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 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.
59-663: 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 1,000 feet (300 m) deep. The watershed of
118-412: A plateau ( / p l ə ˈ t oʊ , p l æ ˈ t oʊ , ˈ p l æ t oʊ / ; French: [plato] ; pl. : plateaus or plateaux ), also called a high plain or a tableland , is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides have deep hills or escarpments . Plateaus can be formed by
177-434: A female householder with no husband present, 27.5% were non-families, and 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.29. The median age was 36.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 33,441 and the median income for a family was $ 36,405. Males had a median income of $ 31,404 versus $ 29,167 for females. The per capita income for
236-463: 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
295-568: A number of processes, including upwelling of volcanic magma , extrusion of lava , and erosion by water and glaciers . Plateaus are classified according to their surrounding environment as intermontane, piedmont, or continental. A few plateaus may have a small flat top while others have wider ones. Plateaus can be formed by a number of processes, including upwelling of volcanic magma, extrusion of lava, plate tectonics movements, and erosion by water and glaciers. Volcanic plateaus are produced by volcanic activity . The Columbia Plateau in
354-525: A portion of it near Glenns Ferry and King Hill to neighboring Elmore County . In 1934, the county seat was moved from the nearly abandoned Silver City to its present location in Murphy. In the 21st century, both Silver City and Ruby City are ghost towns, remnant of the mining boom. The name "Owyhee" derives from an early anglicization of the Hawaiian term " Hawaii ". When James Cook encountered what he named
413-542: A river was already there, though not necessarily on exactly the same course. Then, subterranean geological forces caused the land in that part of North America to gradually rise by about a centimeter per year for millions of years. An unusual balance occurred: the river that would become the Colorado River was able to erode into the crust of the Earth at a nearly equal rate to the uplift of the plateau. Now, millions of years later,
472-658: 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
531-609: Is divided into three main flat regions: the Bogotá savanna , the valleys of Ubaté and Chiquinquirá , and the valleys of Duitama and Sogamoso . The parallel Sierra of Andes delimit one of the world highest plateaux: the Altiplano , (Spanish for "high plain"), Andean Plateau or Bolivian Plateau. It lies in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet. The bulk of
590-458: Is in Owyhee, Nevada . This area was the territory of Western Shoshone , Northern Paiute , and Bannock peoples and their ancestors for thousands of years prior to the arrival of European settlers. Settler interests in securing land and resources spurred conflict and led to the indigenous peoples being forced onto reservations. On December 31, 1863, Owyhee County became the first county organized by
649-683: Is sometimes called the Roof of Africa due to its height and large area. Another example is the Highveld which is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above approximately 1,500 metres, but below 2,100 metres, thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions. It is home to some of the largest South African urban agglomerations . In Egypt are the Giza Plateau and Galala Mountain , which
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#1732851099959708-528: Is the Scottish Highlands . Plateaus are classified according to their surrounding environment. The highest African plateau is the Ethiopian Highlands which cover the central part of Ethiopia. It forms the largest continuous area of its altitude in the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 metres (4,921 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 metres (14,928 ft). It
767-558: Is the home of more than 70 million people. The Western Plateau , part of the Australian Shield , is an ancient craton covering much of the continent's southwest, an area of some 700,000 square kilometres. It has an average elevation between 305 and 460 metres. The North Island Volcanic Plateau is an area of high land occupying much of the centre of the North Island of New Zealand, with volcanoes, lava plateaus, and crater lakes,
826-623: Is the second-largest county in Idaho, behind Idaho County . Owyhee County is part of the Boise metropolitan area and contains slightly more than half of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation , which extends over the Nevada border, into Elko County . The majority of the federally recognized Shoshone - Paiute Tribe that is associated with this reservation lives on the Nevada side; its tribal center
