The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-02-22
THE OKANOGAN RIVER
Worthy Of Improvement BY the
General Government.
ENGINEERS REPORT FAvoRAsly.


IL - the opinion OF Capt. TssoI,as W
Symons. corps OF engineers, concurred
in by the division engineer. Col. George
III. Mensiell. ard by xhe chief engineer.
that The okanogan river is worthy Of
Improvement by the general govern
n1ent- II Is estimated that the survey
OF the river On which 10 base rrs,lect
for Its Improvement VIII cost s., eeo
Lieut. Francis r. Skunk submits the
following report TO Capt. Symons:
Il have the honor TO submit the fol-
lowing report OF an exarTTina ton OF the
okanogan river. Washington. made by
ME October 1I-e0. 1894:
The Okanogan river rises in the
Dominion Of Canada. in latitude 20 de-
grees - minutes. longitude lis degrees
y minutes. Il erlpiles into the Co
luufbaa river In che state OF Washing
ton in latitude IS degrees minutes.
longitude lIs degrees IS minutes. about
three miles above Virginia City The
total length OF the river is about $50
miles. its general course liz southe-ly
In It's upper course il flows through
Okanogan. Dog. yaseux and Osoyocs
lakes okanogan lake is fine body
of water. sixty miles long by two or
three wide. Its southern end Is about
thirty miles north OF the boundary.
Osoyoos lake Hes On the boundary Mne.
The total drainage area Of the river Is
about $500 square miles. OF which
about 1850 square miles lie In the
United States.
That part OF the river. about sew
enty-five miles. which lies in the
United States is wholly IN Okanogan
county, III the state of Washington
III flows through a narrow valley in the
midst of billy or mountainous country.
In places the hills rise from the wa
ter's edge. but for tho most part there
Is narrow strip OF low land along
the river bank, widening in places to
mile or so. and ten miles south of
Okanogan lake having a width of two
TO three miles About eight miles south
of the boundary the Okanogan is join
ed by the Similkameen. a rapid stream
flowing from the northwest. which APP
pears to contribute as much water as
the Okanogan above the junction Be-
side this. there are numerous small
tributary streams or creeks flowing In
from the hills on either side.
The total fall OF the river from Oso-
yoos lake TO the Columbia, distance OF
seventy-five miles, Is about eighty feet.
The river is made Of a series of quiet
reaches a mile or so In length. sepa-
rated by rippies. mostly insignificant.
The least depths are at these ri,yples.
The bottum Is stony. graveily and
sandy. The average width of the river
Is 200 TO 800 fest. There Is one high
water per annunr-in the spring. The
lowest stage is in November. December
and January. The highest ordinary
stage is about ten feet above the how
est The river rarely overfiows It's
banks. which at their lowest points
are twelve feet or so above low water.
During exceptional freshets there have
been local oyerfiows.
Il Inspected the river personally from
It's mouth 10 Osoyoos lake, and got
what information could from steam
boat men familiar with IT. and from
Inhabitants Of the country. The river
was less than one foot above Its lowest
stage. So far as can see. there Is only
one real obstruction In this portion OF
the river This Is Mclaughlin falls,
about forty-five miles above the mouth,
and thirty miles below Osoyoos lake.
Here the water ID damned up by
rocky reef. so that its slope In escaping
is very steep. THIS falls are not falls.
properly speaking. but steep rapids.
having a fall of about six feet at low
water. The river 10 about sixty yards
wide. and is divided at low water by a
mass Of rock In the middle. Were II
not for obstructing rocks think that q
steamer could iine up at ordinary
stages. The falls. are situated In
foop OF The river, the neck OF which Is
not more than 200 yards across This
neck Is submerged at high water There
appears 10 be no obstruction at all be-
tween Mclaughlin falls and Osoyoos
lake. and there Is no real hinsfrance to
navigation between the falls and the
mouth. The worst obstruction In this
lower stretch Is Guthrie rapids. about
thirty-five miles above the mouth.
rocks and total fall OF two or three
feet In two principal rippies.
The STEAMER City ~ Ellensburg.
which runs between wenatchee and
Virginia CITY, has made a number of
trips up the okanogan IN the spring
and early summer OF the last two
years. She carried supplies to the
settlers. Tie E.ilensburg Is said to
draw four feet loaded, ant! is rather
too big a boat for the Okauogan.
She ran up as far as Mclaughlin fails
without difficulty. but regularly ran
only as far as Alma, about twenty-five
miles above the mouth. Capt. Dana
her. who commanded the E,liensburg at
that time, kindly furnished me with a
pilots chart OF the river, showing all
the difficult places below Mclaughlin
fails. 1t Is for a stare about one foot
above low water. The least depth at
this stage is three feet and this depth
occurs only In six places. / think that
a smaller steamer. drawing eighteen
inches or two feet could easily ravf-
gate the river from the mouth 10 the
falls dnring the greater part OF the
year No astenfra has been made 10
navigate the Canadian portion OF the
river It Is said to be swffter and more
INSTRUCTED. and to have less water
The country adjacent 10 the okano-
gan river Is very rough arns hIIgy, De-
coming mountainous toward the north
The valley OF the river is very narrow.
as before remarked. Numerous small
tributary streams ftow through deep
.sarSw canyons. WITH a strip of arabic
land AZ the bottom. There are a great
number Of small lakes. especially In
the northern Part The higher alti-
tusss are fairly well tiraberea. chiefly
with pine. TIE foveV hills are nasty
covered with bsYn1h grass. There is
a great deal % bare rock visible. TIE
s..s. L. -nn+.Ssf~- es-~r~.sfsc arA very ySaygs