The Little Iskut River is a

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

Iskut River The Iskut River, located in the northwest part of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia, is the largest tributary of the Stikine River, entering it about above its entry into Alaska. From its source at Kluachon Lak ...

in the northwest 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 ...

, in

Cassiar Land District Cassiar Land District is a cadastral survey subdivision of the province of British Columbia, Canada, created with rest of those on Mainland British Columbia via the Lands Act of the Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866), Colony of British Columb ...

. From its source at

Little Ball Lake Little Ball Lake is a small lake in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It lies at the head of the Little Iskut River just south of Kounugu Mountain at the southeastern end of the Spectrum Range in Mount Edziza Provinc ...

Mount Edziza Provincial Park Mount Edziza Provincial Park is a provincial park in Cassiar Land District of northern British Columbia, Canada. It was established on 27 July 1972 to showcase the Mount Edziza volcanic complex and the surrounding Tahltan Highland. Geography The ...

, the Little Iskut River flows about ,Length measured using BCGNIS coordinates, topographic maps, an
Toporama
/ref> generally north to the vicinity of Mowdale Lake, then southeast and south to the Iskut River just below Cascade Falls. The Little Iskut River is part 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 ...

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, ...

, as the Iskut River is a major tributary of the Stikine. The Little Iskut River's watershed covers and its mean annual discharge is an estimated . The river's 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 36.8%

conifer forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological functio ...

, 27.9%

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 ...

, 17.3%

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 ...

, 10.3%

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 ...

, and small amounts of other cover. The mouth of the Little Iskut River is located about southeast of

Telegraph Creek, British Columbia 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 ...

, about south of

Dease Lake Dease Lake is a small community in the Cassiar Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is 230 km south of the Yukon border on Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37) at the south end of the lake of the same na ...

, and about northeast of

Wrangell, Alaska Wrangell (, ) is a List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska, borough in Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 2,127, down from 2,369 in 2010. Incorporated as a consolidated city–county ...

. The Little Iskut River is in the asserted traditional territory of the

Tahltan First Nation The Tahltan First Nation, also known as the Tahltan Indian Band, is a band government of the Tahltan people. Their main community and reserves are located at Telegraph Creek, British Columbia. Their language is the Tahltan language, which is an ...

and

Iskut First Nation The Iskut First Nation is a band government of the Tahltan people. Their main reserve is Iskut IR No.6, located at Iskut, British Columbia; Iskut is in the same vicinity, while the band's third reserve, Stikine River IR No. 7 is located one mile w ...

, of the

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 ...

people.

Geography

The Little Iskut River originates at Little Ball Lake just south of

Kounugu Mountain Kounugu Mountain is a mountain in the Spectrum Range at the southern end of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is southeast of Yeda Peak, west and northwest of the Little Iskut River, south of Stewbomb ...

. It flows northeast through the southern part of Mount Edziza Provincial Park, then north, forming the southeastern boundary of the park. It collects tributary streams flowing east from the

Spectrum Range The Spectrum Range, formerly gazetted as the Spectrum Mountains and the Rainbow Mountains, is a small mountain range in Cassiar Land District of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Located at the southern end of the Tahltan Highland, it bord ...

. Stewbomb Creek and its tributary

Artifact Creek Artifact Creek is a tributary of Stewbomb Creek and part of the Stikine River watershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally southeast for roughly Lengths and distances measured using BCGNIS coordinat ...

flow from Obsidian Ridge, Artifact Ridge, and high mountains including

Yeda Peak Yeda Peak is a volcanic peak of the Spectrum Range on the Tahltan Highland of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located southwest of Tatogga and south of Kitsu Peak. It is believed Yeda Peak last erupted during the Pliocene period. See ...

and Kitsu Peak. Bourgeaux Creek and its tributary Gerlib Creek also flow east from the Spectrum Range, Artifact Ridge, and high peaks including Tadeda Peak and Armadillo Peak. Between Stewbomb Creek and Bourgeaux Creek the historic

Yukon Telegraph Trail The Yukon Telegraph Trail, also known simply as the Telegraph Trail, is a historic pathway in the Canadian province of British Columbia that extends from the village of Ashcroft, British Columbia, Ashcroft in the south to the community of Atlin, Br ...

crosses the Little Iskut River, following Bourgeaux Creek over Raspberry Pass to Mess Creek, continuing north along the western side of the

Mount Edziza volcanic complex The Mount Edziza volcanic complex ( ; abbreviated MEVC) is a group of volcanoes and associated lava flows in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Located on the Tahltan Highland, it is southeast of Telegraph Creek and southwest of Dease Lak ...

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 ...

on the

. After Bourgeaux Creek, near Mowdade Lake, the Little Iskut turns sharply to flow southeast. It empties into the Iskut River just downstream of Cascade Falls. The Little Iskut River is a major tributary of the Iskut River. About 5% of its watershed is glacier-covered. Much of the lower Little Iskut River is braided.

Geology

During the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

epoch, a series of lava flows from the adjacent Mount Edziza volcanic complex travelled east into the Little Iskut River. Here, the flows formed a

lava dam A volcanic dam is a type of natural dam produced directly or indirectly by volcanism, which holds or temporarily restricts the flow of surface water in existing streams, like a man-made dam. There are two main types of volcanic dams, those creat ...

behind which water ponded to form Raspberry Lake. Water discharging from this prehistoric lake eventually cut through the eastern edge of this dam to create a new course for the Little Iskut River.

References

{{Mount Edziza volcanic complex Cassiar Land District Tributaries of the Iskut River Stikine Country Stikine Plateau Tahltan Tahltan Highland Spectrum Range

Geography

Geology

See also

References