The Bone River is a short river in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Washington. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) long.

Course

The Bone River originates in the hills of the southwestern part of Washington, close to the source of the North Fork Palix River

Palix River

The Palix River is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. Its tributaries include three forks, North, Middle, and South Fork Palix River, as well as the Canon River. The river's length, including the Canon River, its longest tributary, is approximately ....

. It flows generally west, emptying into Willapa Bay

Willapa Bay

Willapa Bay is a bay located on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state in the United States. The Long Beach Peninsula separates Willapa Bay from the greater expanse of the Pacific Ocean. With over of water surface Willapa Bay is the second largest estuary on the United States Pacific coast...

 near Bay Center

Bay Center, Washington

Bay Center is a census-designated place in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 174 at the 2000 census. The population increased to 276 at the 2010 census...

 just north of the Niawiakum River

Niawiakum River

The Niawiakum River is a short river in the U.S. state of Washington. It is approximately long.-Course:The Niawiakum River originates in the hills of the southwestern part of Washington. It flows generally west, emptying into Willapa Bay near Bay Center and the mouth of the Palix River. The...

. The river's entire length is only a few miles. Most of the Bone River is marshy. It empties into an estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

 and tidal marshland on Willapa Bay. U.S. Route 101

U.S. Route 101

U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101, is an important north–south U.S. highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States...

 crosses the river near its mouth.

History

A smallpox

Smallpox

Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...

 epidemic swept through the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...

 in 1853. One of the first documented cases occurred at the mouth of the Bone River. A homesteader named James Swan witnessed the disease breaking out among the Chinook Indians

Chinookan

Chinook refers to several native amercain groups of in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, speaking the Chinookan languages. In the early 19th century, the Chinookan-speaking peoples lived along the lower and middle Columbia River in present-day Oregon and Washington...

 after several ships had wrecked off the mouth of the nearby Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

. Swan's is the only first-hand account of the epidemic among the Chinook. Within a year the Chinookan population had been reduced by perhaps half and the disease had spread far up the Columbia River, all along the coasts of Washington and Oregon, to Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...

, the Skagit River

Skagit River

The Skagit River is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi long...

 and the Nooksack River

Nooksack River

The Nooksack River is a river in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Washington. It drains an area of the Cascade Range around Mount Baker, near the Canadian border. The lower river flows through a fertile agricultural area before emptying into Bellingham Bay and, via the Strait of Juan de Fuca...

.

Natural history

Part of the river's drainage basin is a protected land preserve called the Bone River Natural Area Preserve

Washington Natural Areas Program

The Washington Natural Areas Program, part of the Washington Department of Natural Resources, manages dozens of natural areas owned by the US state of Washington. These areas have received funding through the state's general fund since the Washington State Legislature enacted the Natural Areas...

. Totaling 2565 acres (1,038 ha), the preserve contains the finest salt marsh remaining in Willapa Bay and is a critically important waterfowl habitat.

There are ongoing efforts to protect more of the Bone River along with the nearby Niawiakum River

Niawiakum River

The Niawiakum River is a short river in the U.S. state of Washington. It is approximately long.-Course:The Niawiakum River originates in the hills of the southwestern part of Washington. It flows generally west, emptying into Willapa Bay near Bay Center and the mouth of the Palix River. The...

estuary.