The drainage of the fictional Chuketna watershed begins in a spectacular coastal mountain range of the Pacific Northwest. Tucked against the foothills is a small timber community with its sawmill located along the river just outside of town. What’s left of the original Native inhabitants, the Chuketna people, live on a tiny reservation just downstream of the mill. Several miles below the reservation is a dam built decades before to supply power to the growing region. As the river heads toward the coast, it passes through heavily developed communities until reaching its mouth near a small port city. From the mill town to the port is about a 20 minute drive.