Bruneau River
Encyclopedia
The Bruneau River is a 153 miles (246.2 km) tributary
of the Snake River
, in the U.S. state
s of Idaho
and Nevada
. It runs through a narrow canyon
cut into ancient lava
flows in southwestern Idaho
. The Bruneau Canyon, which is up to 1200 feet (365.8 m) deep and 40 miles (64.4 km) long, features rapids and hot springs, making it a popular whitewater trip.
The Bruneau River's drainage basin
is bounded by the Jarbidge Mountains to the south, the Owyhee Mountains and Chalk Hills to the west, and the Bruneau Plateau to the east.
The Bruneau River emerges from the plateau and canyon region 16 miles (25.7 km) upstream from its mouth at the Snake River's C. J. Strike Reservoir
. At this point the river enters the broad and fertile Snake River Plain
. This lower section of the watershed is occupied by farms and ranches, and the town of Bruneau
.
, Northern Paiute
, and Bannock
tribes
The Bruneau River was given its name sometime before 1821 by French Canadian
voyageurs
working for the Montreal-based fur trading
North West Company
.
covers a portion of the southern end of the Bruneau watershed. The Bruneau River is protected in the new Bruneau - Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness, which was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 and signed into law on March 30, 2009. The new wilderness area includes the Bruneau from about five miles upstream of the Jarbidge River confluence down nearly to the confluence with Hot Creek, as well as portions of Sheep Creek and Clover Creek.
Whitewater rafting and kayaking opportunities exist on the Bruneau and Jarbidge Rivers. The canyons contain stretches of whitewater with class 5 and class 6 rapids.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
, 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...
s of Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. It runs through a narrow canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
cut into ancient lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flows in southwestern Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. The Bruneau Canyon, which is up to 1200 feet (365.8 m) deep and 40 miles (64.4 km) long, features rapids and hot springs, making it a popular whitewater trip.
The Bruneau River's drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
is bounded by the Jarbidge Mountains to the south, the Owyhee Mountains and Chalk Hills to the west, and the Bruneau Plateau to the east.
Course
The Bruneau River system originates in the Jarbidge Mountains with three main streams, the East Fork Bruneau River, the West Fork Bruneau River, and the Jarbidge River, all flowing generally north. The Jarbidge River joins the West Fork, then the East and West Forks join to form the mainstem Bruneau River. Sheep Creek and Little Jacks Creek join from the west, and Clover Creek joins from the east. Most of the watershed is characterized by high plateaus through which the Bruneau and its tributaries cut deep, sheer canyons, especially along the middle Bruneau River and the lower reaches of the Jarbidge River, Sheep Creek, and the East Fork Bruneau.The Bruneau River emerges from the plateau and canyon region 16 miles (25.7 km) upstream from its mouth at the Snake River's C. J. Strike Reservoir
C. J. Strike Reservoir
C.J. Strike Reservoir is a reservoir located in southwestern Idaho. Its main recreational features include the C. J. Strike Dam and its reservoir, an impoundment of the Snake River and Bruneau River...
. At this point the river enters the broad and fertile Snake River Plain
Snake River Plain
The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily within the state of Idaho in the United States of America. It stretches about westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho...
. This lower section of the watershed is occupied by farms and ranches, and the town of Bruneau
Bruneau, Idaho
Bruneau is an unincorporated community in Owyhee County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. Located at , the community sits at an altitude of 2549 feet ....
.
River modifications
The Bruneau River is used for irrigation purposes near the Snake River. Irrigation withdrawals result in a number of its tributary streams being largely dewatered annually.History
The Bruneau River region was historically occupied by the Northern ShoshoneShoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
, Northern Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
, and Bannock
Bannock (tribe)
The Bannock tribe of the Northern Paiute are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. Their traditional lands include southeastern Oregon, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and southwestern Montana...
tribes
The Bruneau River was given its name sometime before 1821 by French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
voyageurs
Voyageurs
The Voyageurs were the persons who engaged in the transportation of furs by canoe during the fur trade era. Voyageur is a French word which literally translates to "traveler"...
working for the Montreal-based fur trading
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
.
Recreation and protected areas
Much of the mainstem Bruneau River above Hot Spring is designated as a Wild and Scenic River, as are parts of the West Fork and East Fork, and some of Sheep Creek. The Jarbidge WildernessJarbidge Wilderness
The Jarbidge Wilderness is located in the upper elevations of the Jarbidge Mountains in northern Elko County, in northeastern Nevada in the western United States. Established in 1964, it was the first wilderness area in the state...
covers a portion of the southern end of the Bruneau watershed. The Bruneau River is protected in the new Bruneau - Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness, which was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 and signed into law on March 30, 2009. The new wilderness area includes the Bruneau from about five miles upstream of the Jarbidge River confluence down nearly to the confluence with Hot Creek, as well as portions of Sheep Creek and Clover Creek.
Whitewater rafting and kayaking opportunities exist on the Bruneau and Jarbidge Rivers. The canyons contain stretches of whitewater with class 5 and class 6 rapids.