The Dewatto River is a stream in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Washington. It originates in western Kitsap Peninsula

Kitsap Peninsula

The Kitsap Peninsula is an arm of land that is part of the larger Olympic Peninsula in Washington state that lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound. Hood Canal separates Kitsap Peninsula from the rest of the Olympic Peninsula...

 and flows south, emptying into Hood Canal

Hood Canal

Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins, of Puget Sound in the state of Washington. Hood Canal is not a canal in the sense of being a man-made waterway—it is a natural waterway.-Geography:...

. The name "Dewatto" comes from the Twana

Twana language

The Twana language or Skokomish language belongs to the Salishan family of Native American languages. It is believed by some elders within the Skokomish community that the language branched off from Lushootseed because of the region-wide tradition of not speaking the name of someone who died for...

 placename [duʔwátaxʷ], which implies the presence of spirits causing mental derangement near the stream's mouth.

Course

The Dewatto River originates in western Kitsap Peninsula near the town of Holly

Holly, Washington

Holly is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. Named in 1895 for the presence of a large holly tree, Holly is located in the southwestern corner of the county, along the Hood Canal....

. It flows south and slightly west, approximately parallel to Hood Canal, then turns west to enter Hood Canal at Dewatto Bay.