Okanogan River
Encyclopedia
The Okanogan River is a tributary of the Columbia River
, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia
and north central Washington. It drains a scenic plateau
region called the Okanagan Country east of the Cascade Range
and north and west of the Columbia, and also the Okanagan Valley
of British Columbia - which is also known as the Okanagan Country, but more usually as "the Okanagan".
, which is on the north side of the city of Penticton. It flows south past Penticton, through Skaha Lake
, past Okanagan Falls
, through Vaseux Lake
, and past Oliver
to Osoyoos
and Osoyoos Lake
, which spans the Canada – United States border and has its outlet into the Okanogan River at Oroville
, on the southern shore of the lake, in Okanogan County. At the border the river's name (and the region and also the name of the Okanagan Highland
) changes spelling from Okanagan to Okanogan. Average annual flow of the river at this point is 643 cfs.
From Oroville the Okanogan River flows south through the Okanogan County, past Okanogan
and Omak
. It forms the western boundary of the Colville Indian Reservation
. The Okanogan River enters the Columbia River from the north, 5 miles (8 km) east of Brewster
, between the Wells Dam
(downstream) and the Chief Joseph Dam
(upstream). The reservoir behind Wells Dam, into which the Okanagan empties, is called Lake Pateros
.
from the west near Oroville. It receives Omak Creek from the east near Omak, Tonasket Creek from the east near Oroville and Bonaparte Creek at Tonasket which flows from Bonaparte Lake near Wauconda and also from Aeneas Valley west of the Sanpoil
. It occasionally receives water from Salmon Creek at the town of Okanogan but much of the year this water is diverted for irrigation
.
era show the Okanagan River as the "Caledonia River", a name conferred as it was the connecting route between the Columbia District
and the New Caledonia Fur District
(which began north of Okanagan Lake). Fort Okanogan
, a fur-trading post of the North West Company
, was located at the river's confluence
with the Columbia. During the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
of 1858-1859, parties of armed miners, often at conflict with native peoples in the region, travelled the Okanagan Trail
and its western branch, the Similkameen Trail, via the river. After hostilities subsided, the route continued to be important as the southern leg of the overland trail to the Cariboo Gold Rush
known then by its fur trade era name as the Brigade Trail.
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...
, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and north central Washington. It drains a scenic 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 called the Okanagan Country east of the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
and north and west of the Columbia, and also the Okanagan Valley
Okanagan
The Okanagan , also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The...
of British Columbia - which is also known as the Okanagan Country, but more usually as "the Okanagan".
Course
The Okanogan River rises in southern British Columbia (where it is known as the Okanagan River), issuing out of the southern end of Okanagan LakeOkanagan Lake
Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The lake is 135 km long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface area of 351 km². The lake's maximum depth is 232 meters near Grant Island...
, which is on the north side of the city of Penticton. It flows south past Penticton, through Skaha Lake
Skaha Lake
Skaha Lake, historically known as Dog Lake and originally Lac Du Chien, is a freshwater lake located along the course of the Okanagan River in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. It has a surface area of approximately 20 km², with a maximum depth of 55 metres...
, past Okanagan Falls
Okanagan Falls, British Columbia
Okanagan Falls is a community located on the south end of Skaha Lake in British Columbia. Originally named Dogtown, which was derived from the name Dog Lake , the current name derives from the former small set of the falls that used to lie on the Okanagan River at the outlet of the lake.-References:...
, through Vaseux Lake
Vaseux Lake
Vaseux Lake is a freshwater lake located along th course of the Okanagan River in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake has the towns Okanagan Falls to the north, and Oliver to the south. The lake stage is controlled by McIntyre Dam...
, and past Oliver
Oliver, British Columbia
Oliver is a community at the south end of the Okanagan Valley in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 4370. The community of Oliver is made up of land governed by three different bodies: the Town of Oliver, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and the...
to Osoyoos
Osoyoos, British Columbia
Osoyoos is a town in the southern part of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia near the border with Washington state. The town is also adjacent to the Indian Reserve of the Osoyoos Indian Band. The origin of the name Osoyoos was the word suius meaning "narrowing of the waters" in the local...
and Osoyoos Lake
Osoyoos Lake
Osoyoos Lake is a lake located in British Columbia and Washington. Osoyoos is derived from the word suius meaning "narrowing of the waters" in the local Okanagan language ....
, which spans the Canada – United States border and has its outlet into the Okanogan River at Oroville
Oroville, Washington
Oroville is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,686 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Oroville is located at ....
, on the southern shore of the lake, in Okanogan County. At the border the river's name (and the region and also the name of the Okanagan Highland
Okanagan Highland
The Okanagan Highland is a plateau-like hilly area in British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. state of Washington . It lies between the Okanagan Valley on its west and the Kettle River on its east, and geologically is more or less an extension of the Thompson Plateau, which lies west of the Okanagan...
