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Coordinates: 65°04′36″N 149°16′38″W / 65.07667°N 149.27722°W / 65.07667; -149.27722
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{{Infobox river
{{Geobox | River
| name = Chatanika River
<!-- *** Name section *** -->
| native_name ={{native name|taa|Ch'edenano'}}
| name =Chatanika River
| name_other =
| category = River
| category_hide = 1
| name_etymology =
<!-- *** Image *** --->
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image = Chatanika River panorama.jpg
| image =
| image_caption = Chatanika River panorama
| image_size =300
| image_size = 300
| image_caption =
| map =
|image_alt =
| map_size = 300
<!-- *** Etymology *** --->
| etymology =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map = USA Alaska
<!-- *** Country etc. *** -->
| pushpin_map_size = 300
| country = United States
| pushpin_map_caption= Location of the mouth of the Chatanika River in Alaska
| country_flag = 1
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| state = Alaska
| subdivision_type1 = Country
| district_type =
| subdivision_name1 = United States
| district=[[Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska|Fairbanks North Star Borough]]
| subdivision_type2 = State
| district1=[[Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska|Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area]]
| subdivision_name2 = Alaska
<!-- *** Source *** -->
| subdivision_type3 =
| source = confluence of McManus and Smith creeks
| subdivision_name3 =
| source_location = Yukon&ndash;Tanana Uplands
| subdivision_type4 = District
| source_district= Fairbanks North Star Borough
| subdivision_name4 = [[Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska|Fairbanks North Star Borough]], [[Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska|Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area]]
| source_region =
| source_state =
| subdivision_type5 =
| subdivision_name5 =
| source_elevation_imperial = 1569
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| source_elevation_note = <ref>Derived by entering source coordinates in [[Google Earth]].</ref>
| length = {{convert|128|mi|km|abbr=on}}<ref name="Place Names">{{cite book|last=Orth|first=Donald J.|author2=United States Geological Survey|title=Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567|url=http://137.229.113.112/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p0567.pdf|via=United States Government Printing Office|publisher=University of Alaska Fairbanks|year=1971|orig-year=1967|page=201|accessdate=October 17, 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017165933/http://137.229.113.112/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p0567.pdf|archivedate=October 17, 2013}}</ref>
| source_lat_d = 65
| source_lat_m =17
| width_min =
| source_lat_s = 28
| width_avg =
| source_lat_NS = N
| width_max =
| source_long_d = 146
| depth_min =
| source_long_m = 20
| depth_avg =
| source_long_s = 38
| depth_max =
| discharge1_location=
| source_long_EW = W
| discharge1_min =
| source_coordinates_note = <ref name="gnis"/>
| discharge1_avg =
<!-- *** Mouth *** --->
| discharge1_max =
| mouth_name = Tolovana River
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| mouth_location = {{convert|48|mi|km}} northwest of [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]]
| source1 = confluence of McManus and Smith creeks
|mouth_district= Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area
| source1_location = Yukon&ndash;Tanana Uplands, Fairbanks North Star Borough
| mouth_state =
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|65|17|28|N|146|20|38|W|display=inline}}<ref name="gnis"/>
| mouth_country =
| source1_elevation = {{convert|1569|ft|abbr=on}}<ref>Derived by entering source coordinates in [[Google Earth]].</ref>
| mouth_note =<ref name="Place Names">{{cite book|last=Orth|first=Donald J.|author2=United States Geological Survey|title=Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567|url=http://137.229.113.112/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p0567.pdf|format=PDF|agency=United States Government Printing Office|publisher=University of Alaska Fairbanks|year=1971|origyear=1967|page=201|accessdate=October 17, 2013}}</ref>
| mouth_lat_d = 65
| mouth = Tolovana River
| mouth_location = {{convert|48|mi|km}} northwest of [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]], Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area
| mouth_lat_m =04
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|65|04|36|N|149|16|38|W|display=inline,title}}<ref name="gnis">{{cite web | work = Geographic Names Information System| publisher = United States Geological Survey | date = March 31, 1981| url = {{gnis3|1400168}} | title = Chatanika River| accessdate = October 17, 2013}}</ref>
| mouth_lat_s = 36
| mouth_elevation = {{convert|302|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="gnis"/>
| mouth_lat_NS = N
| mouth_long_d = 149
| progression =
| mouth_long_m =16
| river_system =
| mouth_long_s = 38
| basin_size =
| mouth_long_EW = W
| tributaries_left =
| tributaries_right =
| mouth_coordinates_note = <ref name="gnis">{{cite web | work = Geographic Names Information System| publisher = United States Geological Survey | date = March 31, 1981| url = {{gnis3|1400168}} | title = Chatanika River| accessdate = October 17, 2013}}</ref>
| mouth_elevation_imperial =302
| custom_label =
| mouth_elevation_note = <ref name="gnis"/>
| custom_data =
| extra =
<!-- *** Geography *** -->
| length_imperial =128
| length_round = 0
| length_note = <ref name="Place Names"/>
| watershed_imperial =
| watershed_round = 0
| watershed_note =
| discharge_location =
| discharge_imperial =
| discharge_round = 1
| discharge_note =
| discharge_max_imperial =
| discharge_min_imperial =
| discharge1_location =
| discharge1_note =
<!-- *** Map section *** -->
| map =
| map_size = 300
| map_caption =
|map_alt =
| map1 = Alaska Locator Map.PNG
| map1_size = 300
| map1_caption = Location of the mouth of the Chatanika River in Alaska
| map1_locator = Alaska
|map1_alt =
<!-- *** Websites *** -->
| commons =
}}
}}


