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{{short description|River in Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon, United States}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Owyhee River
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| depth_avg =
| depth_max =
| discharge1_location= [[Owyhee, Oregon|Owyhee, OR]], {{convert|1
| discharge1_min = {{convert|3.2|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg = {{convert|1146|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="U.S. Geological Survey">{{cite web|url=http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/monthly/?referred_module=sw&site_no=13184000&por_13184000_2=545544,00060,2,1890-03,1986-09&format=html_table&date_format=YYYY-MM-DD&rdb_compression=file&submitted_form=parameter_selection_list|title=USGS Gage #13184000 on the Owyhee River at Owyhee, OR|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey|work=National Water Information System|date=1890–1986|
| discharge1_max = {{convert|29000|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
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| mouth = [[Snake River]]
| mouth_location = [[Canyon County, Idaho|Canyon County]], [[Idaho]]/[[Malheur County, Oregon|Malheur County]], [[Oregon]]
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|43|48|46|N|117|01|32|W|display=inline,title}}<ref name="gnis">{{cite web | work = Geographic Names Information System| publisher = United States Geological Survey | date = November 28, 1980 | url ={{Gnis3|1147319}}| title = Owyhee River |
| mouth_elevation = {{convert|2185|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="gnis"/>
| progression =
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}}
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 {{convert|280|mi}} long.<ref name="OregonEncyclopedia">
The river's [[drainage basin]] is {{convert|11049|sqmi|km2}} in area, one of the largest subbasins of the [[Columbia River Drainage Basin|Columbia Basin]].<ref>[http://www.nwcouncil.org/fw/subbasinplanning/willamette/plan/EntirePlan.pdf Willamette Subbasin Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213223320/http://www.nwcouncil.org/fw/subbasinplanning/willamette/plan/EntirePlan.pdf |date=2012-02-13 }}, Northwest Power and Conservation Council</ref> The mean annual [[Discharge (hydrology)|discharge]] is {{convert|995|cuft/s|m3/s}}, with a maximum of {{convert|50000|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}} recorded in 1993 and a minimum of {{convert|42|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}} in 1954.<ref name="nwcouncil">[http://www.nwcouncil.org/fw/subbasinplanning/owyhee/plan/Entire_Plan.pdf Owyhee Subbasin Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216095204/http://www.nwcouncil.org/fw/subbasinplanning/owyhee/plan/Entire_Plan.pdf |date=2007-12-16 }}, Northwest Power and Conservation Council</ref>
The Owyhee drains a remote area of the arid [[plateau]] region immediately north 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 its tributaries flow through the Owyhee Plateau, cutting deep canyons, often with vertical walls and in some places over {{convert|1000|ft|m}} deep.<ref name="nwcouncil"/>
==History of the name==
The watershed of the river was part of region inhabited by the [[Shoshone]] and [[Bannock people|Bannock]] Native Americans. The name of the river is from the older spelling of "[[Hawaii]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KdszAAAAIBAJ&pg=3625%2C6810275 |title=What, Indeed, Is in a Name? |work=Eugene Register-Guard |date=December 25, 1971 |access-date=30 April 2015 |last=Reed |first=Ione |page=8}}</ref> It was named for three [[Native Hawaiians|Native 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 were named "Owyhee".<ref name="nwcouncil"/>
About one-third of the men with [[Donald Mackenzie (explorer)|Donald MacKenzie]]'s Snake Country Expeditions of 1819–1820 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 Native Americans 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 Bannocks led by a chief named The Horse). Native Americans 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 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".<ref>See Alexander Ross's Fur Hunters of the Far West, the Journals of Peter Skene Ogden and the Kittson map published with Ogden's journals by the Hudson's Bay Records Society.</ref>
==History==
===Mining===
[[File:2013-06-16 15 39 56 View south across the Owyhee River as it flows past Mountain City in Nevada and Nevada State Route 225.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Owyhee River through Mountain City, Nevada|Owyhee River through [[Mountain City, Nevada]]]]
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 which have long since disappeared. The initial discovery was along [[Jordan Creek (Owyhee River)|Jordan Creek]], and mining activity rapidly spread through the Owyhee watershed. This activity involved not only placer operations, but also underground mines and mills, resulting in a prolonged history of mining in the region.<ref name="nwcouncil"/>
===Death of Sacagawea's son===
In 1866 the son of [[Sacagawea]], [[Jean Baptiste Charbonneau]], died near [[Jordan Creek (Owyhee River)|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 just a few miles from where he had traveled as a toddler with his mother in the company of [[William Clark (explorer)|William Clark]]). After almost a century of neglect, his grave is now well marked, off Highway 95, near [[Danner, Oregon|Danner]] at {{Coord|42|57|07.1|N|117|20|21.4|W|type:landmark_region:US-OR|name=Jean Baptiste Charbonneau gravesite}}.
