Owyhee River
Encyclopedia
The Owyhee River is a tributary of the Snake River
located in northern Nevada
, southwestern Idaho
and southeastern Oregon
in the United States
. It is 346 miles (556.8 km) long. The river's drainage basin
is 11049 square miles (28,616.8 km²) in area, one of the largest subbasins of the Columbia Basin
. The mean annual discharge
is 995 cuft/s, with a maximum of 50000 cuft/s recorded in 1993 and a minimum of 42 cuft/s in 1954.
The Owyhee drains a remote area of the arid plateau
region on the north edge of the Great Basin
, rising in northeastern Nevada and flowing generally northward near the Oregon-Idaho border to the Snake River. Its watershed is very sparsely populated. The Owyhee River and tributaries flow through the Owyhee Plateau, cutting deep canyons, often with vertical walls and in some places over 1000 feet (304.8 m) deep.
, approximately 50 mile north of the city of Elko
. It flows north along the east side of the Bull Run Mountains of Nevada, passing through Wild Horse Reservoir and then cutting northeast past the north end of the range. The river runs through the Humboldt National Forest, and then past the communities of Mountain City
and Owyhee
in the Duck Valley Indian Reservation
. It then enters southwestern Idaho, flowing northwest for approximately 50 mile across the southwest corner of the state through Owyhee County
. It is then joined by the South Fork Owyhee River from the south, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) east of the Oregon border. The main tributary of the South Fork is the Little Owyhee River.
The Owyhee River then enters extreme southeast Oregon in southern Malheur County
, generally flowing north in a zigzag course west of the Idaho border. It merges with the West Little Owyhee River
from the south, then receives the Middle Fork Owyhee River and North Fork Owyhee River from the east at a location known as "Three Forks". It then passes through the Owyhee Canyon between Big Grassy Mountain and Whitehouse Butte, then turns north, flowing east of Burns Junction
and then west of the Mahogany Mountains
. In this area the Owyhee River receives the tributaries of Jordan Creek, Rattlesnake Creek, and Crooked Creek.
The Owyhee River enters the Snake River from the west on the Oregon-Idaho border approximately 5 miles (8 km) south of Nyssa, Oregon
and 2 miles (3 km) south of the mouth of the Boise River
. The final stretch of the river, below Owyhee Dam, emerges from the Owyhee Plateau and enters the Snake River Plain
.
, creating the serpentine Lake Owyhee, approximately 52 miles (83.7 km) long. The dam was constructed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
primarily to provide irrigation
for the agricultural potato
-growing region around the Snake River. Lake Owyhee State Park and scenic Leslie Gulch
are along the eastern shore of the reservoir. Owyhee Dam was built in 1933 and eliminated anadromous fish such as salmon from the Owyhee River basin.
The watershed of the river was part of region inhabited by the Shoshone
and Bannock
Indians.
The name of the river is from the older spelling of "Hawaii
". It was named for three Hawaiian trappers, in the employ of the North West Company
, who were sent to explore the uncharted river. They failed to return to the rendezvous near the Boise River
and were never seen again. Due to this the river and its region was named "Owyhee". About one-third of the men with Donald MacKenzie's Snake Country Expeditions of 1819-20 were Hawaiians, commonly called "Kanakas
" or "Sandwich Islanders" in those days, with "Owyhee" being a standard period spelling of the proper Hawaiian language
name for the islands, hawai'i, which then was otherwise unused in English. The three Kanakas were detached to trap on the river in 1819 and were probably killed by Indians that year. It was not until the spring or early summer of 1820 that MacKenzie learned the news of their deaths (probably at the hands of men belonging to a band of Bannock
s led by a chief named The Horse). Indians led other trappers to the site, but only one skeleton was located. The earliest surviving record of the name is found on a map dating to 1825, drawn by William Kittson (who was previously with Donald MacKenzie in 1819-1820, and then with Peter Skene Ogden
in 1825), on which he notes "Owhyhee River" [his spelling]. Journal entries in 1826 by Peter Skene Ogden, a fur trapper who led subsequent Snake Country Expeditions for the Hudson's Bay Company
refer to the river primarily as the "Sandwich Island River", but also as "S.I. River", "River Owyhee" and "Owyhee River."