) changes spelling from Okanagan to Okanogan. Average annual flow of the river at this point is 643 cfs.
From Oroville the Okanogan River flows south through the Okanogan County, past Okanogan
Okanogan, Washington
Okanogan is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,552 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Okanogan County.It has a small commuter airfield, Okanogan Legion Airport - with one paved runway of in length....
and Omak
Omak, Washington
Omak is the largest city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,721 at the 2010 census. It is just south of the Canadian border where more populated cities are located ....
. It forms the western boundary of the Colville Indian Reservation
Colville Indian Reservation
The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is recognized by the United States of America as an American Indian Tribe...
. The Okanogan River enters the Columbia River from the north, 5 miles (8 km) east of Brewster
Brewster, Washington
Brewster is a city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,370 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1811, John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company established Fort Okanogan just north of the present site of Brewster, which was the first American post in Washington...
, between the Wells Dam
Wells Dam
Wells Dam is a hydroelectric dam located on the Columbia River, downstream from the confluence of the Okanogan River, Methow River, and the Columbia River in Washington State. The dam, associated structures, and machinery make up the Wells Hydroelectric Project. It is owned and operated by...
(downstream) and the Chief Joseph Dam
Chief Joseph Dam
The Chief Joseph Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River, upriver from Bridgeport, Washington, USA. The dam was authorized as Foster Creek Dam and Powerhouse for power generation and irrigation by the River and Harbor Act of 1946...
(upstream). The reservoir behind Wells Dam, into which the Okanagan empties, is called Lake Pateros
Lake Pateros
Lake Pateros is a reservoir on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 1967 with the construction of Wells Dam. The reservoir lies almost entirely in Douglas and Okanogan counties, although the dam itself lies partially in the easternmost portion of Chelan County. The...
.
Tributaries
The Okanogan River receives the Similkameen RiverSimilkameen River
The Similkameen River runs through southern British Columbia, eventually discharging into the Okanogan River near Oroville, Washington in the United States. The river is approximately long, and its drainage basin is in area...
from the west near Oroville. It receives Omak Creek from the east near Omak, Tonasket Creek from the east near Oroville and Bonaparte Creek at Tonasket which flows from Bonaparte Lake near Wauconda and also from Aeneas Valley west of the Sanpoil
Sanpoil River
The Sanpoil River is a tributary of the Columbia River, in the U.S. state of Washington. The term Sanpoil is from the Okanagan term [snpʕʷílx], meaning "people of the gray country", or "gray as far as one can see".-Course:...
. It occasionally receives water from Salmon Creek at the town of Okanogan but much of the year this water is diverted for 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...
.
History
Early maps of the fur tradeFur 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...
era show the Okanagan River as the "Caledonia River", a name conferred as it was the connecting route between the Columbia District
Columbia District
The Columbia District was a fur trading district in the Pacific Northwest region of British North America in the 19th century. It was explored by the North West Company between 1793 and 1811, and established as an operating fur district around 1810...
and the New Caledonia Fur District
New Caledonia (Canada)
New Caledonia was the name given to a district of the Hudson's Bay Company that comprised the territory largely coterminous with the present-day province of British Columbia, Canada. Though not a British colony, New Caledonia was part of the British claim to North America. Its administrative...
(which began north of Okanagan Lake). Fort Okanogan
Fort Okanogan
Fort Okanogan was founded as a fur trade outpost by John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company in 1811. It was built at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers, in what is now Okanogan County, Washington...
, a fur-trading post 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...
, was located at the river's confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the Columbia. During the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River. This was a few miles upstream from the Thompson's confluence with the Fraser River at present-day Lytton...
of 1858-1859, parties of armed miners, often at conflict with native peoples in the region, travelled the Okanagan Trail
Okanagan Trail
The Okanagan Trail was an inland route to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush from the Lower Columbia region of the Washington and Oregon Territories in 1858-1859...
and its western branch, the Similkameen Trail, via the river. After hostilities subsided, the route continued to be important as the southern leg of the overland trail to the Cariboo Gold Rush
Cariboo Gold Rush
The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Although the first gold discovery was made in 1859 at Horsefly Creek, followed by more strikes at Keithley Creek and Antler Horns lake in 1860, the actual rush did not begin until 1861, when these discoveries were...
known then by its fur trade era name as the Brigade Trail.
See also
- List of rivers of British Columbia
- List of rivers of Washington
- Okanagan Basin Water BoardOkanagan basin water boardThe Okanagan Basin Water Board is a water governance body designated to identify and resolve critical water issues for the Okanagan watershed in British Colombia, Canada. It was set up to implement the recommendations of the Okanagan Basin Study, and to take on a range of responsibilities for water...
External links
- About Us, Okanagan Basin Water Board
- Okanagan River Basin