885-847: The Deccan Plateau (≈1,900,000 km (730,000 sq mi), elevation 300–600 metres (980–1,970 ft)). A large plateau in North America is the Colorado Plateau , which covers about 337,000 km (130,000 sq mi) in Colorado , Arizona , New Mexico , and Utah . In northern Arizona and southern Utah the Colorado Plateau is bisected by the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon . This came to be over 10 million years ago,
944-733: 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
1003-597: The Idaho Territory Legislature. While Boise , Idaho, Nez Perce , and Shoshone counties were organized under the laws of Washington Territory , they were not recognized by the Idaho Territory until February 1864. The original county seat at Ruby City was moved to nearby Silver City in 1867. Owyhee County's original boundary was the portion of Idaho Territory south of the Snake River and west of
1062-552: The Rocky Mountains . Less than a month after the creation of Owyhee County, Oneida County was formed in January 1864 from the eastern portion of the county. The formation of Cassia County in 1879 took further territory in the east. Owyhee County's history is closely linked to the mining boom that dominated Idaho Territory in the second half of the 19th century. Silver City and Ruby City developed as boom towns. At its height in
1121-760: The Sandwich Islands (now the Hawaiian Islands) in 1778, he found them inhabited by Native Hawaiians , whom the Anglo-Americans referred to as "Owyhees". Noted for their hardy physique and maritime skills, numerous Native Hawaiians were hired as crew members aboard European and American vessels. Many Native Hawaiians sailed to the American Northwest coast and found employment along the Columbia River, where they joined trapping expeditions or worked at some of
1180-753: The fur trading posts. In 1819, three Native Hawaiians joined Donald Mackenzie 's Snake expedition, which went out annually into the Snake country for the North West Company , a Montreal -based organization of Canadian fur traders. The three Hawaiians left the main party during the winter of 1819–1820 to explore the then unknown terrain of what since has been called the Owyhee River and mountains. They disappeared and were presumed dead; no further information regarding their whereabouts has been found. In memory of these Native Hawaiians, British fur trappers started to call
1239-552: The " Roof of the World ", which is still being formed by the collisions of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates . The Tibetan Plateau covers approximately 2,500,000 km (970,000 sq mi), at about 5,000 m (16,000 ft) above sea level. The plateau is sufficiently high to reverse the Hadley cell convection cycles and to drive the monsoons of India towards
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#17328510999591298-561: The 1880s, Owyhee County was among the most populous places in Idaho. Today it is among the least populous, at 1.4 persons per square mile (0.54 persons/km ). Because of pressure from miners and settlers, the federal government made a treaty in 1877 with the Western Shoshone to cede land, and established what is now known as the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in this county and across the border in Elko County, Nevada . The reservation
1357-662: The Altiplano lies within Bolivian and Peruvian territory while its southern parts lie in Chile. The Altiplano plateau hosts several cities like Puno, Oruro, El Alto and La Paz the administrative seat of Bolivia. Northeastern Altiplano is more humid than the Southwestern, the latter of which hosts several salares , or salt flats, due to its aridity. At the Bolivia-Peru border lies Lake Titicaca ,
1416-490: The Murphy Branch line. Daily passenger service to Murphy was discontinued in 1942. By 1947, shipping animals out of Murphy was no longer profitable for the railroad. The Murphy portion of the line was abandoned in 1947. In the 1950s, trucks and highways became the dominant mode of transportation. The last train left Melba in 1994, and all rails were torn out in that same year. The second railroad line
1475-698: The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is at an elevation of about 2,450 m (8,040 ft) above sea level , and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 2,150 m (7,050 ft) above sea level. At its deepest, the Colorado River is about 1,830 m (6,000 ft) below the level of the North Rim. Another high-altitude plateau in North America is the Mexican Plateau . With an area of 601,882 km (232,388 sq mi) and average height of 1,825 metres, it
1534-680: 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
1593-682: 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
1652-538: The Snake River into Owyhee County in 1897, whereupon it crossed Rabbit Creek before arriving in Murphy, Idaho. The first train into Murphy occurred in 1899. The Boise, Nampa & Owyhee Railroad was acquired by the Idaho Northern Railroad in 1907; the line was taken over by the Oregon Short Line Railroad in 1913 following their purchase of the Idaho Northern Railroad, after which it became known as
