The John Day River is a tributary of the Columbia River , approximately 284 miles (457 km) long, in northeastern Oregon in the United States . It is known as the Mah-Hah River by the Cayuse people . Undammed along its entire length, the river is the fourth longest free-flowing river in the contiguous United States. There is extensive use of its waters for irrigation . Its course furnishes habitat for diverse species, including wild steelhead and Chinook salmon runs. However, the steelhead populations are under federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections, and the Chinook salmon have been proposed for such protection.
21-590: The North Fork John Day River is a 107-mile (172 km) tributary of the John Day River in the U.S. state of Oregon . It begins in Grant County about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Baker City near the crest of the Blue Mountains . It flows generally west to the community of Dale on U.S. Route 395 , then southwest through the city of Monument to the unincorporated community of Kimberly , where it meets
42-508: A male householder with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.69. The median age in the city was 49.8 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.9% were from 25 to 44; 30.2% were from 45 to 64; and 25.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of
63-517: A waiting room, railway station agent's office, baggage room, and freight office. The second floor, once the home of the station agent and his family, houses the Dewitt Museum, with pioneer artifacts, tools, furniture, and memorabilia, as well as rocks and minerals from the surrounding area. The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Bates State Park , built on
84-462: A wood-fueled power plant, and public services. Prairie Wood Products, a mill that produces fine-grained studs from timber from nearby forests, is in Prairie City. Prairie City School in Prairie City serves children from kindergarten through 12th grade. Architectural features in Prairie City include historic stone buildings and the former railway depot. The ground floor of the depot consists of
105-545: Is classified wild, the next 10.5 miles (16.9 km) scenic, and the next 15.8 miles (25.4 km) recreational, for a total of 54.1 miles (87.1 km). The North Fork John Day River is one of the most important in northeast Oregon for anadromous fish. Wildlife found near the river includes mule deer , elk , and black bears , peregrine falcons , and bald eagles . Recreational uses include hunting, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, snowmobiling , skiing, camping, and whitewater rafting . John Day River The river
126-601: The Bureau of Land Management . Its lower course is used for irrigation of cropland and ranching. In 1988, the United States Congress designated 147.5 miles (237.4 km) of the river from Service Creek to Tumwater Falls as Wild and Scenic for its recreational opportunities. The segment of the river is a popular destination for anadromous steelhead and warm water bass fishing, as well as whitewater rafting . In addition to wild spring chinook salmon and bass,
147-614: The Malheur National Forest is directly south of the city. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 0.99 square miles (2.56 km ), all land. As of the census of 2010, there were 909 people, 402 households, and 257 families residing in the city. The population density was 918.2 inhabitants per square mile (354.5/km ). There were 476 housing units at an average density of 480.8 per square mile (185.6/km ). The racial makeup of
168-667: The Middle Fork John Day River above Monument, Grant County, Oregon). The river then flows west across Wheeler County . At the county line with Jefferson County it flows north, past the Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. As it approaches the Columbia River in north-central Oregon, it flows in an increasingly meandering course, forming the boundary between Sherman County to
189-557: The 1930s. In the 21st century, a heritage railway operates on a segment of the original line between Sumpter and McEwen . Prairie City is in eastern Oregon at the upper end of the John Day River valley. It is about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Baker City by highway and 13 miles (21 km) east of John Day along U.S. Route 26 in Grant County . Strawberry Mountain in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness of
210-687: The cities of Prairie City , John Day and Mount Vernon . At Dayville , in western Grant County, it is joined from the south by the South Fork John Day River , then flows north through Picture Gorge and the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument . At Kimberly in northwestern Grant County, it is joined from the east by the North Fork John Day River (which had already joined with
231-493: The city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female. At the census of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $ 31,354, and the median income for a family was $ 35,893. Males had a median income of $ 31,771 versus $ 24,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 16,278. About 10.6% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over. The economy includes ranching, retail stores,
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#1732851087031252-443: The city was 94.6% White , 0.1% African American , 1.3% Native American , 0.1% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 0.3% from other races , and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population. There were 402 households, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had
273-668: The eastern edge of Grant County. The South Fork's source is in northern Harney County , about 10 miles (16 km) south of the Grant County line. The main, south and middle forks each have their heads in different parts of the Malheur National Forest , while the North Fork's source is located in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest . The main fork flows initially north, then west through the John Day Valley and through
294-725: The former mining camp of Dixie , established in 1862 about 3 miles (5 km) up Dixie Creek from the John Day River . Prairie City, at the mouth of the creek, was chosen after placer mining rendered Dixie unsuitable for a townsite. The new city's post office was established in 1870 with Jules Le Bret as postmaster. A narrow gauge line, the Sumpter Valley Railway (SVR), ran 80 miles (130 km) from Baker City west to Sumpter and on to its western terminus at Prairie City, which it reached in 1907. It carried passengers as well as freight shipped by ranchers, mining interests, and timber companies until its piecemeal abandonment in
315-655: The gauge is 2,075 cubic feet per second (58.8 m /s). Through its tributaries, the river drains much of the western side of the Blue Mountains , flowing across the sparsely populated arid part of the state east of the Cascade Range in a northwest zigzag, then entering the Columbia upstream from the Columbia River Gorge . It flows through exceptionally scenic canyons in its upper course, with several significant paleontological sites along its banks. Elevations within
336-712: The main stem of the John Day River. The upper reaches of the river flow through the North Fork John Day Wilderness in the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest and the Umatilla National Forest . From its headwaters to its confluence with Camas Creek, the river is part of the National Wild and Scenic River system under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. The upper 27.8 miles (44.7 km)
357-477: The river causes its flow to greatly fluctuate throughout the year depending on snowpack and rainfall within the watershed. The highest flow recorded at a gauge on the lower John Day was 43,300 cubic feet per second (1,230 m /s) on January 2, 1997. The lowest flow was no flow at all, which occurred on September 2, 1966; from August 15 to September 16, 1973; and on nine days in August 1977. The average flow at
378-522: The river furnishes habitat for Columbia River redband trout , bull trout , and westslope cutthroat trout . There are no hatchery salmon or steelhead released in the John Day River. Prairie City, Oregon Prairie City is a city in Grant County , Oregon , United States. The population was 909 at the 2010 census . The community was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on February 23, 1891. Prairie City grew out of
399-643: The watershed range from 268 feet (82 m) at the river's mouth to more than 9,000 feet (2,700 m) in the Strawberry Mountains . The main branch of the John Day River rises in the Strawberry Mountains in eastern Grant County . The North Fork heads on the western slope of the Elkhorn Mountains in northeastern Grant County. The Middle Fork rises near the crest of the Blue Mountains on
420-563: The west and Gilliam County to the east. The John Day River joins the Columbia from the southeast approximately 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Biggs . The mouth of the river is on the narrow Lake Umatilla reservoir, formed on the Columbia by the John Day Dam , approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream from the mouth of the John Day. The John Day is navigable by rafts and other small river craft by boaters who obtain permits provided by
441-634: Was named for John Day , a member of the Pacific Fur Company's overland expedition to the mouth of the Columbia River that left Missouri in 1810. Day struggled through eastern Oregon during the winter of 1811–12. While descending the Columbia River in April 1812, he and Ramsay Crooks were robbed and stripped naked by Native Americans at the mouth of the river that now bears his name, forcing them to hike 80 miles (130 km) back to friendly Umatilla Indians under extreme conditions. The absence of dams on
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