Owyhee Dam

In this episode of the I Can't Sleep Podcast, fall asleep learning about the Owyhee Dam and the surrounding tributaries and cities. While learning about water, dams, and the history of a location, I'm sure the census information part-way through the episode is bound to do the trick of putting you to sleep. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast,

Where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster.

Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled,

Hawaii Dam.

Hawaii Dam,

National ID number OR00582,

Is a concrete arch gravity dam on the Hawaii River in eastern Oregon near Adrian,

Oregon,

United States.

Completed in 1932 during the Great Depression,

The dam generates electricity and provides irrigation water for several irrigation districts in Oregon and neighboring Idaho.

At the time of completion,

It was the tallest dam of its type in the world.

It was surpassed about two years later.

The dam is part of the Hawaii Dam Historic District,

Which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The dam impounds the river to create the Hawaii Reservoir,

With storage capacity of nearly 1.

2 million acre feet of water.

The more than 400 foot tall concrete arch gravity dam is owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation,

USBR,

And operated by the Hawaii Irrigation District.

Haystack Rock Road is carried over the 833 foot long crest of the dam.

History In August 1927,

The US Congress authorized the building of a dam in the canyon of the Hawaii River.

Construction of the dam began in 1928 to provide water for irrigation projects.

It was built on a foundation of massive rhyolite,

Massive pitch stone,

And associated unmassive pitch stone agglomerate geologic formations adjacent to the Hawaii Mountains.

A project of the Bureau of Reclamation,

They hired General Construction Company from Seattle to build the dam.

Former Oregonian and then United States President Herbert Hoover dedicated what was the highest dam of its type in the world on July 17,

1932.

Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur delivered Hoover's message at the dam.

Hawaii's construction served as a prototype for the larger Hoover Dam on the Colorado River,

Including the use of refrigeration to cool the concrete.

The dam cost $6 million with the total reclamation project costing $18 million.

Hawaii was designed by Frank A.

Banks,

Who also designed other dams such as the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River.

In the 1980s,

Electricity generating capabilities were added to the dam.

From 1990 to 1993,

The dam was remodeled.

Since the height of the dam made a fish ladder impractical,

The dam closed off the O'Waihi Chinook salmon runs that used to swim as far upstream as Nevada.

On September 23,

2010,

The dam was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the O'Waihi Dam Historic District.

Operations Water stored at the reservoir is used to irrigate approximately 120,

000 acres for use in farming.

Four different irrigation districts utilize the water from O'Waihi Reservoir.

There are three hydropower generating facilities at the reservoir at a between 1985 and 1993,

With 7 megawatt and 5 megawatt turbines at the dam and power sold to the Idaho Power Company.

O'Waihi has a unique spillway located partway up the dam that utilizes a 60-foot in diameter tunnel to send excess water to the river below during spring runoff.

The United States Bureau of Reclamation owns the facility and the O'Waihi Irrigation District operates the dam.

Climate The following data are from the Western Regional Climate Center,

Accessed in March 2018.

The record high temperature was 112 degrees Fahrenheit in July 2002 and the record low was negative 22 degrees Fahrenheit in January 1962.

Annual precipitation is low,

Averaging less than 10 inches per year,

And diurnal temperature variation is very high in the summer.

Dimensions O'Waihi is 833 feet long at the crest,

Which is 30 feet wide.

The base of the dam is 265 feet wide with a height of 417 feet.

The crest elevation sits at 2,

675 feet above sea level and has a hydraulic height of 325 feet.

Total concrete used in this arch gravity style dam was 537,

500 cubic yards.

The dam's spillway can allow 41,

790 cubic feet per second of water flow,

While its tunnel capacity is 1,

100 cubic feet per second.

The outlet works can allow up to 2,

530 cubic feet per second.

If full,

The reservoir would hold 1,

183,

300 acre feet of water and is 53 miles long.

The total drainage area of the dam and reservoir is 10,

900 square miles in eastern Oregon and western Idaho.

O'Waihi Dam was the tallest dam in the world until the Lac du Chambon Dam was built in France in 1934 at 136.

7 meters,

448 feet.

Adrian,

Oregon Adrian is a city in Malheur County,

Oregon,

United States,

Near the confluence of the Snake River and the O'Waihi River.

The population was 177 at the 2010 census.

It is part of the Ontario-Oregon-Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In 1913,

Oregon's Shortline Railroad built a branch into this part of Malheur County.

There was a post office called Riverview on the east side of the Snake River.

Because the railroad did not want a station of the same name on the west side,

The name Adrian was suggested by Ruben McCreary,

Who platted the town site.

