Mahogany Mountain is an ancient caldera volcano on the border of Oregon and Idaho , in Malheur County and Owyhee County , respectively. While its early history is largely unknown, its last eruption was probably 15.5 million years ago. This eruption ejected layers of rhyolite and produced tuff , creating formations of rock in the Leslie Gulch .
31-608: Nearby features include the Owyhee River , historically used as a fishing and camping ground for early Native Americans. The climate of the area tends to be extreme; that is, it is cold in the winter and hot in summer. Sparse vegetation is present, including shrubs and patches of juniper . A part of the Basin and Range Province , the volcano's most recent eruptive activity dates to approximately 15 million years ago (the Miocene ), forming during
62-464: 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 which have long since disappeared. The initial discovery
93-455: A period of active volcanism including eruptions of ignimbrite and ash . It formed around the same time as Three Fingers , Castle Peak , and three other volcanoes. Today the volcano appears gnarled due to erosion and is topped by pine forests. The caldera is narrow and shaped like a ridge, with precipitous slopes and an escarpment on the northwest flank. It consists of rhyolite tuff and sedimentary layers. Leslie Gulch lies within
124-646: 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 1,000 feet (300 m) deep. The watershed of
155-661: 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 Mahogany Mountain . In this area
186-591: The American Revolution ; Isaac relocated to England at this time, then later returned to British-run Quebec. One of Peter's brothers, Charles Richard Ogden , was a lawyer, politician, and public servant from Canada East . Peter Skene Ogden married Julia Rivet/Reava, a Metis/ Nez Perce . After a brief time with the American Fur Company , Ogden joined the North West Company in 1809. His first post
217-806: The Duck Valley Indian Reservation . It then enters southwestern Idaho, flowing northwest for approximately 50 miles (80 km) 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 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
248-619: The "fur-trade wars". Ogden was admitted to the reconfigured HBC with the rank of Chief Trader in 1823 and put in charge of Spokane House . In November 1824, he was put in charge of the Snake River Country of the HBC's Columbia Department Expedition. Between 1824 and 1830, Ogden led a series of expeditions to explore and trap in the Snake River Country. One of the company's objectives was to bring as many furs from this area as possible to
279-577: The HBC so as to create a "fur desert", which was intended to discourage inroads by American trappers and traders. The exploration trips included: In 1830, Ogden was sent north to establish a new HBC post named Fort Simpson near the mouth of the Nass River in British Columbia. He also managed an outpost on the south coast of Alaska . In 1834, he was promoted to Chief Factor , HBC's highest field rank, spending 9 years at his new post at Fort St. James in
310-700: The New Caledonia district of British Columbia, together from 1835 until 1844. In 1844, he took a one year leave of absence, spent predominantly in England. He returned to Lower Canada in 1845, whereupon after a accompanying clandestine survey trip from Lachine to the Columbia district, he arrived in Fort Vancouver and followed his orders to purchase Cape Disappointment for the Hudson's Bay Company. He administered Fort Vancouver in
341-496: The North West Company viewed this as a necessary part of living in the Northwest, the HBC viewed Ogden as a dangerous man whose actions were deplorable, especially considering his background as the son of a judge. Ogden was charged with murder, and the North West Company moved him further west to attempt to avoid any further confrontations with the HBC. He served at different posts in modern-day Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia for
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#1732854969926372-680: The Owyhee River is in northeastern Nevada, in northern Elko County , approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of the city of 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 and Owyhee in
403-682: 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 . In northern Malheur County, approximately 20 miles (32 km) upstream from its mouth on
434-518: The Snake, the Owyhee River is impounded by the Owyhee Dam , creating the serpentine Lake Owyhee , approximately 52 miles (84 km) long. The dam was constructed by the 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
465-539: The United States. It is 280 miles (450 km) long. The river's drainage basin is 11,049 square miles (28,620 km ) in area, one of the largest subbasins of the Columbia Basin . The mean annual discharge is 995 cubic feet per second (28.2 m /s), with a maximum of 50,000 cu ft/s (1,400 m /s) recorded in 1993 and a minimum of 42 cu ft/s (1.2 m /s) in 1954. The Owyhee drains