==Course==
The source of the Owyhee River is in northeastern Nevada, in northern [[Elko County, Nevada|Elko County]], approximately {{convert|50|mi|-1}} north of the city of [[Elko, Nevada|Elko]]. It flows north along the east side of the [[Independence 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-Toiyabe National Forest]], and then past the communities of [[Mountain City, Nevada|Mountain City]] and [[Owyhee, Nevada|Owyhee]] in the [[Duck Valley Indian Reservation]]. It then enters southwestern Idaho, flowing northwest for approximately {{convert|50|mi|-1}} across the southwest corner of the state through [[Owyhee County, Idaho|Owyhee County]]. It is then joined by the South Fork Owyhee River from the south, approximately {{convert|10|mi}} east of the Oregon border. The main tributary of the South Fork is the [[Little Owyhee River]].<ref>{{GNIS|376350|Little Owyhee River}}</ref>
The Owyhee River then enters extreme southeast Oregon in southern [[Malheur County, Oregon|Malheur County]], generally flowing north in a zigzag course west of the Idaho border. It merges with the [[West Little Owyhee River]]<ref>{{GNIS|1128885|West Little Owyhee River}}</ref> from the south, then receives the Middle Fork Owyhee River<ref>{{GNIS|1124113|Middle Fork Owyhee River}}</ref> and [[North Fork Owyhee River]]<ref>{{GNIS|374200|North Fork Owyhee River}}</ref> 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, Oregon|Burns Junction]] and then west of [[Mahogany Mountain]]. 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 {{convert|5|mi|0}} south of [[Nyssa, Oregon]], and {{convert|2|mi|0}} 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]].
===
In northern Malheur County, approximately {{convert|20|mi}} upstream from its mouth on the Snake, the Owyhee River is impounded by the [[Owyhee Dam]], creating the serpentine [[Lake Owyhee]], approximately {{convert|52|mi}} long. The dam was constructed by the [[United States Bureau of Reclamation|U.S. Bureau of Reclamation]] primarily to provide [[irrigation]] for the agricultural region in southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho, onions and hops are the staple crops in this region. 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.<ref name="nwcouncil"/>
==Protected areas==
[[File:Owyhee River Canyon.jpeg|thumb|left|upright|The Owyhee Canyon]]
In 1984, the [[United States Congress]] designated {{convert|120
The [[Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009]] designated {{convert|323274|acres|ha}} on and around the Owyhee River in Idaho as wilderness.<ref>{{cite web
* [[North Fork Owyhee Wilderness]] - {{convert|43413|acres|ha}}
* [[Owyhee River Wilderness]] - {{convert|267328|acres|ha}}
* [[Pole Creek Wilderness]] - {{convert|12533|acres|ha}}
Oregon senators [[Ron Wyden]] and [[Jeff Merkley]] introduced the Owyhee Act in November 2019. It would preserve {{convert|1|e6acres|e3ha|abbr=off}} of Owyhee canyonlands as wilderness, while calling for improvements to loop roads to bring in visitors. It also designated {{convert|14.7|mi}} of the river for protection under the [[Wild and Scenic Rivers Act]]. It was supported by both ranchers and conservationists, as well as the Northwest Sport Fishing Association.<ref name="seventeen">{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Senators-seek-to-protect-Owyhee-River-Grand-14821069.php|title=Senators seek to protect Owyhee River, 'Grand Canyon of Oregon'|date=8 November 2019}}</ref> With the bill stalled for several years, governor [[Tina Kotek]] and other advocates called for President Biden to make the area a [[National monument (United States)|national monument]] in August 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chronicle |first=Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital |date=2024-08-23 |title=Gov. Tina Kotek asks Biden to designate ‘Oregon’s Grand Canyon’ a national monument if Congress doesn’t |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2024/08/gov-tina-kotek-asks-biden-to-designate-oregons-grand-canyon-a-national-monument-if-congress-doesnt.html |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=oregonlive |language=en}}</ref>
==Tributaries==
[[File:Owyhee River, with Three Forks Recreation Site, Oregon.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of the Owyhee River in Oregon, and looking southeast into Idaho, with the Three Forks Recreation Site at left]]
