Well, let me tell ya ’bout that Crooked River, the one flowin’ down below Bowman Dam. It ain’t nothin’ fancy, just a whole lotta water windin’ its way through the land. I ain’t no scientist or nothin’, but I seen it with my own two eyes, and it’s somethin’ alright.
That Crooked River, it’s a real somethin’. They say it’s down in Crook County. Heck, I don’t even rightly know where that is on a map, but they say that’s where it is. Just a bunch of numbers to me, all them coordinates and such. Folks keep track of it real close though, seems like they always pokin’ around and measurin’ stuff.
Now, that river, it’s pretty as a picture sometimes, ‘specially when the sun hits it just right. All shimmery and sparkly, like a diamond necklace, only bigger, way bigger. And it goes on and on, for miles and miles, they say. Seventy-three miles of it, down there in the lower part. That’s a far piece, even for a good car. Lord knows how long it’d take to walk it.
- It flows real nice and peaceful sometimes,
- other times it gets all riled up and rushes like a wild horse.
- Guess it just depends on the weather and how much water they lettin’ out of that Bowman Dam.
Speaking of that dam, that Bowman fella, he sure knew what he was doin’. Built that big ol’ dam right there on the Crooked River. And another one over on Ochoco Creek, they say. Stopped up all that water, made a big lake or somethin’. Then they got these canals and ditches, sendin’ the water all over the place, I reckon. For farmin’, mostly, and for folks to drink, I guess. Water’s important, ya know. Can’t live without it.
But sometimes, that river, it gets kinda skinny. Specially when it ain’t been rainin’ much. They say there was this bad drought, real bad. Dried up everything, just about. Made it hard for the water to get into the Crooked River from that Prineville place. Fish probably had a hard time, poor things. And the farmers too, I bet. No water, no crops. Simple as that.
I remember one time, saw a picture of the river, all dried up and cracked like an old dirt road. Looked pitiful, it did. Made me thirsty just lookin’ at it. But the river, she’s tough. She always comes back, somehow. Fills up again when the rain finally comes. Nature’s got a way of fixin’ things, even if it takes a while.
They got all kinds of folks lookin’ after that river, seems like. Keepin’ an eye on it, makin’ sure it stays healthy. Testin’ the water, I guess, and countin’ the fish, probably. Good thing too, ’cause we need that river. It’s the lifeblood of this place, ya know. Keeps everything goin’. Without it, we’d be in a world of hurt.
So, yeah, that Crooked River, it’s just a river, but it’s more than that too. It’s a part of our lives, whether we realize it or not. And it’s a reminder that nature’s powerful, and we gotta respect it. Gotta take care of it, too. ‘Cause if we don’t, we ain’t gonna have nothin’ left.
And that Bowman Dam, it’s a part of that story too. Changin’ the way the river flows, for better or worse. It’s all connected, ya see. The river, the dam, the rain, the people. We’re all tied together, somehow. And that Crooked River, she keeps on flowin’, no matter what. Windin’ her way through the land, just like she always has.
It ain’t always easy, livin’ near a river. Sometimes it floods, sometimes it dries up. But it’s worth it, I reckon. ‘Cause there’s nothin’ like sittin’ by the water on a warm day, listenin’ to it flow, watchin’ it sparkle. It’s peaceful, ya know? Calms the soul. And that Crooked River, she’s got plenty of soul to go around.
I hope they keep lookin’ after it, makin’ sure it stays healthy for years to come. For my grandkids, and their grandkids too. ‘Cause everyone deserves to see that Crooked River flowin’ free and strong. It’s a sight to behold, that’s for sure. And it’s a part of who we are, whether we like it or not. So next time you see a river, any river, take a moment to appreciate it. It’s more important than you think.
Tags: [Crooked River, Bowman Dam, Ochoco Creek, Prineville Reservoir, Crook County, water flow, drought, irrigation, river health]
