The Humboldt River is an extensive river drainage system located in north-central
Nevada. It extends in a general east-to-west direction from its headwaters in the
Jarbidge,
Independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the st ...
, and
Ruby Mountains
The Ruby Mountains are a mountain range, primarily located within Elko County with a small extension into White Pine County, in Nevada, United States. Most of the range is included within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The range reach ...
in
Elko County, to its terminus in the
Humboldt Sink, approximately 225 direct miles away in northwest
Churchill County.
Most estimates put the Humboldt River at to long however, due to the extensive meandering nature of the river, its length may be more closely estimated at 380 miles (612 km). It is located within the
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...
Watershed and is the third longest river in the watershed behind the
Bear River at 355 miles (570 km) and the
Sevier River at 325 miles (523 km). The Humboldt River Basin is the largest sub-basin of the Great Basin encompassing an area of 16,840 square miles (43,615 km
2).
It is the only major river system wholly contained within the state of Nevada.
It is the only natural transportation artery across the Great Basin and has historically provided a route for westward migration. Additionally, two major railroad routes loosely follow its path.
Interstate 80 follows the river's course from its source to its mouth. The river is named for the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
naturalist
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...
.
History
The region of the river in northern Nevada was sparsely inhabited by
Numic-speaking people at the time of the arrival of
European American settlers.
The region was little known by non-indigenous peoples until the arrival of
fur trappers
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mo ...
in the early 19th century.
The first recorded sighting of the river was on November 9, 1828, by
Peter Skene Ogden of the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trade, fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake b ...
, during his fifth expedition to the
Snake Country. Odgen came southward along the Little Humboldt, encountering the main river at the confluence near
Winnemucca. Ogden explored the river for several hundred miles, blazing a trail along it and making the first known map of the region. He initially named the river "Unknown River", due to the source and course of the river still unknown to him, and later "Paul's River", after one of his trappers who died on the expedition and was buried on the river bank. He later changed it again to "Mary's River," named after the
Native American wife of one of his trappers, which later somehow became "St. Mary's River". However, in 1829 he suggested that "Swampy River" best described the course he had traversed. In 1833 the
Bonneville–Walker fur party explored the river, naming it "Barren River".
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories " Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legen ...
's 1837 book describing the Bonneville expedition called it "Ogden's River", the name used by many early travelers. By the early 1840s, the trail along the river was being used by settlers going west to
California. The river provided drinkable water to earlier travelers on foot, but later emigrants using
wagons
A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people.
Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...
required the significant riparian vegetation along its length as forage for their
draft animals
A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks instead of being slaughtered to harvest animal products. Some are used for their physical strength (e.g. oxen and draft horses) or for tr ...
.
In 1841 the river (then known as Mary's River) first became the route of the
California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail fo ...
with the
Bartleson–Bidwell Party In 1841, the Bartleson–Bidwell Party, led by Captain John Bartleson and John Bidwell, became the first American emigrants to attempt a wagon crossing from Missouri to California.
Beginnings
In the winter of 1840, the Western Emigration Society w ...
, later becoming the primary land route for migrants to the
California gold fields. In 1845 the river was explored by
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...
, who made a thorough map of the region and gave the river its current name. In 1869 the river was used as part of the route of the
Central Pacific segment of the
Transcontinental Railroad.
In the 20th century, the valley of the river became the route for
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...
, later replaced by
Interstate 80.
In the latter part of the 20th century, about 45,000 people lived within of the river, roughly a third of the population at that time of the State of Nevada outside of
Western Nevada and
Southern Nevada
Southern Nevada (SNV) is a region and the southern portion of the U.S. state of Nevada which includes the Las Vegas Valley. It also includes the areas in and around Pahrump and Pioche. Tonopah and Hawthorne are sometimes also referred to as par ...
, before the rapid 21st-century growth of Southern Nevada changed these population figures.
Watershed and course
The Humboldt River can be divided geographically into the upper, middle, and lower divisions based on Palisade Canyon and Emigrant Canyon being the major constriction points along the Humboldt River Valley. The upper basin begins in northeastern Nevada and drains about upstream from
Palisade. The middle basin has a drainage area of about and lies between Palisade and Emigrant Canyon, a narrow gap located just downstream from Comus. The lower basin is an area encompassing some from below Emigrant Canyon and extending through the Humboldt Sink in northwestern Nevada.