496-440: The depression of the volcano. Layers of ash and tuff are evident in the formation, and leftover volcanic rocks sit in it as well. The gulch features an array of rock formations and ash erupted from the volcano approximately 15.5 million years ago. The nearby Owyhee River was utilized by Native Americans as early as 5,000 years before European habitation of the area. It served as a source of food, both for fishing and hunting, and
527-522: The eastern shore of the reservoir. Owyhee Dam was built in 1933 and eliminated anadromous fish such as salmon from the Owyhee River basin. In 1984, the United States Congress designated 120 miles (190 km) of the river as Owyhee Wild and Scenic River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 to preserve the river in its free-flowing condition. Part of the designation includes the section of
558-447: 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 ). 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 / 42.951972°N 117.339278°W / 42.951972; -117.339278 ( Jean Baptiste Charbonneau gravesite ) . The source of
589-622: The late 1840s. There Ogden fought successfully against American fur competition and successfully negotiated with local native tribes, including the Cayuse . In 1847, Ogden averted an Indian war and successfully negotiated for the lives of 49 settlers taken as slaves by the Cayuse and Umatilla Indians after the Whitman massacre . Ogden retired to Oregon City, Oregon , with one of his several Native American wives. His contact with native tribes led him to write
620-483: The men with 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
651-531: The natives often camped along its banks. The area by the volcano features cold winters and hot summers, with only 25 centimeters (10 in) of rainfall each year. Steppe -like shrubs make up the majority of the vegetation, though juniper is present in patches. There are 64 known mammalian species in the area. Owyhee River The Owyhee River is a tributary of the Snake River located in northern Nevada , southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon in
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#1732854969926682-410: The next several years. As a way of ending the ongoing strife between the two companies, the HBC and the North West Company merged in 1821. Ogden's violent history placed the now larger HBC in a quandary. Some in the company management severely disliked and distrusted Ogden, but newly appointed governor George Simpson pushed for his reinstatement, arguing that he had done no more than many others during
713-513: The operations of the HBC's Columbia Department , serving as manager of Fort Simpson and similar posts. Ogden was a son of Chief Justice of the Admiralty Court (1788-1808) Isaac Ogden of Quebec and his wife Sarah Hanson. The family was descended from a 17th-century British emigrant to the American colonies (Long Island and New Jersey). Both Isaac and his father David were Loyalists during
744-481: 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 raptors . The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 designated 323,274 acres (130,824 ha) on and around the Owyhee River in Idaho as wilderness. The bill
775-639: 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. With the bill stalled for several years, governor Tina Kotek and other advocates called for President Biden to make the area a national monument in August 2024. Download coordinates as: Peter Skene Ogden Peter Skene Ogden (alternately Skeene , Skein , or Skeen ; baptised 12 February 1790 – 27 September 1854 )
806-573: The river was part of region inhabited by the Shoshone and Bannock Native Americans. The name of the river is from the older spelling of " Hawaii ". It was named for three 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". About one-third of
837-465: Was a British-Canadian fur trader and an early explorer of what is now British Columbia and the Western United States . During his many expeditions, he explored parts of Oregon , Washington , Nevada , California , Utah , Idaho , and Wyoming . Despite early confrontations with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) while working for the North West Company , he later became a senior official in
868-539: Was along 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. 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
899-473: Was at Île-à-la-Crosse , Saskatchewan , in 1810, and by 1814 he was in charge of a post at Green Lake, Saskatchewan , 100 miles (160 km) south. Ogden had frequent run-ins with the rival HBC employees and engaged in physical violence on several occasions. In 1816, HBC clerks reported that Ogden killed an Indian who had traded with the Hudson's Bay Company. The Indian was "butchered in a most cruel manner", according to HBC officer James Bird. Although many in
930-565: 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,
961-517: Was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009. The new wilderness areas are: Oregon senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced the Owyhee Act in November 2019. It would preserve 1 million acres (400 thousand hectares) of Owyhee canyonlands as wilderness, while calling for improvements to loop roads to bring in visitors. It also designated 14.7 miles (23.7 km) of