The name was chosen to honor his birthplace,

Adrian,

Illinois.

Riverview Post Office was established in 1911,

But moved across the river in 1915 and the name changed to Adrian in 1919.

It was previously thought that the city was named for James Adrian,

A sheep rancher,

But he did not arrive in the area until 1916.

Adrian is located on the southern alternate route of the Oregon Trail,

A longer route that eliminated the need to cross the Snake River.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau,

The city has a total area of 0.

24 square miles,

All of it land.

Climate According to the Curp and Climate Classification System,

Adrian has a semi-arid climate,

Abbreviated BSK on climate maps.

Demographics 2010 Census As of the census of 2010,

There were 177 people,

70 households,

And 45 families residing in the city.

The population density was 737.

5 inhabitants per square mile.

There were 78 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile.

The racial makeup of the city was 89.

8% White,

0.

6% Native American,

1.

1% Asian,

2.

8% from other races,

And 5.

6% from two or more races.

Hispanic and Latino of any race were 27.

1% of the population.

There were 70 households of which 25.

7% had children under the age of 18 living with them,

55.

7% were married couples living together,

7.

1% had a female householder with no husband present,

1.

4% had a male householder with no wife present,

And 35.

7% were non-families.

27.

1% of all households were made up of individuals,

And 17.

1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The average household size was 2.

53 and the average family size was 3.

2.

The median age in the city was 44.

4 years,

22% of residents were under the age of 18,

6.

2% were between the ages of 18 and 24,

24.

2% were from 25 to 44,

24.

8% were from 45 to 64,

And 22.

6% were 65 years of age or older.

The gender makeup of the city was 49.

2% male and 50.

8% female.

2000 Census As of the census of 2000,

There were 147 people,

59 households,

And 38 families residing in the city.

The population density was 597 people per square mile.

There were 66 housing units at an average density of 268 per square mile.

The racial makeup of the city was 85.

03% white,

0.

68% Native American,

10.

88% from other races,

And 3.

4% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.

97% of the population.

There were 59 households out of which 25.

4% had children under the age of 18 living with them.

52.

5% were married couples living together,

11.

9% had a female householder with no husband present,

And 33.

9% were non-families.

30.

5% of all households were made up of individuals,

And 13.

6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The average household size was 2.

49,

And the average family size was 3.

21.

In the city,

The population was spread out with 25.

9% under the age of 18,

9.

5% from 18 to 24,

22.

4% from 25 to 44,

21.

8% from 45 to 64,

And 20.

4% who were 65 years of age or older.

The median age was 38 years.

For every 100 females,

There were 72.

9 males.

For every 100 females age 18 and over,

There were 84.

7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,

000,

And the median income for a family was $38,

438.

This had a median income of $31,

250 versus $26,

667 for females.

The per capita income for the city was $10,

740.

There were 17.

8% of families and 8% of the population living below the poverty line,

Including 3.

1% of under 18 and 22.

5% of those over 64.

Education.

It is a part of the Adrian School District.

Adrian Elementary and Middle School.

Adrian High School.

Transportation.

Several highways originate,

Terminate,

Or pass through Adrian.

Idaho Route 18,

Oregon Route 201,

Oregon Route 452,

Oregon Route 453,

And Oregon Route 454.

Oweahee River.

The Oweahee River is a tributary of the Snake River,

Located in northern Nevada,

Southwestern Idaho,

And southeastern Oregon in the United States.

It is 280 miles long.

The river's drainage basin is 11,

049 square miles in area,

One of the largest subbasins of the Columbia Basin.

The mean annual discharge is 995 cubic feet per second,

With a maximum of 50,

000 cubic feet per second recorded in 1993 and a minimum of 42 cubic feet per second in 1954.

The Oweahee drains a remote area of the Arid Plateau region immediately north of the Great Basin,

Rising in northeastern Nevada and flowing generally northward near the Oregon-Idaho border to the Snake River.

Its watershed is very sparsely populated.

The Oweahee River and its tributaries flow through the Oweahee Plateau,

Cutting deep canyons often with vertical walls and in some places over 1,

000 feet deep.

History of the Name.

The watershed of the river was part of the region inhabited by the Shoshone and Bannock Native Americans.

The name of the river is from the older spelling of Hawaii.

It was named for three Hawaiian trappers and the employ of the Northwest Company who were sent to explore the uncharted river.

They failed to return to the rendezvous near the Boise River and were never seen again.

Due to this,

The river and its region were named Oweahee.