A hydrologic definition instead divides the Humboldt River drainage into two basins—one above and one below Palisade—based on flows that increase above and decrease below this part of the river. The river in the upper basin is long and in the lower basin it is long. The major tributaries of the upper Humboldt River basin are (heading downstream) Bishop Creek,
Marys River, Lamoille Creek,
North Fork Humboldt River,
South Fork Humboldt River,
Susie Creek,
Maggie Creek, and Marys Creek; and of the lower basin they are Pine Creek, Reese River, and the
Little Humboldt River.
The source of the main stem of the river is a spring called Humboldt Wells at the northern tip of the
East Humboldt Range, just outside the city of
Wells. The river flows west-southwest through
Elko County past the communities of
Elko and
Carlin. Approximately upstream from Elko, the river receives the North Fork of the Humboldt River and receives the South Fork approximately downstream of Elko.
In northern
Eureka County
Eureka County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,855, making it the second-least populous county in Nevada. Its county seat is Eureka.
Eureka County is part of the Elko Micropolitan Statist ...
it passes through
Palisade Canyon
Palisade Canyon is a canyon along the Humboldt River in northern Eureka County, Nevada, United States.
Description
The canyon runs along the Humboldt River roughly between State Route 278 upstream (about south–southwest of Carlin), and a ...
between the south end of the
Tuscarora Mountains and the north end of the
Shoshone Range. At
Battle Mountain the river turns northwest for approximately , then west at Red House and past
Golconda and a spur of the
Sonoma Range
The Sonoma Range is a small mountain range in northwest Nevada, USA. It lies just south of the Humboldt River between Winnemucca and Golconda. It is one of the many ranges of the basin and range geologic province
A geologic province is a ...
. It merges with the
Reese River
The Reese River is a tributary of the Humboldt River, located in central Nevada in the western United States.
The Reese rises in the southern section of the Toiyabe Range, on the flanks of Arc Dome. In its upper reaches, the Reese River is a ...
near Battle Mountain and receives the Little Humboldt River approximately upstream from
Winnemucca.
Past the junction with the Little Humboldt, the river turns southwest, flowing past Winnemucca and through
Pershing County
Pershing County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,650. Its county seat is Lovelock. The county was named after army general John J. Pershing (1860–1948). It was formed from Humboldt Count ...
, along the western side of the
Humboldt Range and the
West Humboldt Range
The West Humboldt Range is a short mountain range in the western Great Basin in northwestern Nevada in the United States.
Geography
The mountain range runs for approximately southwest to northeast in northern Churchill County and southern Per ...
.
In central Pershing County, the
Rye Patch Dam impounds the river, forming the
Rye Patch Reservoir, which stores water to irrigate farms near
Lovelock, downstream.
The Humboldt empties into
an intermittent lake in the
Humboldt Sink on the border between Pershing and
Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...
counties, approximately southwest of Lovelock.
The river gains most of its water from
snowmelt in the mountains in the eastern part of the watershed, most importantly the
Ruby Mountains
The Ruby Mountains are a mountain range, primarily located within Elko County with a small extension into White Pine County, in Nevada, United States. Most of the range is included within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The range reach ...
,
Jarbidge Mountains
The Jarbidge Mountains are a mountain range in northern Elko County, Nevada, United States. The range includes multiple sub-ranges, including the Bruneau Range, Buck Creek Mountains, Copper Mountains, Elk Mountains, Fox Creek Range, Ichabod ...
, and
Independence Mountains. River flow generally decreases downstream to the west, partly due to water removal from the river for irrigation, especially near Lovelock. Stream-gauge measurements undertaken by the
United States Geological Survey suggest that Palisade Canyon, between Carlin and Beowawe, is the point where the river's flow ceases to increase and begins to decrease. Also, since the Humboldt's water comes almost exclusively from snowmelt, its flow is highly variable from season to season (peak flow occurs during the spring melt) and from year to year (depending on the amount of snow every winter)
Ecology
The
Lahontan cutthroat trout
Lahontan cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi'') is the largest subspecies of cutthroat trout, and the state fish of Nevada. It is one of three subspecies of cutthroat trout that are listed as federally threatened.
