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Clark Fork (river)
Encyclopedia
The Clark Fork is a river in the U.S. states of Montana
and Idaho
, approximately 310 miles (498.9 km) long. The largest river by volume in Montana, it drains an extensive region of the Rocky Mountains
in western Montana and northern Idaho in the watershed
of the Columbia River
, flowing northwest through a long mountain valley and emptying into Lake Pend Oreille
in northern Idaho. The Pend Oreille River
, which drains the lake to the Columbia, is sometimes included as part of the Clark Fork, giving it a total length of 479 mi (771 km), with a drainage area of 25,820 sq mi (66,870 km²). In its upper 20 mi (32 km) in Montana near Butte
, it is known as Silver Bow Creek. Interstate 90
follows much of the upper course of the river from Butte to northwest of Missoula
.
The Clark Fork is a Class I river for recreational purposes in Montana from Warm Springs Creek to the Idaho border.
The Clark Fork should not be confused with the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, which is located in Montana and Wyoming
.
It rises as Silver Bow Creek in southwestern Montana, less than 5 mi (8 km) from the continental divide
near downtown Butte, from the confluence of Basin and Blacktail creeks. It flows northwest and north through a valley in the mountains, passing east of Anaconda
, where it changes its name to the Clark Fork at the confluence with Warm Springs Creek, then northwest to Deer Lodge
. Near Deer Lodge it receives the Little Blackfoot River. From Deer Lodge it flows generally northwest across western Montana, passing south of the Garnet Range
toward Missoula. Five miles east of Missoula, the river receives the Blackfoot River
.
Northwest of Missoula, the river continues through a long valley along the northeast flank of the Bitterroot Range
, through the Lolo National Forest
. It receives the Bitterroot River
from the south-southwest approximately 5½ mi west of downtown Missoula, and receives the Flathead River
from the north near Paradise
. It receives the Thompson River
from the west near Thompson Falls
in southern Sanders County
.
At Noxon, Montana
, along the north end of the Bitterroots near the Idaho border, the river is impounded by the Noxon Rapids Dam
to form a 20 mi (32 km) long reservoir. It crosses into western Bonner County
in northern Idaho near the town of Cabinet, Idaho. Approximately 5 mi (8 km) west of the Idaho-Montana state line, the river enters the eastern end of Lake Pend Oreille, near the town of Clark Fork
.
, from approximately 20,000 years ago, the Clark Fork Valley lay along the southern edge of the Cordilleran ice sheet
covering western North America
. The encroachment of the ice sheet formed an ice dam on the river, creating Glacial Lake Missoula
which stretched through the Clark Fork Valley across central Montana. The periodic rupturing and rebuilding of the ice dam released the Missoula Floods
, a series of catastrophic flood
s down the Clark Fork and Pend Oreille into the Columbia which sculptured many of the geographic features of eastern Washington and the Willamette Valley
of Oregon
.
In the 19th century the Clark Fork Valley was inhabited by the Flathead tribe of Native Americans
. It was explored by Meriwether Lewis
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
during the 1806 return trip from the Pacific. The river is named for William Clark. A middle segment of the river in Montana was formerly known as the Missoula River. The river was also referred to as the Deer Lodge River by Granville Stuart.
In 1809 David Thompson
of the North West Company
explored the region and founded several fur trading posts
, including Kullyspell House
at the mouth of the Clark Fork, and Saleesh House
on the river near the present-day site of Thompson Falls, Montana
. Thompson used the name Saleesh River for the entire Flathead-Clark Fork-Pend Oreille river system. For most of the first half of the 19th century the Clark Fork river and surrounding region was controlled by the British-Canadian North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company
.
Since the late 19th century many areas in the watershed of the river have been extensively mined
for minerals, resulting in an ongoing stream pollution problem. Most pollution has come from the copper mines in Butte and the smelter in Anaconda. Many of the most polluted areas have been designated as Superfund
sites. Nevertheless the river and its tributaries are among the most popular destinations for fly fishing
in the United States
.
Today, the Clark Fork watershed encompasses the largest Superfund
site in America. As a mega-site, it includes three major sites: Butte, Anaconda, and Milltown Dam/Clark Fork River. Each of these major sites is split up into numerouse sub-sites known as Operable Units. Remediation and/or restoration of these sites is ongoing.
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and 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....
, approximately 310 miles (498.9 km) long. The largest river by volume in Montana, it drains an extensive region of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
in western Montana and northern Idaho in the watershed
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...
of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, flowing northwest through a long mountain valley and emptying into Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille is a lake in the northern Idaho Panhandle, with a surface area of . It is 65 miles long, and 1,150 feet deep in some regions, making it the fifth deepest in the United States. It is fed by the Clark Fork River and the Pack River, and drains via the Pend Oreille River...
in northern Idaho. The Pend Oreille River
Pend Oreille River
The Pend Oreille River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. In its passage through British Columbia its name is spelled Pend-d'Oreille River...
