Sams River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sams River |
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 Mouth of Sams River in Washington
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| Region | Olympic Peninsula |
| County | Jefferson |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Finely Peak Olympic National Park 2,780 ft (850 m) 47°35′18″N 123°45′28″W / 47.58833°N 123.75778°W |
| River mouth | Queets River Olympic National Park 290 ft (88 m) 47°37′26″N 124°0′46″W / 47.62389°N 124.01278°W |
| Length | 15.7 mi (25.3 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 30.8 sq mi (80 km2) |
The Sams River is a cool river located in the state of Washington, USA. It's like a smaller stream that flows into a bigger river called the Queets River. You can find Sams River winding its way through two important natural areas: Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest. For some parts of its journey, the river actually marks the line between the national park and the national forest!
Sams River is about 15.7 miles (25.3 km) long. The area of land that drains water into Sams River, called its drainage basin, is about 30.8 square miles (79.8 km2).
Where Sams River Flows
Sams River starts high up on the north side of Finley Peak. This peak is inside Olympic National Park. The river first flows north for a short distance. Then, it turns west. It flows between two ridges: Sams Ridge to the north and Matheny Ridge to the south.
As the river travels, it leaves the national park. It then enters the Olympic National Forest. For several miles, the border between the national park and the national forest runs along the top of Sams Ridge. When the Olympic Mountains open up into wider valleys, the border starts to follow Sams River itself.
Near where Sams River ends, the boundary turns south. This means the last half-mile or so of the river is back inside the national park. Sams River eventually joins the Queets River. This meeting point is just a little bit upstream from the Queets Campground. The Queets Ranger Station is also nearby, about a mile downstream from where Sams River meets the Queets.
How Sams River Got Its Name
People are not completely sure how Sams River got its name. There are two main stories about it.
One story says the name comes from two people, Harry and Sam Sams. They were part of an important Quinault family. The Quinault are a Native American tribe from that area. Every autumn, Harry and Sam would paddle their dugout canoes up the Queets River. They would go to a spot called Sams Rapids, near the mouth of Sams River. There, they hunted elk and caught salmon. They would smoke the fish and sell it to settlers who lived nearby.
Another idea is that the name comes from a word like sams or samis. This might be a shorter version of Samms-mish. The Samms-mish were a well-known group within the Quinault tribe. They used to live along Sams River a long time ago.
