Kobuk River
The Kobuk River (also Kooak, Kowak, Kubuk, Kuvuk, or Putnam) [1] is a river in the Arctic region of Alaska, in the United States. The river is about 280 miles (450 km) long,[1] 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. [2] Its mouth is at the Kobuk River Delta, which is about 32 miles (51 km) long.[3]
| Kobuk Kuuvak (Inupiaq) Kooak, Kowak, Kubuk, Kuwuk, Kuvuk, Putnam | |
|---|---|
 Sunset over the Kobuk River | |
  Location of the mouth of the Kobuk River in Alaska | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Walker Lake |
| Mouth | Kobuk Delta |
| Length | 280 mi (451 km) |
| Basin size | 12,310 sq mi (31,880 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| - location | Bering Strait |
| - average | 10,000 cu ft/s (283 m3/s) |
| - minimum | 1,400 cu ft/s (40 m3/s) |
| - maximum | 110,000 cu ft/s (3,000 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Squirrel River, Tutsuksuk River |
| - right | Salmon River, Adillik River |
| Type | Wild |
| Designated | December 2, 1980 |
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". [4]
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. [5] 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.
References change
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "USGS GNIS Detail: Kobuk River".
- ↑ "Kobuk River". United States National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
- ↑ "USGS GNIS Detail: Kobuk River Delta".
- ↑ "Kobuk Valley FAQ". United States National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
- ↑ Brabets, T.P., Hydrologic Data and a Proposed Water-Quality Monitoring Network for the Kobuk River Basin, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, and Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Investigations Report 01-4141, 2001