The Chutine River (formerly Clearwater River), is a major right bank

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Stikine River The Stikine River ( ) is a major river in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. It drains a large, remote upland area known as the Stikine Country east of the Coast Mountains. Flowing west and ...

in northwestern part of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is located just east of boundary between

Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, often abbreviated to southeast or southeastern, and sometimes called the Alaska(n) panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian provi ...

and British Columbia. From its source in the

Boundary Ranges The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. They begin at the Nass River, near the southern end of the Alaska Panhandle in the Canadian pro ...

of the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...

the Chutine River flows south and east for about Length measured using BC Geographic Names coordinates, topographic maps, an
Toporama
/ref> to empty into the Stikine River at the former settlement of Chutine, near the settlement of Jacksons. The Chutine River's

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which 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, ...

covers . The river's mean annual discharge is estimated at , with most of the flow occurring between May and October. The Chutine watershed's

land cover Land cover is the physical material at the land surface of Earth. Land covers include flora, concrete, built structures, bare ground, and temporary water. Earth cover is the expression used by ecologist Frederick Edward Clements that has as ...

is classified as 30.2%

barren Barren primarily refers to a state of barrenness (infertility) Barren may also refer to: Places * Barren, Missouri *Barren County, Kentucky *Barren Island (Andaman Islands) * Barren Island, Brooklyn * Barren River Lake Other uses * ''Barren Coun ...

, 27.4%

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

, 22.6% conifer forest, 9.9%

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

, 8.9%

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

, and small amounts of other cover. The mouth of the Chutine River is located about southwest of the settlement of

Telegraph Creek Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in northern British Columbia at the confluence of the Stikine River and Telegraph Creek. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River, it is home to approximately 250 members of ...

, southeast of

Juneau, Alaska Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Southeast Alaska, Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the ...

, about north of

Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12, ...

, and about northwest of

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is a city in British Columbia, Canada, situated at the confluence of the Fraser River, Fraser and Nechako River, Nechako rivers. The city itself has a population of 76,708; the metro census agglomeration has a population of 89,490 ...

. The name "Chutine" comes from an indigenous word meaning "half-people", as in half-

Tahltan The Tahltan or Nahani are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut. The Tahltan constitute the fourth division of the ''Nahan ...

, half-

Tlingit The Tlingit or Lingít ( ) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. , they constitute two of the 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, Tribes of Alaska. Most Tlingit are Alaska Natives; ...

. The Chutine River's drainage basin lies within the asserted traditional territory of the

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

people.

Geography

The source of the Chutine River is close to the sources of the

Sheslay River The Sheslay River is a tributary of the Inklin River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It joins the Nahlin River to form the Inklin River, one of the main tributaries of the Taku River. The lower Sheslay River marks t ...

, Samotua River,

Barrington River Barrington River may refer to: *Barrington River (New South Wales), Australia *Barrington River (Nova Scotia) The Barrington River is a small river in the South Shore region of Nova Scotia, Canada Canada is a country in North Americ ...

, and the South Whiting River. The Chutine River originates in the mountains and glaciers of the Cheja Range, part of the Boundary Ranges near the border of British Columbia and Alaska. It flows south, through Chutine Lake, collecting many tributary streams. After exiting Chutine Lake the Chutine River flows southeast and east. It is joined by many tributary streams including Dirst Creek, Triumph Creek, Pendant Creek, and Conover Creek from the south, and Piggly Creek, Ugly Creek, Wimpson Creek, Jimjack Creek, and Wriggle Creek from the north. As it near the Stikine River it is joined from the north by its largest tributary, the Barrington River. After the Barrington confluence the Chutine flows east and south between the

Tahltan Highland The Tahltan Highland is an upland area of plateau and relatively lower mountain ranges in British Columbia, Canada, lying east of the Boundary Ranges and south of the Inklin River (the east fork of the Taku River). Its eastern boundary is formed ...

and the Sawback Range, before emptying into the Stikine River. Major named peaks in or along the watershed divides of the Chutine drainage include Owens Peak, Sheppard Peak, Chutine Peak,

Mount Ratz Mount Ratz is a mountain located just west of the Stikine River, about east of the British Columbia-Alaska border. It is the highest peak in the Stikine Icecap and of the Boundary Ranges which in turn form part of the Coast Mountains. It is an ...

, Mount Kitchener, Mount Barrington, Cutcone Mountain, Mount Conover, Cuteye Mountain, Hamlin Mountain, Mount Insley, Circle Mountain, and Valhalla Mountain. The area is highly

glaciated A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires d ...

. For much of its course, the Chutine River is braided, with fluvioglacial features resulting from the retreating glaciers of the area.

Geography

See also

References

Further reading