The '''Chatanika River'''{{Pronunciation-needed}} is a {{convert|128|mi|km|adj=on}} tributary of the [[Tolovana River]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Alaska]].<ref name="Place Names"/> The Chatanika River is a clear or lightly tannic stained rapid-runoff stream that has its headwaters in the mountains of the northeastern portion of the [[Alaska Range]] and flows westward through valleys between summits and uplands for about four-fifths of its length before it enters [[Minto Flats]].<ref name="ADFG Chat">Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Rivers of the Lower Tanana Management Area, [http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Management/areas.cfm/FA/lowerTananaRivers.ChatanikaR "The Chatanika River"] Accessed August 7, 2008.</ref> Once in the flats&mdash;a marshy area in which multiple streams, rivers, and lakes are located&mdash; the Chatanika joins the Tolovana, which flows into the [[Tanana River]] and on to the [[Yukon River]].<ref>Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Rivers of the Lower Tanana Management Area, [http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Management/Areas.cfm/FA/lowerTananaRivers.mintoR "Minto Flats"] Accessed August 7, 2008.</ref> The Chatanika is thus a portion of the Yukon River drainage basin.
The '''Chatanika River''' {{IPAc-en|ˌ|tʃ|æ|t|ə|ˈ|n|iː|k|ə}} ([[Lower Tanana language|Lower Tanana]]: ''Ch'edenano'') is a {{convert|128|mi|km|adj=on}} tributary of the [[Tolovana River]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Alaska]].<ref name="Place Names"/> The Chatanika River is a clear or lightly tannic stained rapid-runoff stream that has its headwaters in the [[White Mountains (Alaska)|White Mountains]] and flows westward through valleys between summits and uplands for about four-fifths of its length before it enters [[Minto Flats]].<ref name="ADFG Chat">Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Rivers of the Lower Tanana Management Area, [http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Management/areas.cfm/FA/lowerTananaRivers.ChatanikaR "The Chatanika River"] Accessed August 7, 2008.</ref> Once in the flats&mdash;a marshy area in which multiple streams, rivers, and lakes are located&mdash; the Chatanika joins the Tolovana, which flows into the [[Tanana River]] and on to the [[Yukon River]].<ref>Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Rivers of the Lower Tanana Management Area, [http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Management/Areas.cfm/FA/lowerTananaRivers.mintoR "Minto Flats"] Accessed August 7, 2008.</ref> The Chatanika is thus a portion of the Yukon River drainage basin.


During the first portion of the 20th century, the Chatanika was dominated by the [[gold mining|gold-mining industry]],<ref name="ADFG Chat"/> which used its flow to operate gold [[dredge]]s. The most visible example of this was the construction of the [[Davidson Ditch]], a dam-and-pipeline system used to divert water to gold-mining operations closer to Fairbanks. The Ditch was abandoned in the 1950s, and during the [[1967 Tanana Valley flood]], the dam was damaged and became inoperable. In January 2002, the [[Alaska Department of Fish and Game]] and the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] removed the dam in conjunction with other groups, restoring the Chatanika's original flow.<ref>Florida Museum of Natural History. [http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/Fish/InNews/passage2002.html Fish Passage Restored on Alaska's Chatanika River] March 28, 2002. Accessed August 7, 2008.</ref> Today, the upper Chatanika is a moderately popular rafting and fishing destination, and vacation cabins have been built at spots along its banks.
During the first portion of the 20th century, the Chatanika was dominated by the [[gold mining|gold-mining industry]],<ref name="ADFG Chat"/> which used its flow to operate gold [[dredge]]s. The most visible example of this was the construction of the [[Davidson Ditch]], a dam-and-pipeline system used to divert water to gold-mining operations closer to Fairbanks. The Ditch was abandoned in the 1950s, and during the [[1967 Fairbanks Flood|1967 Tanana Valley flood]], the dam was damaged and became inoperable. In January 2002, the [[Alaska Department of Fish and Game]] and the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] removed the dam in conjunction with other groups, restoring the Chatanika's original flow.<ref>Florida Museum of Natural History. [http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/Fish/InNews/passage2002.html Fish Passage Restored on Alaska's Chatanika River] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060913002010/http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/Fish/InNews/passage2002.html |date=September 13, 2006 }} March 28, 2002. Accessed August 7, 2008.</ref> Today, the upper Chatanika is a moderately popular rafting and fishing destination, and vacation cabins have been built at spots along its banks.


