Okanogan River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Okanogan River (called the Okanagan River in its upper reaches in Canada) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia in Canada and north central Washington in the United States. It drains a scenic plateau region called the Okanogan Country east of the Cascade Range and north and west of the Columbia, and also the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.
It rises in southern British Columbia, issuing out of the southern end of Skaha Lake, which is on the south side of the city of Penticton, British Columbia from Okanagan Lake. It flows south past Penticton, Okanagan Falls, Oliver and Osoyoos, crossing the international border into Washington near Oroville in Okanogan County. Osoyoos Lake on the river spans the U.S.-Canada border. From Oroville it flows south through the Okanogan Region, past the town of Okanogan and forming the western boundary of the Colville Indian Reservation. It enters the Columbia from the north, 5 mi (8 km) east of Brewster, between the Wells Dam (downstream) and the Chief Joseph Dam (upstream).
It receives the Similkameen River from the west and Oroville. It receives Omak Creek from the east at Omak, Washington, 5 mi (8 km) northwest of the town of Okanogan.
Early maps of the fur trade era show the Okanogan River as the "Caledonia River", a name conferred as it was the connecting route between the Columbia District and the New Caledonia Fur District (which began north of Okanagan Lake).
