The Indian River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
in
Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
, Canada.
[ Shows the course of the river highlighted on a map.] It is in the
Bering Sea drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
and is a right tributary of the
Yukon River
The Yukon River ( Gwich'in: ''Ųųg Han'' or ''Yuk Han'', Yup'ik: ''Kuigpak'', Inupiaq: ''Kuukpak'', Deg Xinag: ''Yeqin'', Hän: ''Tth'echù'' or ''Chuu k'onn'', Southern Tutchone: Chu Nìikwän, russian: Юкон, Yukon) is a major watercourse ...
.
Course
The river begins at the confluence of Australia Creek, Dominion Creek, Scribner Creek and Wounded Moose Creek, about southwest of the settlement of Dominion. It flows northwest, then turns west to reach its mouth at the
Yukon River
The Yukon River ( Gwich'in: ''Ųųg Han'' or ''Yuk Han'', Yup'ik: ''Kuigpak'', Inupiaq: ''Kuukpak'', Deg Xinag: ''Yeqin'', Hän: ''Tth'echù'' or ''Chuu k'onn'', Southern Tutchone: Chu Nìikwän, russian: Юкон, Yukon) is a major watercourse ...
.
Geology
The river is a gravel-bed stream located south of
Dawson City
Dawson City, officially the City of Dawson, is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–99). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest town in Yuko ...
. It lies on the Klondike Plateau, and forms the southern boundary of the Yukon
placer gold
Placer mining () is the mining of stream bed (alluvial) deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit (also called open-cast mining) or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment.
Placer mining is frequently used for p ...
district.
Indian River and its tributaries are the largest gold producers in the Yukon. In 2001, the river produced of gold.
In 2008, Klondike Star Mineral Corporation announced plans to further develop the gold resources of the river.
Tributaries
*Bertha Creek (right)
*Nine Mile Creek (right)
*Ophir Creek (right)
*Ruby Creek (left)
*Quartz Creek (right)
*McKinnon Creek (left)
*New Zealand Creek (right)
*Montana Creek (left)
*Eureka Creek (left)
Further reading
* An account of working a season at a placer gold mining camp in the Indian River valley; mentions Quartz Creek and Ruby Creek tributaries, and Little Blanche Creek sub-tributary.
See also
*
List of rivers of Yukon
This is a list of rivers of Yukon.
Arctic Ocean watershed
* Mackenzie River watershed
**Upper Liard River
*** Rancheria River
**** Little Rancheria River
*** Frances River
*** Hyland River
*** Coal River
*** La Biche River
*** Beaver River (Liard ...
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Yukon
Tributaries of the Yukon River