Minam River

The Minam River is a tributary of the Wallowa River, 51 miles (82 km) long,[3] in northeastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a rugged wilderness area of the Wallowa Mountains northeast of La Grande.

Minam River
Minam River near its confluence with the Wallowa River
Location of the mouth of the Minam River in Oregon
Minam River (the United States)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyUnion and Wallowa
Physical characteristics
SourceEagle Cap Wilderness
  locationWallowa–Whitman National Forest, Union County
  coordinates45°10′07″N 117°21′28″W[1]
  elevation7,684 ft (2,342 m)[2]
MouthWallowa River
  location
Minam, Wallowa County
  coordinates
45°37′17″N 117°43′14″W[1]
  elevation
2,536 ft (773 m)[1]
Length51 mi (82 km)[3]
Basin size239 sq mi (620 km2)[4]
Discharge 
  average455 cu ft/s (12.9 m3/s)[5]
TypeWild
DesignatedOctober 28, 1988

It rises in the Wallowas in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest, just south of the WallowaUnion border approximately 25 miles (40 km) southeast of La Grande at Blue Lake. It flows generally northwest through the mountains along the WallowaUnion county line. It joins the Wallowa from the south at the community of Minam near Oregon Route 82.[6] Its headwaters include springs stemming from outflow from Minam Lake,[7] also the source of the Lostine River.[8]

From its headwaters to the Eagle Cap Wilderness boundary downstream of Cougar Creek, a distance of 39 miles (63 km), the Minam River was declared part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1988. Accessible mainly by United States Forest Service trails, the river basin supports diverse wildlife, including wolverine, bighorn sheep, elk, American black bear, and cougar.[7]

The Minam, except for the lower 8 miles (13 km), where the surrounds have been heavily logged and otherwise altered, is largely pristine. It and the Wenaha River are the two largest rivers in Oregon that are nearly pristine.[5]

pointgeolocationUSGS map
mouth at Wallowa River45.621256°N 117.720478°W / 45.621256; -117.720478 (Minam River mouth)Minam
GNIS point 2, RM 10.145.499866°N 117.685198°W / 45.499866; -117.685198 (Minam River RM 10.1)Mount Moriah
GNIS point 345.374586°N 117.652424°W / 45.374586; -117.652424 (Minam River pt 3)Mount Fanny
GNIS point 445.347364°N 117.626036°W / 45.347364; -117.626036 (Minam River pt 4)Jim White Ridge
GNIS point 545.249867°N 117.529373°W / 45.249867; -117.529373 (Minam River pt 5)China Cap
GNIS point 6, RM 33.845.210980°N 117.500761°W / 45.210980; -117.500761 (Minam River RM 33.8)Steamboat Lake
Blue Lake source RM 4645.168485°N 117.357688°W / 45.168485; -117.357688 (Minam River source RM 46)Eagle Cap

Tributaries

From source to mouth, the named tributaries of the Minam River are Pop and Trail creeks, which enter from the left; Lowry Gulch, left; Wild Sheep Creek, right; Granite Gulch, right; Elk Creek, left; and Last Chance Gulch, right. Then Cap, Rock, and Lackey creeks, all from the left; Pole Creek, right, Pot Creek, left; North Minam River, right, and Little Pot and Jerry creeks, left.[9]

Then Threemile, Garwood, Whoopee, Chaparral, Wallowa, Horseheaven, and Horse Basin creeks, all from the right; the Little Minam River, left; Faun Creek, right, and Lobo and Eagle creeks, left. Then Murphy, Trout, Cougar, Gunderson, and Squaw creeks, all from the right.[9]

See also

References

  1. "Minam River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  2. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. "The National Map: National Hydrography Dataset". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  4. "Minam River Spring Chinook Population" (PDF). Northwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  5. Palmer, Tim (2014). Field Guide to Oregon Rivers. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. pp. 289–90. ISBN 978-0-87071-627-0.
  6. Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer. Freeport, Maine: DeLorme Mapping. 1991. p. 87. ISBN 0-89933-235-8.
  7. "National Wild and Scenic Rivers: Minam River, Oregon". United States Forest Service. August 18, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  8. "Lostine River, Oregon". National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  9. "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 23, 2015 via Acme Mapper.
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