Wishkah River

The Wishkah River is a tributary of the Chehalis River, approximately 40 miles (64 km) long, in the U.S. state of Washington. The river drains a remote rural area of Grays Harbor County along the Washington coast north of Aberdeen. It flows south through Grays Harbor County and empties into the Chehalis at Aberdeen.

The name "Wishkah" is an adaptation of the Chehalis Indian word "hwish-kahl", meaning "stinking water". [cite book |last= Phillips |first= James W. |title= Washington State Place Names |year= 1971 |publisher= University of Washington Press |isbn= 0-295-95158-3]

Nirvana's last live album was called "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" in reference to this river where the lead singer Kurt Cobain lived under a bridge during his days of homelessness after dropping out of high school. One third of the cremated remains of the band's lead singer Kurt Cobain were scattered in the river after his death. He indicated that when he was kicked out of his mother's house, he sometimes lived under a bridge which went over this river. However, this was largely a myth created by Cobain himself (according to biographer Charles R. Cross). This experience is the basis for his song "Something in the Way".

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