1711-470: 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
1770-427: The age of 18 living with them, 61.20% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 21.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.35. In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.90% under
1829-470: The age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 28,339, and the median income for a family was $ 32,856. Males had a median income of $ 25,146 versus $ 20,718 for females. The per capita income for
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1888-495: The closure of the lumber mill in Homedale in the early 1990s, the Homedale branch (now reduced to the status of an "industrial lead") generated a total of 49 carloads in 1995 and 42 in 1996. In 1997, Union Pacific filed for permission to abandon the Idaho portion of the line and received no formal protest, the tracks were ripped up the following year. Owyhee County gained its present boundaries in 1930 after an election approved moving
1947-499: The county was $ 13,405. About 14.20% of families and 16.90% of the population were below the poverty line , including 20.80% of those under age 18 and 12.10% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 U.S. census , there were 11,526 people, 4,076 households, and 2,954 families living in the county. The population density was 1.5 inhabitants per square mile (0.58/km ). There were 4,781 housing units at an average density of 0.6 units per square mile (0.23 units/km ). The racial makeup of
2006-405: The county was $ 17,373. About 18.0% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over. Although Owyhee County was amongst the most Democratic in the state in its early history, it has like most of Idaho gradually turned overwhelmingly Republican. In no presidential election since 1940 has the county selected
2065-461: The county was 76.0% white, 4.3% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 16.6% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 25.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.6% were American , 13.8% were German, 9.5% were English, and 9.4% were Irish. Of the 4,076 households, 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had
2124-412: The county was 76.87% White , 0.15% Black or African American , 3.21% Native American , 0.47% Asian , 0.08% Pacific Islander , 16.50% from other races , and 2.72% from two or more races. 23.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.3% were of American , 12.5% German , 10.4% English , and 8.1% Irish ancestry. There were 3,710 households, out of which 37.80% had children under
2183-742: The crust. Tectonic plateaus are formed by tectonic plate movements which cause uplift, and are normally of a considerable size, and a fairly uniform altitude. Examples are the Deccan Plateau in India and the Meseta Central on the Iberian Peninsula . Plateaus can also be formed by the erosional processes of glaciers on mountain ranges, leaving them sitting between the mountain ranges. Water can also erode mountains and other landforms down into plateaus. Dissected plateaus are highly eroded plateaus cut by rivers and broken by deep narrow valleys. An example
2242-523: The eastern section of the county. The Owyhee River starts in the southwestern part of the county and flows westward into Oregon; it eventually enters the Snake at the state border, south of Nyssa . As of the 2000 U.S. census , there were 10,644 people, 3,710 households, and 2,756 families living in the county. The population density was 1.4 person per square mile (0.54 person/km ). There were 4,452 housing units at an average density of 1 units per square mile (0.39 units/km ). The racial makeup of
2301-521: 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
2360-658: The gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon , the Indigenous people who inhabit the Gran Sabana . Tepuis can be considered minute plateaus and tend to be found as isolated entities rather than in connected ranges, which makes them the host of a unique array of endemic plant and animal species. Some of the most outstanding tepuis are Neblina , Autana , Auyan and Mount Roraima . They are typically composed of sheer blocks of Precambrian quartz arenite sandstone that rise abruptly from
2419-447: 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
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2478-482: The jungle, giving rise to spectacular natural scenery. Auyán-tepui is the source of Angel Falls , the world's tallest waterfall . The Colombian capital city of Bogota sits on an Andean plateau known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense roughly the size of Switzerland. Averaging a height of 2,600 m (8,500 ft) above sea level, this northern Andean plateau is situated in the country's eastern range and