About one-third of the men with Donald McKenzie's snake country expeditions of 1819 to 1820 were Hawaiians,

Commonly called Kanakas or Sandwich Islanders in those days,

With Oweahee being a standard period spelling of the proper Hawaiian language name for the island's Hawaii,

Which then was otherwise unused in English.

The three Kanakas were detached to trap on the river in 1819 and were probably killed by Native Americans that year.

It was not until the spring or early summer of 1820 that McKenzie learned the news of their deaths,

Probably at the hands of men belonging to a band of Bannocks led by a chief named The Horse.

Native Americans led other trappers to the site,

But only one skeleton was located.

The earliest surviving record of the name is found on a map dating to 1825,

Drawn by William Kitson,

Who was previously with McKenzie in 1819 to 1820,

And then with Peter Skeen Ogden in 1825,

In which he notes Oweahee River,

His spelling.

Journal entries in 1826 by Peter Skeen Ogden,

A fur trapper who led subsequent snake country expeditions for the Hudson's Bay Company,

Refer to the river primarily as the Sandwich Island River,

But also as Si River,

River Oweahee,

And Oweahee River.

History Mining The discovery of gold and silver in the region in 1863 resulted in a temporary influx of miners and the establishment of mining camps,

Most of which have long since disappeared.

The initial discovery was along Jordan Creek,

And mining activity rapidly spread through the Oweahee watershed.

This activity involved not only placer operations,

But also underground mines and mills,

Resulting in a prolonged history of mining in the region.

This invasion of Native American territory set off the 1864-68 Snake War.

Death of Sacajawea's Son In 1866,

The son of Sacajawea,

Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau,

Died near Jordan Valley after catching a chill upon crossing the Oweaheean route from California to New Gold Strikes in Montana.

One of the Gold Strikes near Bannock,

Montana was just a few miles from where he had traveled as a toddler with his mother and the company of William Clark.

After almost a century of neglect,

His grave is now well marked off Highway 95 near Danner.

Course The source of the Oweahee River is in northwestern Nevada and northern Elko County,

Approximately fifty miles north of the city of Elko.

It flows north along the east side of the Independence Mountains of Nevada,

Passing through Wild Horse Reservoir and then cutting northeast past the north end of the range.

The river runs through the Humboldtoyab National Forest and then past the communities of Mountain City and Oweahee in the Duck Valley Indian Reservation.

It then enters southwestern Idaho,

Flowing northwest for approximately fifty miles across the southwest corner of the state through Oweahee County.

It is then joined by the South Fork Oweahee River from the south,

Approximately ten miles east of the Oregon border.

The main tributary of the South Fork is the Little Oweahee River.

The Oweahee River then enters extreme southeast Oregon in southern Malheur County,

Generally following north in a zigzag course west of the Idaho border.

It merges with the west Little Oweahee River from the south,

Then receives the Middle Fork Oweahee River and North Fork Oweahee River from the east at a location known as Three Forks.

It then passes through the Oweahee Canyon between Big Grassy Mountain and White House Butte,

Then turns north,

Flowing east of Burns Junction and then west of Mahogany Mountain.

In this area,

The Oweahee River receives the tributaries of Jordan Creek,

Rattlesnake Creek,

And Crooked Creek.

The Oweahee River enters the Snake River from the west on the Oregon-Idaho border,

Approximately five miles south of Nissa,

Oregon,

And two miles south of the mouth of the Boise River.

The final stretch of the river,

Below Oweahee Dam,

Emerges from the Oweahee Plateau and enters the Snake River Plain.

River Modifications In northern Malheur County,

Approximately 20 miles upstream from its mouth in the Snake,

The Oweahee River is impounded by the Oweahee Dam,

Trading the serpentine Lake Oweahee,

Approximately 52 miles long.

The dam was constructed by the U.

S.

Bureau of Reclamation primarily to provide irrigation for the agricultural region in southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho.

Onions and hops are the staple crops in this region.

Lake Oweahee State Park and scenic Lesley Gulch are along the eastern shore of the reservoir.

Oweahee Dam was built in 1933 and eliminated anadromous fish such as salmon from the Oweahee River Basin.

Protected Areas In 1984,

The United States Congress designated 120 miles of the river as Oweahee Wild and Scenic River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.

In 1984,

The United States Congress designated 120 miles of the river as Oweahee Wild and Scenic River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 to preserve the river in its free flowing condition.

Part of the designation includes the section of the river downstream from the Oweahee Dam where the river flows through a remote section of deeply incised canyons,

Surrounded by high canyon rims that are habitat for mountain lion,

Bobcat,

Mule deer,

California bighorn sheep and a large variety of raptors.