The discovery of gold
and silver
in the region in 1863 resulted in a temporary influx of miners and the establishment of mining camps, most of whom have long since disappeared. The initial discovery was along Jordan Creek, and mining activity rapidly spread through the Owyhee watershed. The mining effort involved more than placer operations, but underground mines and mills, resulting in a prolonged history of mining in the region. This invasion of Native American territory set off the 1864-1868 Snake War
.
In 1866 the son of Sacagawea
, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
, died near Jordan Valley
after catching a chill upon crossing the Owyhee en route from California to new gold strikes in Montana
(one of the gold strikes, near Bannack, Montana
, was interestingly just a few miles from where he had traveled as a toddler with his mother in the company of William Clark). After almost a century of neglect, his grave is now well marked, off Highway 95, near Danner
at 42°57′07.1"N 117°20′21.4"W.
designated 120 miles (193 km) of the river as Owyhee Wild and Scenic River. Part of the designation includes the section of the river downstream from the Owyhee Dam, where the river flows through a remote section of deeply incised canyons surrounded by high canyon rims that are habitat for mountain lion, bobcat
, Mule Deer
, California Bighorn Sheep
, and a large variety of raptor
s.
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 designated 323274 acres (130,824.5 ha) on and around the Owyhee River in Idaho as wilderness. The bill was signed into law by President
Barack Obama
on March 30, 2009. The new wilderness areas are:
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...
located in northern 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...
, 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....
and southeastern 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 United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is 346 miles (556.8 km) long. The 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 11049 square miles (28,616.8 km²) in area, one of the largest subbasins of the Columbia Basin
Columbia Basin
The Columbia Basin, the drainage basin of the Columbia River, occupies a large area–about —of the Pacific Northwest region of North America. In common usage, the term often refers to a smaller area, generally the portion of the drainage basin that lies within eastern Washington.Usage of the term...
. The mean annual discharge
Discharge (hydrology)
In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow, including any suspended solids , dissolved chemical species and/or biologic material , which is transported through a given cross-sectional area...
is 995 cuft/s, with a maximum of 50000 cuft/s recorded in 1993 and a minimum of 42 cuft/s in 1954.
The Owyhee drains a remote area of the arid plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
region on the north edge of the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
, rising in northeastern Nevada and flowing generally northward near the Oregon-Idaho border to the Snake River. Its watershed is very sparsely populated. The Owyhee River and tributaries flow through the Owyhee Plateau, cutting deep canyons, often with vertical walls and in some places over 1000 feet (304.8 m) deep.
Course
The Owyhee River has its source in northeastern Nevada, in northern Elko CountyElko County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 45,291 people, 15,638 households, and 11,493 families residing in the county. The population density was 3/sq mi . There were 18,456 housing units at an average density of 1/sq mi...
, approximately 50 mile north of the city of Elko
Elko, Nevada
Elko is a city in Elko County, Nevada, United States. The population was 18,297 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Elko County. The city straddles the Humboldt River....
. It flows north along the east side of the Bull Run Mountains of Nevada, passing through Wild Horse Reservoir and then cutting northeast past the north end of the range. The river runs through the Humboldt National Forest, and then past the communities of Mountain City
Mountain City, Nevada
Mountain City is a small unincorporated community in Elko County, Nevada, United States. This ghost town on State Route 225, approximately south of the Idaho border, it is situated on the Owyhee River at an elevation of approximately ....
and Owyhee
Owyhee, Nevada
Owyhee is a census-designated place in Elko County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,017 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Elko Micropolitan Statistical Area....
in the Duck Valley Indian Reservation
Duck Valley Indian Reservation
The Duck Valley Indian Reservation was established as a homeland for members of both the Shoshone and Paiute tribes of Native Americans. It lies directly on the state line between Idaho and Nevada in the western United States...