2537-467: The largest lake in South America. [REDACTED] Media related to Plateaus at Wikimedia Commons Owyhee County, Idaho Owyhee County ( / oʊ ˈ w aɪ . h iː / oh- WYE -hee ) is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho . As of the 2020 census , the population was 11,913. The county seat is Murphy , and its largest city is Homedale . In area it
2596-483: 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
2655-588: The most notable of which is the country's largest lake, Lake Taupō . The plateau stretches approximately 100 km east to west and 130 km north to south. The majority of the plateau is more than 600 metres above sea level. A tepui ( / ˈ t ɛ p w i / ), or tepuy ( Spanish: [teˈpuj] ), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in the Guiana Highlands of South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana . The word tepui means "house of
2714-442: The north-western United States is an example. They may be formed by upwelling of volcanic magma or extrusion of lava. The underlining mechanism in forming plateaus from upwelling starts when magma rises from the mantle , causing the ground to swell upward. In this way, large, flat areas of rock are uplifted to form a plateau. For plateaus formed by extrusion, the rock is built up from lava spreading outward from cracks and weak areas in
2773-437: The region "Owyhee" and the name stuck. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 7,697 square miles (19,940 km ), of which 7,666 square miles (19,850 km ) is land and 31 square miles (80 km ) (0.4%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Idaho by area. Nearly all of the county is high intermountain desert, with plentiful sagebrush and basalt canyons. The Owyhee Mountains in
2832-480: 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
2891-552: 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: Plateau In geology and physical geography ,
2950-511: 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
3009-849: The south. The Deosai Plains in Pakistan are situated at an average elevation of 4,114 meters (13,497 ft) above sea level. They are considered to be the second highest plateaus in the world. Other major plateaus in Asia are: Najd on the Arabian Peninsula , elevation 762 to 1,525 m (2,500 to 5,003 ft), Armenian Highlands (≈400,000 km (150,000 sq mi), elevation 900–2,100 metres (3,000–6,900 ft)), Iranian Plateau (≈3,700,000 km (1,400,000 sq mi), elevation 300–1,500 metres (980–4,920 ft)), Anatolian Plateau , Mongolian Plateau (≈2,600,000 km (1,000,000 sq mi), elevation 1,000–1,500 metres (3,300–4,900 ft)), and
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#17328510999593068-416: The surrounding coastline through enormous glaciers . The polar ice cap is so massive that the echolocation measurements of ice thickness have shown that large areas are below sea level . But, as the ice melts, the land beneath will rebound through isostasy and ultimately rise above sea level. The largest and highest plateau in the world is the Tibetan Plateau , sometimes metaphorically described as
3127-454: The west dominate the landscape, with Hayden Peak reaching 8,403 feet (2,561 m) above sea level . The lowest elevation is at the county's northwest corner, where the Snake River is just above 2,000 feet (610 m) at the Oregon border. The Snake forms most of the county's northern border from Oregon to just west of Glenns Ferry in Elmore County . A tributary of the Snake is the Bruneau River , which flows north from Nevada through
3186-440: 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
3245-441: Was expanded in 1886 to accommodate people of the Northern Paiute. In the 20th century, the tribes combined and are federally recognized as a single government; the majority of the people live on the Nevada side of the reservation. There were two railroad lines extending into Owyhee County, the first was the Boise Nampa & Owyhee Railroad which built starting in 1896 from Nampa, Idaho south towards Melba, Idaho and eventually across
3304-565: 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,
3363-467: Was once called Gallayat Plateaus, rising 3,300 ft above sea level. Another very large plateau is the icy Antarctic Plateau , which is sometimes referred to as the Polar Plateau or King Haakon VII Plateau, home to the geographic South Pole and the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station , which covers most of East Antarctica where there are no known mountains but rather 3,000 m (9,800 ft) high of superficial ice and which spreads very slowly toward
3422-412: 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
3481-433: Was the Oregon Shortline Railroad which built south from Nyssa Oregon beginning in 1911, passing through Adrian Oregon the line ended after 25 miles in Homedale Idaho, in 1922 it was extended Marsing Idaho to accommodate additional agricultural traffic. In 1970, the Marsing and Homedale depots were closed by Union Pacific. In 1987, with declining carload, Union Pacific offered the line for sale but no buyers were found. Following
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