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24-408: The dam replaced a wood crib dam started in 1903 by J.M. Hagerty, a local entrepreneur, and completed a year after his death. The dam fed a generating plant in a wooden powerplant below the dam and falls. Power went to the towns of Nighthawk and Oroville , as well as the nearby Owasco, Ivanhoe, Ruby and Canba mines. Attempts by Hagerty's estate to sell the dam in 1913 met no interest, partly because of

48-646: A booming mine town at the turn of the 20th century with hotels and a burlesque house , but now only has a population of about five people. The border crossing is usually known as "the Nighthawk crossing" on the Canadian side, though the official name of the Canadian-side locality is Chopaka . 48°58′00″N 119°38′31″W  /  48.96667°N 119.64194°W  / 48.96667; -119.64194 This Okanogan County, Washington state location article

72-577: A favorable climate, camping in the winter, hunting bears in the spring, catching fish in the summer and hunting deer in fall. The camps consisted of teepee-like longhouses built with hides and bark. Women gathered nuts and berries. A popular destination for this was the Kettle Falls , where the Columbia River dropped some 20 feet (6.1 m). Due to its remoteness, the Okanogan County area was one of

96-617: A fifth of the county's residents live in the Greater Omak Area . The county forms a portion of the Okanogan Country . The first county seat was Ruby , which has now been a ghost town for more than 100 years. Okanogan County was formed out of Stevens County in February 1888. The name derives from the Okanagan language place name ukʷnaqín . The name Okanogan ( Okanagan ) also refers to

120-500: A heavily built transformer vault. The Okanogan Public Utility District obtained a new license for power generation from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 1983, but the license was withdrawn in 1986 because the dam's impact on anadromous fish had not been addressed. A second license for a 4.1 megawatt plant was granted in 1996, but was again rescinded on the same grounds in 2000. Yet another application

144-462: A household in the county was $ 29,726, and the median income for a family was $ 35,012. Males had a median income of $ 29,495 versus $ 22,005 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 14,900. About 16.00% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line , including 28.20% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over. Okanogan County was once a national bellwether county in U.S. presidential elections, voting for

168-518: A part of southern British Columbia . Before Europeans arrived, the Okanogan County region was home to numerous indigenous peoples that would eventually become part of three Indian reservations referred to as the Northern Okanogans or Sinkaietk, Tokoratums, Kartars and Konkonelps. They spoke in seven types of Interior Salish languages related to the Puget Sound tribes. The Okanogans experienced

192-678: A small run-of-river plant, which received water from a diversion channel. In 1923, the site was purchased by the Washington Water Power Company. In 1942 the WWPC was purchased by the Okanogan Public Utility District, which then ceased operations at Enloe Dam in 1958, as power was available from the Bonneville Power Administration system at less cost. The dam's reservoir extends 2 miles (3.2 km) up

216-463: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Okanogan County, Washington Okanogan County ( / ˌ oʊ k ə ˈ n ɑː ɡ ən / ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–U.S. border . As of the 2020 census , the population was 42,104. The county seat is Okanogan , while the largest city is Omak . Its area is the largest in the state. About

240-418: Is water. It is the largest county in the state by area, and it is larger than three states in land area. As of the 2020 census , there were 42,104 people, 16,942 households, and 10,768 families residing in the county. The population density was 8.0 inhabitants per square mile (3.1/km ). There were 21,720 housing units at an average density of 4.12 inhabitants per square mile (1.6/km ). The racial makeup of

264-494: The 2000 census , there were 39,564 people, 15,027 households, and 10,579 families living in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3.1 people/km ). There were 19,085 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1.5/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 75.32% White , 0.28% Black or African American , 11.47% Native American , 0.44% Asian , 0.07% Pacific Islander , 9.58% from other races , and 2.84% from two or more races. 14.38% of

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288-531: The Carlton Complex wildfire burned over 250,000 acres (390 sq mi; 1,000 km ) in Okanogan County. It destroyed over 300 homes including 100 in and around Pateros According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 5,312.7 square miles (13,760 km ), of which 5,266.2 square miles (13,639 km ) is land and 46.5 square miles (120 km ) (0.9%)

312-568: The Similkameen River. Largely silted up, it is just 9 feet (2.7 m) deep. Storage capacity is only 507 acre-feet (625,000 m). The concrete powerhouse is in a partly ruinous state, and options have been presented to stabilize or demolish the structure when the proposed new hydroelectric development is undertaken. The powerhouse was fed by two wood stave penstocks, 7 feet (2.1 m) in diameter, running to Pelton wheels driving two 1.6 megawatt generators. The generator hall stands next to

336-458: The county was 65.6% White , 0.4% African American , 11.6% Native American , 0.7% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 11.8% from some other races and 9.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 19.5% of the population. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.3% were under 5 years of age, and 23.8% were 65 and older. As of the 2010 census , there were 41,120 people, 16,519 households, and 10,914 families living in

360-419: The county. The population density was 7.8 inhabitants per square mile (3.0/km ). There were 22,245 housing units at an average density of 4.2 per square mile (1.6/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 73.9% white, 11.4% American Indian, 0.6% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 10.1% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 17.6% of

384-521: The dam away to have it demolished, but removal remains too expensive. The Colville Indian tribes are seeking its removal to restore salmon to the Similkameen River. Nighthawk, Washington Nighthawk is an unincorporated community on the Similkameen River in Okanogan County , Washington , United States. It was named for a nearby (and now-closed) mine. Another source says that it

408-545: The last in Washington settled by Europeans. It was an early thoroughfare used by prospectors to gain access to other communities, such as British Columbia . By the 21st century, the region specialized in agriculture, forestry and tourism. Electric producer Grand Coulee Dam was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants, around the Okanogan and Grant counties at the former's southern border. In July 2014,

432-600: The poor state of the crib dam. Eugene Enloe of the Okanogan Valley Power Company was able to secure the rights to the site in 1916, hiring C.F. Uhden to design the dam that year. Construction did not start until 1919 and was completed in 1920 at a cost of $ 350,000, $ 150,000 of it Enloe's money. Enloe sold the dam and powerplant in 1923 to Washington Water Power Company , which added a second penstock. The dam features an unregulated overflow spillway whose height can be augmented by flashboards. The powerplant replaced

456-485: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.0% were of German , 9.5% English , 9.2% United States or American and 6.8% Irish ancestry. There were 15,027 households, out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.40% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who

480-422: The population. In terms of ancestry, 21.4% were German , 12.4% were Irish , 12.2% were English , and 3.6% were American . Of the 16,519 households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.9% were non-families, and 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size

504-467: Was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 42.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 38,551 and the median income for a family was $ 48,418. Males had a median income of $ 37,960 versus $ 29,032 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 20,093. About 14.7% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over. As of

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528-457: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males. The median income for

552-477: Was named after the nighthawks common to the area. Nighthawk is a (mostly former) logging area along Loomis–Oroville Highway west-northwest of Oroville , Washington. Just north of Nighthawk is the Nighthawk–Chopaka Border Crossing , a 9 am – 5 pm Canada–US border crossing. Nighthawk is located along the former Great Northern Railroad (now BNSF ). The town of Nighthawk used to be

576-574: Was submitted in August 2008, seeking to build a new powerplant to generate 9 megawatts, fed by a new intake channel. Enloe Dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1978 as an example of early power development in rural Washington. After a study showing reenergizing the dam would be too expensive, the Okanogan PUD voted in 2019 to abandon plans. They are seeking to give

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