Wishkah River

The Wishkah River is a tributary of the Chehalis River in the U.S. state of Washington. Approximately 40 mi long, the river drains a remote rural area of approximately 102 sqmi in Grays Harbor County along the Washington coast north of Aberdeen. It flows south through the county and empties into the Chehalis at Aberdeen.

The name "Wishkah" is an adaptation of the Chehalis word hwish-kahl, meaning "stinking water".

Association with Nirvana
While living under a bridge on the river after dropping out of high school and being kicked out of the family home, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain wrote the song "Something in the Way" about the experience. According to biographer Charles R. Cross, however, this was largely a myth created by Cobain. One third of Cobain's ashes were scattered in the river after his death. From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live album released by Nirvana on October 1, 1996, two and a half years after Cobain's death.