, which drains the lake to the Columbia, is sometimes included as part of the Clark Fork, giving it a total length of 479 mi (771 km), with a drainage area of 25,820 sq mi (66,870 km²). In its upper 20 mi (32 km) in Montana near Butte
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
, it is known as Silver Bow Creek. Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
follows much of the upper course of the river from Butte to northwest of Missoula
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
.
The Clark Fork is a Class I river for recreational purposes in Montana from Warm Springs Creek to the Idaho border.
The Clark Fork should not be confused with the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, which is located in Montana and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
Description
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
near downtown Butte, from the confluence of Basin and Blacktail creeks. It flows northwest and north through a valley in the mountains, passing east of Anaconda
Anaconda, Montana
Anaconda, county seat of Anaconda City/Deer Lodge County, is located in mountainous southwestern Montana. The Continental Divide passes within 8 miles of the community with the local Pintler Mountain range reaching 10,379 feet...
, where it changes its name to the Clark Fork at the confluence with Warm Springs Creek, then northwest to Deer Lodge
Deer Lodge, Montana
Deer Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Powell County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,421 at the 2000 census. The city is perhaps best known as the home of the Montana State Prison, a major local employer...
. Near Deer Lodge it receives the Little Blackfoot River. From Deer Lodge it flows generally northwest across western Montana, passing south of the Garnet Range
Garnet Range
The Garnet Range, highest point Old Baldy Mountain, elevation , is a mountain range northeast of Drummond, Montana in Powell County, Montana....
toward Missoula. Five miles east of Missoula, the river receives the Blackfoot River
Blackfoot River (Montana)
The Blackfoot River, sometimes called the Big Blackfoot River to distinguish it from the Little Blackfoot River, is a snow-fed and spring-fed river in western Montana. The Blackfoot River begins in Lewis and Clark County at the Continental Divide, 10 miles northeast of the town of Lincoln...
.
Northwest of Missoula, the river continues through a long valley along the northeast flank of the Bitterroot Range
Bitterroot Range
The Bitterroot Range runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of 62,736 square kilometers and is named after the bitterroot , a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.- History :In 1805, the Corps of Discovery,...
, through the Lolo National Forest
Lolo National Forest
Lolo National Forest is located in western Montana, United States with the western boundary being the state of Idaho. The forest spans 2 million acres and includes four wilderness areas; the Scapegoat and the Bob Marshall Wilderness are partially within the forest while the Welcome Creek and...
. It receives the Bitterroot River
Bitterroot River
The Bitterroot River is a tributary of the Clark Fork River in southwestern Montana, USA. It runs for about 75 miles south-to-north through the Bitterroot Valley, from the confluence of its West and East forks near Conner to the Clark Fork near Missoula.Ravalli County and Missoula County...
from the south-southwest approximately 5½ mi west of downtown Missoula, and receives the Flathead River
Flathead River
The Flathead River, in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of , empties into the Clark Fork. The river is part of the Columbia River drainage basin, as the Clark...
from the north near Paradise
Paradise, Montana
Paradise is a census-designated place in Sanders County, Montana, United States. The population was 184 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Paradise is located at ....
. It receives the Thompson River
Thompson River (Montana)
The Thompson River is a tributary of the Clark Fork in the U.S. state of Montana. It is part of the Columbia River basin, as Clark Fork is a tributary of the Pend Oreille River, which is a tributary of the Columbia River....
from the west near Thompson Falls
Thompson Falls, Montana
Thompson Falls is a city in and the county seat of Sanders County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,321 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in southern Sanders County
Sanders County, Montana
Sanders County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of 2010, the population was 11,413. Its county seat is Thompson Falls.-Geography:According to the U.S...
.
At Noxon, Montana
Noxon, Montana
Noxon is a census-designated place in Sanders County, Montana, United States. The population was 230 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Noxon is located at ....
, along the north end of the Bitterroots near the Idaho border, the river is impounded by the Noxon Rapids Dam
Noxon Rapids Dam
Noxon Rapids Dam is an earthfill gravity-type hydroelectric dam on the Clark Fork river, in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Montana.The dam is located in the far northwest of Montana near the Idaho border...
to form a 20 mi (32 km) long reservoir. It crosses into western Bonner County
Bonner County, Idaho
Bonner County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. Established in 1907, it was named for Edwin L. Bonner, a ferry operator. As of the 2010 census, the county had a population of 40,877. The county seat and largest city is Sandpoint.-History:Bonner County was formed...
in northern Idaho near the town of Cabinet, Idaho. Approximately 5 mi (8 km) west of the Idaho-Montana state line, the river enters the eastern end of Lake Pend Oreille, near the town of Clark Fork
Clark Fork, Idaho
Clark Fork is a city in Bonner County, Idaho, United States. The population was 536 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Clark Fork is located at ....
.