* [[Jordan Creek (Owyhee River tributary)|Jordan Creek]] is a {{Convert|99|mi|km|adj=on}} tributary.<ref name="NHD">{{Cite web|title=National Hydrography Dataset|publisher=United States Geological Survey|url=http://nhd.usgs.gov/index.html|access-date=September 3, 2010}}</ref> It flows generally west from near [[Silver City, Idaho]], in the [[Owyhee Mountains]] to near [[Rome, Oregon|Rome]] in the [[Oregon High Desert]].<ref name="DeLorme Oregon">{{cite map |publisher = DeLorme Mapping |title = Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer |edition = 1991 |section = 75|isbn = 0-89933-235-8}}</ref><ref name="DeLorme Idaho">{{cite map |publisher = DeLorme Mapping |title = Idaho Atlas & Gazetteer |edition = 2007 |section = 24|isbn = 0-89933-284-6}}</ref>
* The [[West Little Owyhee River]] has a source at an elevation of {{convert|6,508|ft}} near the Nevada-Oregon border by the community of [[McDermitt, Nevada]]. Approximately {{convert|57|mi}} in length, the river flows east by Deer Flat and into Louse Canyon. Near a prominent feature known as Twin Buttes, it turns sharply north as it cuts through the [[Owyhee Desert]], making its way to the Owyhee River.<ref>{{cite web |title=West Little Owyhee River, Oregon |url=https://www.rivers.gov/rivers/west-little-owyhee.php |website=www.rivers.gov |access-date=15 April 2020}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
* The [[Lake Fork West Owyhee River]] is a short tributary of the West Little Owyhee River that begins near Cat, Bend, and Pedroli springs near the eastern boundary of the [[Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe|Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation]] in southern [[Malheur County, Oregon|Malheur County]]. It flows generally northeast to meet the larger river in Louse Canyon. The Lake Fork has no named tributaries.<ref name="topo map">{{cite web|title=United States Topographic Map|publisher=United States Geological Survey|via=Acme Mapper|url=http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=42.086944,-117.469722&z=12&t=T&marker0=42.086944,-117.469722|access-date=December 22, 2015}}</ref>
* The [[Little Owyhee River]] is a {{convert|61|mi|km|0|adj=on}} long<ref name="NHD"/> tributary of the [[South Fork Owyhee River]]. Beginning at an elevation of {{convert|6739|ft|m|sigfig=4}}<ref name="Source">Source elevation derived from [[Google Earth]] search using GNIS source coordinates.</ref> east of the [[Santa Rosa Range]] in eastern [[Humboldt County, Nevada]], it flows generally east into [[Elko County, Nevada]] and the Owyhee Desert.<ref name="LOR-GNIS">{{cite gnis|title=Little Owyhee River|id=376350|entrydate=June 21, 1979|access-date=July 15, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Blue Creek (Owyhee River tributary)|Blue Creek]] is a {{convert|53|mi|km|0|adj=on}} long<ref name="NHD"/> tributary that begins at an elevation of {{convert|6097|ft|m|sigfig=4}}<ref name="Source"/> in central [[Owyhee County, Idaho|Owyhee County]], it flows generally south through the Owyhee Desert and near the community of [[Riddle, Idaho|Riddle]], where it is roughly paralleled by [[Idaho State Highway 51]]. It then flows into the [[Duck Valley Indian Reservation]] to its mouth near the Idaho/Nevada border northwest of [[Owyhee, Nevada]],<ref name="Map">{{cite map|publisher=Benchmark Maps|title=Idaho Road and Recreation Atlas|edition=2nd|year=2010|scale=1:250,000|page=81|isbn=978-0-929591-06-3|oclc=567571371}}</ref> at an elevation of {{convert|5289|ft|m|sigfig=4}}.<ref name="GNIS">{{cite gnis|title=Blue Creek|id=371611|entrydate=June 21, 1979|access-date=July 16, 2013}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[List of Idaho rivers]]
* [[List of longest streams of Idaho]]
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{{GeoGroupTemplate}}
* {{Oregon Encyclopedia|owyhee_river}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151223142057/http://oregonwatersheds.org/councils/watershed-councils-without-website/owyhee-watershed-council-1 Owyhee Watershed Council]
* [http://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/segment/owyhee-river-canyon-travel-geology/ Owyhee River Journey] Video produced by [[Oregon Field Guide]]
* [https://www.rivers.gov/rivers/owyhee-or.php National Wild and Scenic Rivers System]
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[[Category:Owyhee River| ]]
[[Category:Rivers of Idaho]]
[[Category:Rivers of Nevada]]
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[[Category:Rivers of Malheur County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Rivers of Owyhee County, Idaho]]
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