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 designated 323,

274 acres on and around the Oweahee River in Idaho as wilderness.

The bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30,

2009.

The new wilderness areas are North Fork Oweahee Wilderness,

43,

413 acres,

Oweahee River Wilderness,

267,

328 acres,

Pole Creek Wilderness,

12,

533 acres.

After negotiations involving Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley,

The Oweahee Act was introduced in November 2019.

It would preserve one million acres of Oweahee Canyonlands as wilderness,

While calling for improvements to loop roads to bring in visitors.

It also designated 14.

7 miles of the river for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

It was supported by both ranchers and conservationists,

As well as the Northwest Sport Fishing Association.

Tributaries Jordan Creek is a 99-mile tributary.

It flows generally west from near Silver City,

Idaho,

In the Oweahee Mountains to near Rome in the Oregon High Desert.

The West Little Oweahee River has a source at an elevation of 6,

508 feet near the Nevada-Oregon border by the community of McDermott,

Nevada.

Approximately 57 miles in length,

The river flows east by Deer Flat and into Louise Canyon.

Near a prominent feature known as Twin Buttes,

It turns sharply north as it cuts through the Oweahee Desert,

Making its way to the Oweahee River.

The Lake Fork West Oweahee River is a short tributary of the West Little Oweahee River that begins near Cat,

Bend,

And Pedrulli Springs near the eastern boundary of the Fort McDermott Indian Reservation in southern Malheur County.

It flows generally northeast to meet the larger river in Louise Canyon.

The Lake Fork has no named tributaries.

The Little Oweahee River is a 61-mile long tributary of the South Fork Oweahee River,

Beginning at an elevation of 6,

739 feet east of the Santa Rosa Range in eastern Humboldt County,

Nevada.

It flows generally east into Elko County,

Nevada,

And the Oweahee Desert.

Blue Creek is a 53-mile long tributary that begins at an elevation of 6,

097 feet in central Oweahee County.

It flows generally south through the Oweahee Desert and near the community of Riddle,

Where it is roughly paralleled by Idaho State Highway 51.

It then flows into the Duck Valley Indian Reservation to its mouth near the Idaho-Nevada border northwest of Oweahee,

Nevada,

At an elevation of 5,

289 feet.

Jordan Creek Jordan Creek is a 99-mile tributary of the Oweahee River in the northwestern United States.

It generally flows west from near Silver City,

Idaho,

In the Oweahee Mountains to near Rome in the Oregon High Desert.

Major tributaries are Big Boulder,

Soda,

Luce,

Spring,

Rock,

Meadow,

Combination,

And Louisa Creeks in Idaho and Cow Creek in Oregon.

The creek is named for Michael M.

Jordan,

Who led a party that discovered gold along the creek in 1863.

Watershed Jordan Creek's watershed of 1305 square miles is almost evenly divided between the two states,

46% in Idaho and 54% in Oregon.

Although upper parts of the basin in the Silver City mountain range supported mining camps and towns in the late 19th century through the early 20th century,

They were generally abandoned when the gold and silver played out.

Much of the population in the 21st century lives on small homesteads,

Ranches,

And farms scattered throughout the watershed.

Jordan Valley,

Oregon is the basin's only population center that has permanent year-round residents while Silver City has mostly part-time or weekend residents.

Land use in the watershed is divided among irrigated agriculture,

Rangeland,

Forests,

Mining,

And riparian zones.

The primary uses are cow-calf grazing in the uplands and hay production in the irrigated lowlands.

Average precipitation varies from about 21 inches a year in the mountains of Idaho to about 11 inches in the plateaus of eastern Oregon.

To control water flow for irrigation,

Most of the watershed's hydrology has been modified to some degree by large reservoirs in Oregon and in-stream diversions in Idaho.

Discharge Based on 28 years of record-keeping from 1946 to 1971 and from 2003 to 2004,

The average discharge of the Jordan Creek measured about 4 miles upstream of the Oregon-Idaho border is 183 cubic feet per second.

The lowest recorded discharge was 1.

2 cubic feet per second in September 1962 and the highest was 7,

530 cubic feet per second on December 31,

1965.

This flow came from slightly less than 46% of the total watershed.

Reviews

Its beautiful and rugged country... but hearing the dam details put me right to sleep.
Thanks Ben.

I love Benjamin's bore me to sleep readings

Excellent very interesting thank you Namaste 🙏🏻

Well read and not too boring but boring enough! Your voice is as always, soothing. Thank you! 🙏🏻💖

Perfectly boring.

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