History
During the last ice ageIce age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, from approximately 20,000 years ago, the Clark Fork Valley lay along the southern edge of the Cordilleran ice sheet
Cordilleran Ice Sheet
The Cordilleran ice sheet was a major ice sheet that covered, during glacial periods of the Quaternary, a large area of North America. This included the following areas:*Western Montana*The Idaho Panhandle...
covering western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The encroachment of the ice sheet formed an ice dam on the river, creating Glacial Lake Missoula
Glacial Lake Missoula
Glacial Lake Missoula was a prehistoric proglacial lake in western Montana that existed periodically at the end of the last ice age between 15,000 and 13,000 years ago...
which stretched through the Clark Fork Valley across central Montana. The periodic rupturing and rebuilding of the ice dam released the Missoula Floods
Missoula Floods
The Missoula Floods refer to the cataclysmic floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Gorge at the end of the last ice age. The glacial flood events have been researched since the 1920s...
, a series of catastrophic flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
s down the Clark Fork and Pend Oreille into the Columbia which sculptured many of the geographic features of eastern Washington and the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
In the 19th century the Clark Fork Valley was inhabited by the Flathead tribe of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. It was explored by Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
during the 1806 return trip from the Pacific. The river is named for William Clark. A middle segment of the river in Montana was formerly known as the Missoula River. The river was also referred to as the Deer Lodge River by Granville Stuart.
In 1809 David Thompson
David Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
of the 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...
explored the region and founded several fur trading posts
Factory (trading post)
Factory was the English term for the trading posts system originally established by Europeans in foreign territories, first within different states of medieval Europe, and later in their colonial possessions...
, including Kullyspell House
Kullyspell House
Kullyspell House was a fur trading post established in 1809 on Lake Pend Oreille in what is now North Idaho...
at the mouth of the Clark Fork, and Saleesh House
Saleesh House
Saleesh House, also known as Flathead Post, was a North West Company fur trading post built near present-day Thompson Falls, Montana in 1809 by David Thompson and James McMillan of the North West Company. It became a Hudson's Bay Company post after that company absorbed the North West Company....
on the river near the present-day site of Thompson Falls, Montana
Thompson Falls, Montana
Thompson Falls is a city in and the county seat of Sanders County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,321 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. Thompson used the name Saleesh River for the entire Flathead-Clark Fork-Pend Oreille river system. For most of the first half of the 19th century the Clark Fork river and surrounding region was controlled by the British-Canadian North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
.
Since the late 19th century many areas in the watershed of the river have been extensively mined
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
for minerals, resulting in an ongoing stream pollution problem. Most pollution has come from the copper mines in Butte and the smelter in Anaconda. Many of the most polluted areas have been designated as Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
sites. Nevertheless the river and its tributaries are among the most popular destinations for fly fishing
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Today, the Clark Fork watershed encompasses the largest Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site in America. As a mega-site, it includes three major sites: Butte, Anaconda, and Milltown Dam/Clark Fork River. Each of these major sites is split up into numerouse sub-sites known as Operable Units. Remediation and/or restoration of these sites is ongoing.
Conservation
- Tri-State Water Quality Council Citizens, business, industry, tribes, government and environmental groups combined to oversee the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille river system
- Clark Fork - Pend Oreille Conservancy non-profit land trust serving Sanders County, Montana and Bonner County, Idaho
- Clark Fork Coalition The coalition was founded in 1985 and is dedicated to protecting and restoring the Clark Fork River basin.
- Watershed Education Network (WEN)- WEN is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Missoula, Montana. WEN is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering knowledge, appreciation and awareness of watershed health through science, outreach, and education. Since 1996, WEN has been dedicated to growing the next generation of watershed stewards. WEN serves over 3,000 western Montana K–12 students annually through its School Stream Monitoring Program. Stream Monitoring field trips take place at 30 different stream sites across western Montana each fall and spring.
- Clark Fork Watershed Education Program - The program uses outdoor activities and local experts to teach about the effects of settlement and industry on the Upper Clark Fork basin, and to give students and educators the scientific background to quantify the health of our watershed.
See also
- Clarks Fork Yellowstone RiverClarks Fork Yellowstone RiverThe Clarks Fork Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, 150 mi long in the U.S. states of Montana and Wyoming....
- Montana Stream Access LawMontana Stream Access LawThe Montana Stream Access Law says that anglers, floaters and other recreationists in Montana have full use of most natural waterways between the high water marks for fishing and floating, along with swimming and other river or stream-related activities...
- List of Idaho rivers
- List of rivers of Montana
- Paradise DamParadise Dam (Montana)Paradise Dam was a proposed dam on the Clark Fork River in Montana. It was proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an alternative to the construction of Glacier View Dam on the western boundary of Glacier National Park, to capture the flow of the Flathead River. The earth embankment dam was...
- Milltown Reservoir Superfund Site
External links
- Watershed Education Network(WEN)
- Clark Fork Watershed Education Program
- EcoRover, a blog about Superfund and other environmental issues in the upper Clark Fork River basin
- Clark Fork Coalition
- Upper Clark Fork Restoration Program
- Clark Fork River Operable Unit - US EPA Region 8
- Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee