The Chetco River is a 56-mile (90 km) long river located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately 352 square miles (910 km2) of Curry County. Flowing through a rugged and isolated coastal region, it descends rapidly from 3,200 feet (980 m) to sea level at the Pacific Ocean. Except for the lowermost 5 miles (8 km), the river is located in the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. The river rises in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, northwest of Chetco Peak at the junction of the Oregon Coast Range and the Klamath Mountains. It flows generally north, west, and then southwest, before emptying into the Pacific Ocean between Brookings and Harbor, approximately 6 miles (10 km) north of the California state line. The Chetco River's watershed was originally settled one to three thousand years ago by the Chetco and other Native American tribes. European American settlers arrived soon after gold and other precious metals were discovered in the 1840s and 50s. The town of Brookings was created in the early 1900s, and incorporated in 1951. The watershed remains largely undeveloped, protected by the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. The upper 45 miles (72 km) of the river have been designated Wild and Scenic since 1988. The water quality of the Chetco River is very high, supporting a large population of salmon and trout. The watershed is home to many other species, including several that are endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains area. The northernmost grove of redwoods—the tallest trees on Earth—grow in the southern region of the Chetco's drainage basin.