Река Оуайхи: География, история и притоки

River in Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon, United States
The river's drainage basin is 11049 square miles (28,617 km2) in area, one of the largest subbasins of the Columbia Basin. The mean annual discharge is , with a maximum of recorded in 1993 and a minimum of in 1954. 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 1000 feet (305 m) deep. 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".

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 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. The Owyhee River then enters extreme southeast Oregon in southern Malheur County, generally flowing north in 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 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 mile (8 km) south of Nyssa, Oregon, and 2 mile (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.

Jordan Creek is a 99 mile (159 km) tributary. It flows generally west from near Silver City, Idaho, in the Owyhee Mountains to near Rome in the Oregon High Desert. The West Little Owyhee River has a source at an elevation of 6,508 feet (1984 m) near the Nevada Oregon border by the community of McDermitt, Nevada. Approximately 57 mile (92 km) in length, the river flows east by Deer Flat and into Louse Canyon. Near a prominent feature known as Twin Buttes, it turns sharply north as it cuts through the Owyhee Desert, making its way to the Owyhee River. The Lake Fork West Owyhee River is a short tributary of the West Little Owyhee River that begins near Cat, Bend, and Pedroli springs near the eastern boundary of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation in southern Malheur County. It flows generally northeast to meet the larger river in Louse Canyon. The Lake Fork has no named tributaries. The Little Owyhee River is a 61 mile (98 km) long east of the Santa Rosa Range in eastern Humboldt County, Nevada, it flows generally east into Elko County, Nevada and the Owyhee Desert. Blue Creek is a 53 mile (85 km) long at an elevation of 5289 feet (1612 m).