Natural history
...
(''Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi'') is an inland subspecies of cutthroat trout endemic to northern Nevada, eastern California, and southern Oregon. In 1970 the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
(USFWS) listed the Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) as “endangered”. In 1975 it reclassified LCT as “threatened” to facilitate management and to allow regulated fishing. Genetic and
meristic Meristics is an area of ichthyology and herpetology which relates to counting quantitative features of fish and reptiles, such as the number of fins or scales. A meristic (countable trait) can be used to describe a particular species of fish, or us ...
studies of LCT indicate that the Humboldt River Basin LCT is a unique subspecies of cutthroat trout.
North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') seem to have been making a comeback in
Elko County possibly due to less fur trapping combined with reduced consumption of riparian willow and other vegetation by cattle. Maggie and Susie Creeks, which enter the Humboldt River near
Carlin, have benefited from 20 years of work by ranchers, agencies, mines, and non-profit groups via improvements in grazing techniques and specific projects. A remote sensing project found 107 beaver dams along of Maggie Creek in 2006, which rose to 271 dams in 2010. Beaver dams are accelerating the recovery of riparian vegetation and widening the riparian zone as they slow the water and collect sediment that used to be lost downstream. In five years, beaver ponds have increased the amount of impounded water on Maggie Creek from of the stream to . The impounded water is seeping into the ground and raising the water table.
Newmont
Newmont Corporation is a gold mining company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States. It is the world's largest gold mining corporation. Incorporated in 1921, it owns gold mines in Nevada, Colorado, Ontario, Quebec, Mexico, the Domi ...
's shallow groundwater monitoring wells along Maggie Creek have shown about a rise over the past 17 years along Maggie Creek. Stream flows are more perennial, making more water available for wildlife and livestock and protecting populations of native trout. Maggie Creek has a Beaver Creek tributary which flows from Beaver Peak in the
Tuscarora Mountains.
Environmental Aspects
The Humboldt River and its surrounding areas have raised some concern about the increasing levels of toxic elements such as arsenic and mercury. These elements are showing up in fish and other wildlife that consume the water. The quantity being absorbed by fish specifically is not of concerning levels though. Brumbaugh and May took samples of fish from the south fork of the Humboldt River. They determined mercury levels within the fish were between 0.061 and 0.082 micrograms per gram of flesh.
This is well below the EPA's guideline of 0.30 micrograms per gram.
However, though low levels are found in animals, many people are concerned that drinking water and surrounding land is still contaminated. They believe the contamination came from prior mining excursions. Mercury was commonly mined in the area and so was gold. Whether it was leeching from the gold mining process or leftover mercury ore, these toxic elements entered the environment and waterway. Since then, these levels have gone down considerably. The U.S. Geological Survey and other committees conducted a couple of surveys to determine the safety of the drinking water. In 1962 the Water Resources Bulletin, out of Carson City, conducted one of the first main tests. This preliminary test was to determine every mineral, element and ion present. The next big test was done in 1985 by the U.S Geological Survey. They took samples from a much more local area and determined concentrations were high, but not abnormally high. Another more recent test, which was done in 2002, was specifically on mercury being leeched from abandoned mines. However, this test determined that mercury levels dropped off very quickly the further away the tests were done. Finally, the most recent study, done in 2019, was an extremely comprehensive test which included samples from numerous places throughout the river's path. This test was based out of the University of Nevada Reno and determined what elements and minerals were present. It also determined that toxic element concentrations were fairly consistent.
This means that while these elements are present, they do not pose a severe threat.
See also
*
List of Nevada rivers
*
Sarah Winnemucca
References
Further reading
*Wallace, A.R. et al. (2005). ''Metallic mineral resource assessment of the Humboldt River Basin, northern Nevada'' (USGS Fact Sheet 2005-3023]. Reno, NV: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
*Yager, D.B. and H.W. Folger. (2003). ''Map showing silver concentrations from stream sediments and soils throughout the Humboldt River Basin and surrounding areas, northern Nevada''
.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2407-I Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
External links
*
{{Authority control
Rivers of Elko County, Nevada
Rivers of Nevada
Rivers of the Great Basin
Alexander von Humboldt