Imnaha River

Imnaha River
Imnaha River near Imnaha
Imnaha River is located in Oregon
Imnaha River
Location of the mouth of the Imnaha River in Oregon
EtymologyThe land ruled over by Imna, a native American leader[2] Alternatively, the name of a Nez Perce village.[3]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyWallowa
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of the North and South forks of the Imnaha River
 • locationWallowa–Whitman National Forest, Wallowa County, Oregon
 • coordinates45°06′47″N 117°07′31″W / 45.11306°N 117.12528°W / 45.11306; -117.12528[1]
 • elevation5,324 ft (1,623 m)[4]
MouthSnake River
 • location
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, Wallowa County, Oregon
 • coordinates
45°49′03″N 116°45′53″W / 45.81750°N 116.76472°W / 45.81750; -116.76472[1]
 • elevation
945 ft (288 m)
Length73 mi (117 km)[5]
Basin size855 sq mi (2,210 km2)[6]
Discharge 
 • locationImnaha, 19.3 miles (31.1 km) from the mouth[7]
 • average511 cu ft/s (14.5 m3/s)[7]
 • minimum16 cu ft/s (0.45 m3/s)
 • maximum20,200 cu ft/s (570 m3/s)
TypeWild, Scenic, Recreational
DesignatedOctober 28, 1988

The Imnaha River is a 73.3-mile-long (118.0 km)[5] tributary of the Snake River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Flowing generally east near the headwaters and then north through Wallowa County, the entire river is designated Wild and Scenic.[8] It follows a geologic fault to the Snake River, and in addition to land in the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest and private land, its corridor includes parts of three special management areas: the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, and Hells Canyon Scenic Byway.[8] The Imnaha flows by the unincorporated community of Imnaha, the only settlement along its course, and enters the Snake River roughly 4 miles (6 km) from the larger river's confluence with the Salmon River of Idaho and 192 miles (309 km) from its confluence with the Columbia River.[9]

  1. ^ a b "Imnaha River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  2. ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003). Oregon Geographic Names (Seventh ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 496. ISBN 0-87595-277-1..
  3. ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American Placenames of the United States. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 182. ISBN 0-8061-3576-X.
  4. ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates
  5. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 3, 2011
  6. ^ "Imnaha River – 17060102: 8-Digit Hydrologic Unit Profile" (PDF). National Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture. March 2006. Retrieved July 1, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ a b "Water-data report 2013: 13292000 Imnaha River at Imnaha, OR" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Imnaha River, Oregon". National Wild and Scenic Rivers. Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  9. ^ United States Geological Survey (USGS). "United States Geological Survey Topographic Map". TopoQuest. Retrieved June 29, 2009. The maps, which include river mile (RM) markers for the entire course of the river, cover the following quadrants from mouth to source: Deadhorse Ridge, Cactus Mountain, Haas Hollow, Imnaha, Jaynes Ridge, Puderbaugh Ridge, Gumboot Butte, Duck Creek, and Deadman Point.

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