. It then enters southwestern Idaho, flowing northwest for approximately 50 mile across the southwest corner of the state through Owyhee County
Owyhee County, Idaho
Owyhee County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho. In area it is the second largest county in Idaho, behind Idaho County. As of the 2000 Census, Owyhee County had a population of 10,644...
. It is then joined by the South Fork Owyhee River from the south, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) east of the Oregon border. The main tributary of the South Fork is the Little Owyhee River.
The Owyhee River then enters extreme southeast Oregon in southern Malheur County
Malheur County, Oregon
Malheur County is a county located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the eight-county definition of Eastern Oregon. Most of the county observes the Mountain Time Zone, although the southern quarter of the county observes the Pacific Time Zone along with the...
, generally flowing north in a zigzag course west of the Idaho border. It merges with the West Little Owyhee River
West Little Owyhee River
West Little Owyhee River is a tributary of the Owyhee River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The source of the river is at an elevation of near McDermitt, while the mouth is at an elevation of in the Owyhee Desert. West Little Owyhee River has a watershed....
from the south, then receives the Middle Fork Owyhee River and North Fork Owyhee River from the east at a location known as "Three Forks". It then passes through the Owyhee Canyon between Big Grassy Mountain and Whitehouse Butte, then turns north, flowing east of Burns Junction
Burns Junction, Oregon
Burns Junction is a highway junction and unincorporated locale in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. Burns Junction lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 95 and Oregon Route 78, about southeast of the Harney County city of Burns....
and then west of the Mahogany Mountains
Mahogany Mountains
The Mahogany Mountains is a mountain range in Lincoln County, Nevada bordering Iron County, Utah....
. In this area the Owyhee River receives the tributaries of Jordan Creek, Rattlesnake Creek, and Crooked Creek.
The Owyhee River enters the Snake River from the west on the Oregon-Idaho border approximately 5 miles (8 km) south of Nyssa, Oregon
Nyssa, Oregon
Nyssa is a city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. The population was 3,163 at the 2000 census. The city is located along the Snake River on the Idaho border, in the region of far eastern Oregon known as the "Treasure Valley"...
and 2 miles (3 km) south of the mouth of the Boise River
Boise River
The Boise River is a tributary of the Snake River in the northwestern United States. It drains a rugged portion of the Sawtooth Range in southwestern Idaho northeast of Boise, as well as part of the western Snake River Plain...
. The final stretch of the river, below Owyhee Dam, emerges from the Owyhee Plateau and enters the 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...
.
River modifications
In northern Malheur County, approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) upstream from its mouth on the Snake, the Owyhee River is impounded by the Owyhee DamOwyhee Dam
Owyhee Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Owyhee River in Eastern Oregon near Adrian, Oregon, United States. Completed in 1932 during the Great Depression, the dam generates electricity and provides irrigation water for several irrigation districts in Oregon and neighboring Idaho...
, creating the serpentine Lake Owyhee, approximately 52 miles (83.7 km) long. The dam was constructed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
United States Bureau of Reclamation
The United States Bureau of Reclamation , and formerly the United States Reclamation Service , is an agency under the U.S...
primarily to provide irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
for the agricultural potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
-growing region around the Snake River. Lake Owyhee State Park and scenic Leslie Gulch
Leslie Gulch
Leslie Gulch is a canyon in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It is on the east side of Owyhee Lake, a reservoir on the Owyhee River. Its abundant and striking rock formations are made of tuff....
are along the eastern shore of the reservoir. Owyhee Dam was built in 1933 and eliminated anadromous fish such as salmon from the Owyhee River basin.
