DESTINATION - Link River - Lake Ewauna - Klamath Falls, OR
N 42° 13.165 W 121° 47.411
10T E 599849 N 4674846
The Link River's destination point is Lake Ewauna and easily photographed and appreciated from the Link River Bridge on Main Street or along the Wingwatchers Trail.
Waymark Code: WMK4JC
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 02/11/2014
Views: 1
Visitors to Klamath Falls often wonder where the falls are that give Klamath its name. They aren't at this location but instead offer the visitor some nice views of the Link River as it flows into Lake Ewauna. My posted coordinates place you directly on the Link River Bridge, a newly constructed bridge that replaced a historic bridge from 1931 (visit the now-destroyed bridge
here). You can also access a closer position to the mouth of the Link River by either walking a short distance along the
Wingwatchers Nature Trail from the south of the river or park in the parking lot to a boat launch located in Veterans Memorial Park on the north side of the river. Either way, there is plenty of wildlife to see and appreciate. If you're lucky, you may even spot the local symbol of Klamath: the white pelican.
Link River was once a much stronger flowing river and had waterfalls located in the middle part of the river. A dam was built in the early 1900s and the waterfalls all but disappeared. Before the dam there were once large salmon runs that were popular with the Native Americans and incoming settlers alike and I've seen pictures of the large fish captured by the dozens during the spawning season. Salmon no longer travel through Lake Ewauna and up the Link River. I've also seen pictures of an old logging mill once run by Rufus Moore and located along the Link River. The mill would run logs from Klamath Lake down an established canal along Link River to the mill site. Link River gets its name for the way it connects, or 'links' Klamath Lake to the north with Lake Ewauna to the south. The word 'Ewauna' is a Klamath Indian word that means 'propped up against'. Lake Ewauna is the headwaters to the Klamath River, a long-winding river that flows southwestward into California and eventually to the Pacific Ocean.