[[Chatanika, Alaska|Chatanika]], [[Alaska]], located near the river, shares its name with the river.
[[Chatanika, Alaska|Chatanika]], Alaska, located near the river, shares its name with the river.


The river contains Arctic grayling, Arctic lamprey, burbot, chum salmon, humpback whitefish, king salmon, least cisco, longnose suckers, northern pike, sheefish, and slimy sculpins.<ref name="ADFG Chat" />
The river contains Arctic grayling, Arctic lamprey, burbot, chum salmon, humpback whitefish, king salmon, least cisco, longnose suckers, northern pike, sheefish, and slimy sculpins.<ref name="ADFG Chat" />


==Boating==
==Boating==
Boaters can float the Chatanika River in many kinds of non-motorized watercraft. The [[Elliott Highway]], which crosses the river below the village of Chatanika, and the [[Steese Highway]], which parallels the river further upstream, offer multiple places to begin and end boating trips. Several public campgrounds and waysides along these highways afford access to the river. The entire river is rated Class I (easy) on the [[International Scale of River Difficulty]]. Dangers include logjams and overhanging trees and stumps.<ref name="Jettmar">{{cite book|last=Jettmar|first=Karen|title=The Alaska River Guide: Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting in the Last Frontier|publisher=Menasha Ridge Press|location=Birmingham, Alabama|edition=3rd|year=2008|origyear=1993|pages=103&ndash;04|isbn=978-0-89732-957-6}}</ref>
Boaters can float the Chatanika River in many kinds of non-motorized watercraft. The [[Elliott Highway]], which crosses the river below the village of Chatanika, and the [[Steese Highway]], which parallels the river further upstream, offer multiple places to begin and end boating trips. Several public campgrounds and waysides along these highways afford access to the river. The entire river is rated Class I (easy) on the [[International Scale of River Difficulty]]. Dangers include logjams and overhanging trees and stumps.<ref name="Jettmar">{{cite book|last=Jettmar|first=Karen|title=The Alaska River Guide: Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting in the Last Frontier|publisher=Menasha Ridge Press|location=Birmingham, Alabama|edition=3rd|year=2008|orig-year=1993|pages=103&ndash;04|isbn=978-0-89732-957-6}}</ref>


{{wide image|Chatanika River panorama.jpg|800px|The Chatanika River, as seen from the [[Steese Highway]], northeast of [[Fairbanks, Alaska]].||none}}
{{clear}}

[[Image:Chatanika River panorama.jpg|thumb|center|700px|The Chatanika River, as seen from the [[Steese Highway]], northeast of [[Fairbanks, Alaska]].]]
==Parks==
The Upper Chatanika River State Recreation Site is at mile 39 of the Steese Highway. It is a relatively small park at {{convert|73|acre}}. There is a campground, boat launch and access road to a gravel bar on the river for various recreational activities.<ref>[http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/northern/upchatrvsrs.htm Upper Chatanika River SRS], [[Alaska Department of Natural Resources]]</ref> The gravel bar is susceptible to flooding during rainy periods.<ref>[[The Milepost]], 2018 edition, page 471 {{ISBN|9781892154378}}</ref>

The Lower Chatanika River State Recreation Area is a {{convert|400|acre}} park at mile 11 of the Elliott Highway. It has two small campgrounds, picnic areas, river access, and a stocked fishing pond. The two parks are situated such that one can put in a canoe or other small boat at the upper and paddle to the lower in a day.<ref>[http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/northern/lrchatrivsra.htm Lower Chatanika SRA], [[Alaska Department of Natural Resources]]</ref><ref>[[The Milepost]], 2018 edition, page 478 {{ISBN|9781892154378}}</ref>

The [[Davidson Ditch Historic Site]] is the remains of the Davidson Ditch operation, preserved by the [[Bureau of Land Management]].


