they hid out in nearby lava beds.⁵ This led to the Modoc War of 1872 - 1873 was a hugely expensive campaign for the US Cavalry, costing an estimated $500,000--the equivalent over 8 Million in yr 2000 dollars. Seventeen Indians and 83 whites were killed.[1]

The Applegate Trail, which passes through the lower Klamath area, was blazed in 1846 from west to east in an attempt to provide a safer route for emigrants on the Oregon Trail^{citation needed}.

The Klamath Reclamation Project began in 1906 to drain marshland and move water to allow for agriculture. With the building of the main "A" Canal, water was first made available May 22, 1907. Veterans of World War I and World War II were given homesteading opportunities on the reclaimed land.[2]

Timber harvesting through the use of railroad was extensive in Klamath County for the first few decades of the 20th century.[3] With the arrival of the Southern Pacific in 1909, Klamath Falls grew quickly from a few hundred to several thousand. Dozens of lumber mills cut fir and pine lumber, and the industry flourished until the late 1980s when the Northern Spotted Owl and other endangered species were driving forces in changing western forest policy.

Water rights controversy

The city made national headlines in 2001 when a court decision was made to shut off Klamath Project irrigation water on April 6 because of Endangered Species Act requirements. The Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker were listed on the Federal Endangered Species List in 1988, and when drought struck in 2001, a panel of scientists stated that further diversion of water for agriculture would be detrimental to these species, which reside in the Upper Klamath Lake, as well as to the protected Coho salmon which spawn in the Klamath River. After many protests by farmers and a criticized revision of the biologists' decision, a new plan was implemented in early 2002 to resume irrigation to farmers.

Low river flows in the Klamath and Trinity Rivers and high temperatures may have led to a mass die-off of 33,000 salmon in 2002.⁷ Dwindling salmon numbers have practically shut down the fishing industry in the region and caused over $60 million in disaster aid being given to fishermen to offset losses.⁸ Ninety percent of Trinity River water is diverted for California Agriculture.⁹

According to a National Academy of Sciences report of October 22, 2003, limiting irrigation water did little if anything to help endangered fish and may have hurt the populations.¹⁰ One report has criticized the National Academy of Sciences report.⁸ The Chiloquin Dam has been removed to help improve sucker spawning habitat.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.7 sq mi (48.5 km²). 17.9 sq mi (46.3 km²) of it is land and 0.9 sq mi (2.2 km²) of it (4.54%) is water.

Klamath Falls has a high desert landscape. The older part of the city sits on natural geothermal springs. These have been used for the heating of homes and streets, primarily in the downtown area.

Upper Klamath Lake is the largest natural body of fresh water west of the Great Lakes.

Demographics

As of the census¹ of 2000, there were 19,462 people, 7,916 households, and 4,670 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,089.5/sq mi (420.7/km²). There were 8,722 housing units at an average density of 488.3/sq mi (188.6/km²).

The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,498, and the median income for a family was $37,021. Males had a median income of $31,567 versus $22,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,710. About 21.9% of the population and 16.2% of families were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those 65 or over.

Politics

Economy

Company B, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry of the Oregon Army National Guard makes its home at Kingley Field.

Education

Colleges and universities

Public schools

Recreation

Klamath Falls is located on the Pacific Flyway, and large numbers of waterfowl and raptors are seen at all times of the year. The largest concentration of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 winter in Bear Valley^{citation needed}, just 10 miles west of Klamath Falls, near Keno, and the American White Pelican shows in great numbers in summer.

Crater Lake National Park is 50 miles north of Klamath Falls and the 33 mile rim drive circling the lake is a favorite of cyclists. Winter cross country skiing and snow shoeing in the park is also very popular. The more than mile high Crater Lake Marathon [4] is an annual event.

Lava Beds National Monument is about 30 miles to the south east of Klamath Falls near the town of Tulelake, California. The Lava Beds provides an excellent opportunity to explore an area that has perhaps the highest concentration of lave tubes. The monument also intreprets the Modoc Indian War of 1873 and is the site of the major battles of the war.

Mountain Lakes Wilderness Area, one of the first designated wilderness areas in the United States, lies just to the west of Klamath Falls, providing some excellent opportunities for backbacking and fishing in pristine mountain lakes.

Rail Transportation

Notable residents

Sister city

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