Kobuk River

The Kobuk River (also Kooak, Kowak, Kubuk, Kuvuk, or Putnam) is a river in the Arctic region of Alaska, in the United States. The river is about 280 miles (450 km) long, and receives water from about 12,300 square miles (31,850 km²) of land. It is among the largest rivers in Alaska. It flows from the southernmost part of the Brooks Range, a mountain range 700 miles (1,100 km) long. Its mouth is at the Kobuk River Delta, which is about 32 miles (51 km) long.

Kobuk
River
Sunset over the Kobuk River
Countries	United States
States	Alaska
Tributaries
- left	Squirrel River, Tutsuksuk River
- right	Salmon River, Adillik River
Source	Walker Lake
Secondary source	Endicott Mountains
Mouth	Kobuk Delta
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	280 km (174 mi)
Basin	12,300 km² (4,749 sq mi)
Discharge	for Bering Strait
- average	283 m³/s (9,994 cu ft/s)
- max	3,000 m³/s (105,944 cu ft/s)
- min	40 m³/s (1,413 cu ft/s)

Its watershed, ranging from 0 to 11,400 feet (0 to 3,475 m) above sea level, has a wide variety of landforms, including mountains, plateaus, and plains. The average elevation is 1,300 feet (400 m). The river's name, in the native Inuit language, means "big river".

The river has been an important part of the lives of nearby people. Native people (the Inuit, Koyukans and others) have used the river as a source of food and transport for over 12,000 years. In 1898, a gold rush called the "Kobuk River Stampede" happened. In 1980, 110 miles (177 km) of the river were deemed the Kobuk WIld and Scenic River.