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 102: Line 82:
== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:Rivers of Alaska]]
[[Category:Rivers of Alaska]]
[[Category:Rivers and streams of Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Rivers of Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Rivers and streams of Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Rivers of Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Rivers and streams of Unorganized Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Rivers of Unorganized Borough, Alaska]]

Latest revision as of 19:51, 14 November 2024

Chatanika River
Chatanika River panorama
Chatanika River is located in Alaska
Chatanika River
Location of the mouth of the Chatanika River in Alaska
Native nameCh'edenano' (Lower Tanana)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
DistrictFairbanks North Star Borough, Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area
Physical characteristics
Sourceconfluence of McManus and Smith creeks
 • locationYukon–Tanana Uplands, Fairbanks North Star Borough
 • coordinates65°17′28″N 146°20′38″W / 65.29111°N 146.34389°W / 65.29111; -146.34389[1]
 • elevation1,569 ft (478 m)[2]
MouthTolovana River
 • location
48 miles (77 km) northwest of Fairbanks, Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area
 • coordinates
65°04′36″N 149°16′38″W / 65.07667°N 149.27722°W / 65.07667; -149.27722[1]
 • elevation
302 ft (92 m)[1]
Length128 mi (206 km)[3]

The Chatanika River /ˌtʃætəˈniːkə/ (Lower Tanana: Ch'edenano) is a 128-mile (206 km) tributary of the Tolovana River in the U.S. state of Alaska.[3] The Chatanika River is a clear or lightly tannic stained rapid-runoff stream that has its headwaters in the White Mountains and flows westward through valleys between summits and uplands for about four-fifths of its length before it enters Minto Flats.[4] Once in the flats—a marshy area in which multiple streams, rivers, and lakes are located— the Chatanika joins the Tolovana, which flows into the Tanana River and on to the Yukon River.[5] The Chatanika is thus a portion of the Yukon River drainage basin.

During the first portion of the 20th century, the Chatanika was dominated by the gold-mining industry,[4] which used its flow to operate gold dredges. The most visible example of this was the construction of the Davidson Ditch, a dam-and-pipeline system used to divert water to gold-mining operations closer to Fairbanks. The Ditch was abandoned in the 1950s, and during the 1967 Tanana Valley flood, the dam was damaged and became inoperable. In January 2002, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service removed the dam in conjunction with other groups, restoring the Chatanika's original flow.[6] Today, the upper Chatanika is a moderately popular rafting and fishing destination, and vacation cabins have been built at spots along its banks.

Chatanika, Alaska, located near the river, shares its name with the river.

The river contains Arctic grayling, Arctic lamprey, burbot, chum salmon, humpback whitefish, king salmon, least cisco, longnose suckers, northern pike, sheefish, and slimy sculpins.[4]

Boating

[edit]

Boaters can float the Chatanika River in many kinds of non-motorized watercraft. The Elliott Highway, which crosses the river below the village of Chatanika, and the Steese Highway, which parallels the river further upstream, offer multiple places to begin and end boating trips. Several public campgrounds and waysides along these highways afford access to the river. The entire river is rated Class I (easy) on the International Scale of River Difficulty. Dangers include logjams and overhanging trees and stumps.[7]

The Chatanika River, as seen from the Steese Highway, northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Parks

[edit]

The Upper Chatanika River State Recreation Site is at mile 39 of the Steese Highway. It is a relatively small park at 73 acres (30 ha). There is a campground, boat launch and access road to a gravel bar on the river for various recreational activities.[8] The gravel bar is susceptible to flooding during rainy periods.[9]

The Lower Chatanika River State Recreation Area is a 400 acres (160 ha) park at mile 11 of the Elliott Highway. It has two small campgrounds, picnic areas, river access, and a stocked fishing pond. The two parks are situated such that one can put in a canoe or other small boat at the upper and paddle to the lower in a day.[10][11]

The Davidson Ditch Historic Site is the remains of the Davidson Ditch operation, preserved by the Bureau of Land Management.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Chatanika River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 31, 1981. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  2. ^ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  3. ^ a b Orth, Donald J.; United States Geological Survey (1971) [1967]. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567 (PDF). University of Alaska Fairbanks. p. 201. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013 – via United States Government Printing Office.
  4. ^ a b c Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Rivers of the Lower Tanana Management Area, "The Chatanika River" Accessed August 7, 2008.
  5. ^ Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Rivers of the Lower Tanana Management Area, "Minto Flats" Accessed August 7, 2008.
  6. ^ Florida Museum of Natural History. Fish Passage Restored on Alaska's Chatanika River Archived September 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine March 28, 2002. Accessed August 7, 2008.
  7. ^ Jettmar, Karen (2008) [1993]. The Alaska River Guide: Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting in the Last Frontier (3rd ed.). Birmingham, Alabama: Menasha Ridge Press. pp. 103–04. ISBN 978-0-89732-957-6.
  8. ^ Upper Chatanika River SRS, Alaska Department of Natural Resources
  9. ^ The Milepost, 2018 edition, page 471 ISBN 9781892154378
  10. ^ Lower Chatanika SRA, Alaska Department of Natural Resources
  11. ^ The Milepost, 2018 edition, page 478 ISBN 9781892154378
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