Dave
Well-known member
I said I would write up somethings about the Owyhee. This river drains some of the biggest most desolate area in the country. The name comes from the early spelling and pronouncing of Hawaii. An early trapping expedition of the Northwest Fur Company explored this area in 1815. About a third of their party was made up of natives from Hawaii. Three of them were sent up this river to set up a camp and explore. They failed to come back to the meeting with the party that fall at the mouth of the Boise River. The next spring some natives led a party to their camp site where they found one skeleton. The others were never found. It is believed they were killed by the Bannock Indians.
When Peter Ogden came through in 1825 mapping the area he called the river Owyhee. The name stuck.
Gold and silver were both found in this area in 1863 a lot of mines and towns sprung up. They were fairly short lived. And only one that I can think of still exists. It is a ghost town where the few residents mine the tourist for their gold.
The water shed for the river is in south east Oregon, south west Idaho, and norther Nevada. The total water shed is 11,049 square miles. That makes it bigger than any of the smallest 8 states. Looking at my road atlas I found a total of 8 tiny bergs and 1 very small town. The only other people on very scattered ranches that run cattle on very huge areas. Wikipedia list under the heading "city" Rome. I have been through there several times. It is indeed by the Owyhee river. Rome has a post office, a gas station/small store, and a restaurant. There is also 2 or 3 houses. Big city. But it is the only gas for about 50 miles to the north and over 100 miles to the south. This is not the kind of country one goes into without a full tank and maybe some spare gas in jugs.
When Peter Ogden came through in 1825 mapping the area he called the river Owyhee. The name stuck.
Gold and silver were both found in this area in 1863 a lot of mines and towns sprung up. They were fairly short lived. And only one that I can think of still exists. It is a ghost town where the few residents mine the tourist for their gold.
The water shed for the river is in south east Oregon, south west Idaho, and norther Nevada. The total water shed is 11,049 square miles. That makes it bigger than any of the smallest 8 states. Looking at my road atlas I found a total of 8 tiny bergs and 1 very small town. The only other people on very scattered ranches that run cattle on very huge areas. Wikipedia list under the heading "city" Rome. I have been through there several times. It is indeed by the Owyhee river. Rome has a post office, a gas station/small store, and a restaurant. There is also 2 or 3 houses. Big city. But it is the only gas for about 50 miles to the north and over 100 miles to the south. This is not the kind of country one goes into without a full tank and maybe some spare gas in jugs.