History
| Coordinate | USGS Map |
|---|---|
| 43.8126614°N 117.0254361°W | Owyhee |
| 43.7865487°N 117.1262750°W | Mitchell Butte |
| 43.7496036°N 117.1434973°W | Owyhee Dam |
| 43.6743252°N 117.2512786°W | Grassy Mountain |
| 43.6246036°N 117.2568323°W | The Elbow |
| 43.4996051°N 117.3423867°W | Pelican Point |
| 43.3746025°N 117.3146048°W | Rooster Comb |
| 43.3004347°N 117.3762727°W | Diamond Butte |
| 43.2496012°N 117.4884989°W | Jordan Craters North |
| 43.2151566°N 117.5012757°W | The Hole in the Ground |
| 43.1246008°N 117.7046115°W | Lambert Rocks |
| 42.9996001°N 117.7315520°W | Owyhee Butte |
| 42.8748786°N 117.6818245°W | Rome |
| 42.8440452°N 117.6257109°W | Scott Reservoir |
| 42.7496000°N 117.4101478°W | Indian Fort |
| 42.7493221°N 117.3757025°W | Skull Creek |
| 42.6490446°N 117.2506988°W | Whitehorse Butte |
| 42.6248782°N 117.2315315°W | Three Forks |
| 42.4996015°N 117.2140303°W | Drummond Basin |
| 42.4034926°N 117.1256921°W | Deacon Crossing |
| 42.3748825°N 117.0718011°W | Beaver Charlie Breaks |
| 42.3126624°N 117.0004087°W | Beaver Charlie Breaks |
| 42.2548880°N 116.8751257°W | Bull Basin Camp |
| 42.2493344°N 116.7476217°W | Piute Basin West |
| 42.2504473°N 116.6253968°W | Brace Flat |
| 41.5046318°N 115.7417442°W | Wagon Springs |
The watershed of the river was part of region inhabited by the Shoshone
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
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...
Indians.
The name of the river is from the older spelling of "Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
". It was named for three Hawaiian trappers, in the employ 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...
, who were sent to explore the uncharted river. They failed to return to the rendezvous near the Boise River
Boise River
The Boise River is a tributary of the Snake River in the northwestern United States. It drains a rugged portion of the Sawtooth Range in southwestern Idaho northeast of Boise, as well as part of the western Snake River Plain...
and were never seen again. Due to this the river and its region was named "Owyhee". About one-third of the men with Donald MacKenzie's Snake Country Expeditions of 1819-20 were Hawaiians, commonly called "Kanakas
Kanakas
Kanaka was the term for a worker from various Pacific Islands employed in British colonies, such as British Columbia , Fiji and Queensland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
" or "Sandwich Islanders" in those days, with "Owyhee" being a standard period spelling of the proper Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
name for the islands, hawai'i, which then was otherwise unused in English. The three Kanakas were detached to trap on the river in 1819 and were probably killed by Indians that year. It was not until the spring or early summer of 1820 that MacKenzie learned the news of their deaths (probably at the hands of men belonging to a band of 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...
s led by a chief named The Horse). Indians led other trappers to the site, but only one skeleton was located. The earliest surviving record of the name is found on a map dating to 1825, drawn by William Kittson (who was previously with Donald MacKenzie in 1819-1820, and then with Peter Skene Ogden
Peter Skene Ogden
Peter Skene Ogden , was a fur trader and a Canadian explorer of what is now British Columbia and the American West...
in 1825), on which he notes "Owhyhee River" [his spelling]. Journal entries in 1826 by Peter Skene Ogden, a fur trapper who led subsequent Snake Country Expeditions for the 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...
refer to the river primarily as the "Sandwich Island River", but also as "S.I. River", "River Owyhee" and "Owyhee River."
The discovery of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
in the region in 1863 resulted in a temporary influx of miners and the establishment of mining camps, most of whom have long since disappeared. The initial discovery was along Jordan Creek, and mining activity rapidly spread through the Owyhee watershed. The mining effort involved more than placer operations, but underground mines and mills, resulting in a prolonged history of mining in the region. This invasion of Native American territory set off the 1864-1868 Snake War
Snake War
The Snake War was a war fought by the United States of America against the "Snake Indians", the settlers' term for Northern Paiute, Bannock and western Shoshone bands who lived along the Snake River. Fighting took place in the states of Oregon, Nevada, and California, and in Idaho Territory...
.
In 1866 the son of Sacagawea
Sacagawea
Sacagawea ; was a Lemhi Shoshone woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States...
, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was an American explorer and guide, fur trapper and trader, military scout during the Mexican-American War, alcalde of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, and a gold prospector and hotel operator in California. He spoke French and English, and learned German and Spanish...
, died near Jordan Valley
Jordan Creek (Owyhee River)
Jordan Creek is a tributary of the Owyhee River in the northwestern United States. It flows generally west from near Silver City, Idaho, in the Owyhee Mountains to near Rome in the Oregon High Desert. Major tributaries are Big Boulder, Soda, Louse, Spring, Rock, Meadow, Combination, and Louisa...
after catching a chill upon crossing the Owyhee en route from California to new gold strikes in Montana
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,...
(one of the gold strikes, near Bannack, Montana
Bannack, Montana
Bannack is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, located on Grasshopper Creek, approximately upstream from where Grasshopper Creek joins with the Beaverhead River south of Dillon.-History:...
, was interestingly just a few miles from where he had traveled as a toddler with his mother in the company of William Clark). After almost a century of neglect, his grave is now well marked, off Highway 95, near Danner
Danner, Oregon
Danner is an unincorporated community located in Malheur County, Oregon, United States, near Jordan Valley.-History:The old Idaho-Oregon-Nevada highway ran through Danner, following the route of the Skinner Toll Road which opened the area for settlement in 1863.Danner is the location of the grave...
at 42°57′07.1"N 117°20′21.4"W.
Protected areas
In 1984, the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
designated 120 miles (193 km) of the river as Owyhee Wild and Scenic River. Part of the designation includes the section of the river downstream from the Owyhee Dam, where the river flows through a remote section of deeply incised canyons surrounded by high canyon rims that are habitat for mountain lion, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, Mule Deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, California Bighorn Sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
, and a large variety of raptor
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
s.
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 designated 323274 acres (130,824.5 ha) on and around the Owyhee River in Idaho as wilderness. The bill was signed into law by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
on March 30, 2009. The new wilderness areas are:
- North Fork Owyhee WildernessNorth Fork Owyhee WildernessThe North Fork Owyhee Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. The rivers within it offer whitewater rapids up to Class IV. About miles of North Fork of the Owyhee River is classified as a wild river.-Geography:The...
- 43413 acres (17,568.6 ha) - Owyhee River WildernessOwyhee River WildernessThe Owyhee River Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. The wilderness area is named after and protects the upper Owyhee River, its tributaries, and the surrounding desert canyon landscape. Whitewater rafting is a...
- 267328 acres (108,183.9 ha) - Pole Creek WildernessPole Creek WildernessThe Pole Creek Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. Its whitewater rapids are a popular attraction.-Geography:...
- 12533 acres (5,071.9 ha)
See also
- OwyheeOwyheeOwyhee is an older English spelling of Hawaii, used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is found in the names of certain locations in the American Pacific Northwest, which were explored and mapped by expeditions whose members included native Hawaiians:*Owyhee, Nevada, a community in...
- List of Idaho rivers
- List of Nevada rivers
- List of rivers of Oregon
- List of longest streams of Oregon
- List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers
External links
- National Wild and Scenic River System: Owyhee River
- Middle Owyhee video, Oregon Field GuideOregon Field GuideOregon Field Guide is a weekly television program produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting focusing on recreation, the outdoors, and environmental issues in the state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon zeitgeist, it is produced and hosted by Steve Amen...