Skeena River
896817
223658065
2008-07-05T03:18:03Z
Skookum1
534835
/* Fish */ the rest of Canada just doesn't have sockeye runs, so removing "all of Canada" and leaving plain-form; is this more htan Alaska and Washingto btw?
{{Infobox River
| river_name = Skeena River
| image_name = Skeena Watershed.png
| caption = Skeena River Watershed
| origin = [[Spatsizi Plateau]]<br>({{coord|57|09|06|N|128|41|29|W|scale:60000}})
| mouth = [[Hecate Strait]] ([[Pacific Ocean]])<br>({{coord|54|07|57|N|130|05|57|W|scale:60000}})
| basin_countries = {{CAN}}
| length = {{km to mi|570|abbr=yes}}
| elevation = {{m to ft|1500|abbr=yes}}
| mouth_elevation = Sea level
| discharge = 2,157 m³/s
| watershed = {{km2 to mi2|54400|abbr=yes}}
}}
The '''Skeena River''' is the second longest river entirely in [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.britishcolumbia.com/rivers/?ID=100|title=Skeena River|author=British Columbia.com|accessdate=2008-01-23}}</ref> The Skeena is an important transportation artery, particularly for the [[Tsimshian]] and the [[Gitxsan]] - whose names mean "inside the Skeena River" and "people of the Skeena River" respectively, and also during the [[Omineca Gold Rush]] when [[Steamboats of the Skeena River|steamboat services]] ran from the sea to [[Hazelton, British Columbia|Hazelton]], at the confluence of the Skeena's largest tributary, the [[Bulkley River|Bulkley]], which was the jumping-off point for the trails to the goldfields. The river and its basin sustain a wide variety of fish, wildlife and vegetation.
== Geography ==
The Skeena originates south of the [[Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park]] in north western British Columbia, forming a divide with the [[Klappan River]], a tributary of the [[Stikine River]]. It flows for {{km to mi|570|abbr=yes|wiki=yes}}<ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/map_701516572/Skeena.html Map of Skeena River]</ref> before it empties into Chatham Sound and Ogden Channel , East of [[Hecate Strait]] of the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The Skeena drains {{km2 to mi2|54400|abbr=yes|wiki=yes}} of land with a normal annual runoff of 2,157 m3/s or 1190 mm.<ref name=minofenv>[http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/groundwater/library/bc-runoff.html Normal Runoff from British Columbia - Study 406], Water Stewardship Division, BC Ministry of the Environment, URL accessed 6 November 2006</ref>.
===Course===
[[Image:Skeena River at Telegraph Point.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Skeena River at Telegraph Point, east of the city of [[Prince Rupert]], [[British Columbia]]]]
The Skeena River originates at the southern end of [[Spatsizi Plateau]], in a valley between Mount Gunanoot and Mount Thule, south of the [[Stikine River]] watershed. An abandoned track of the [[Grand Trunk Pacific Railway]] runs along the river in its upper course. It flows south-east, between the shallow peaks of the [[Skeena Mountains]], through the McEvoy and Jackson Flats. It continues in this direction until it passes the Slamgeesh Range, then flows westwards to [[Fourth Cabin, British Columbia|Fourth Cabin]], when it turns south through a shallow canyon below Poison Mountain. After [[Kuldo, British Columbia|Kuldo]] it takes an eastward turn, then flows again south below Cutoff Mountain and Mount Pope. It continues through rolling hills to the community of [[Kispiox, British Columbia|Kispiox]] and then [[Hazelton, British Columbia|Hazelton]], where it receives the waters of Morice-[[Bulkley River]], and turns south-west. The [[Yellowhead Highway]] and a [[Canadian National Railway]] track follow the course of the Skeena on this section. At [[Kitseguecla, British Columbia|Kitseguecla]], the river is crossed by [[British Columbia Highway 37|Highway 37]], and then turns south around the Seven Sisters Peaks and Bulkley Ranges, through the Skeena Provincial Forest, then between the Nass Ranges and Borden Glacier, past the ferry crossing at [[Usk, British Columbia|Usk]], through the [[Kitselas Canyon]], and then through the [[Kleanza Creek Provincial Park]]. It then flows south-west through the city of [[Terrace, British Columbia|Terrace]], where the river widens. It continues westwards, followed by the [[British Columbia Highway 16|Highway 16]] and [[Canadian National Railway]] line, passes near the [[Exchamsiks River Provincial Park]], then flows into the [[Hecate Strait]] at Eleanor Passage, between [[Port Edward, British Columbia|Port Edward]] and [[Port Essington, British Columbia|Port Essington]], facing De Horsey Island.
== Tributaries ==
[[Image:Bulkley River flowing into Skeena River near Hazelton, British Columbia.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Morice-Bulkley River (left) flowing into the Skeena River (right) near [[Hazelton, British Columbia]]]]
Partial listing from [[Fisheries and Oceans Canada]]<ref name=cdafishoceans>[http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species/salmon/wsp/CU/CU27Sept06.htm Water Systems with Chinook], [[Fisheries and Oceans Canada]], URL accessed 6 November 2006</ref><br>
'''Upper Skeena'''
* [[Bear River (Skeena River)|Bear River]], Johanson Creek, Shilahou Creek, [[Slamgeesh River]], [[Sustut River]]
'''Middle Skeena'''
* [[Babine River]], Boucher Creek, Buck Creek, [[Bulkley River]], Comeau Creek, Cullon Creek, Date Creek, Deep Canoe Creek, [[Fulton River]], Harold Price Creek, [[Kispiox River]], [[Kitseguecla River]], Maxan Creek, McCully Creek, McQueen Creek, [[Morice River]], [[Nangeese River]], [[Nanika River]], [[Nilkitkwa River]], Pinkut Creek, Richfield Creek, [[Shegunia River]], Simpson Creek, Stephens Creek, [[Suskwa River]], [[Sweetin River]], Toboggan Creek
'''Lower Skeena'''
* Alwyn Creek, Big Falls Creek, Cedar Creek, Coldwater Creek, [[Copper River (British Columbia)|Copper River]], Deep Creek, Dog Tag Creek, [[Ecstall River]], Erlandsen Creek, [[Exchamsiks River]], [[Exstew River]], Fiddler Creek, [[Gitnadoix River]], Goat Creek, Johnston Creek, Johnston Lake, Kaeen Creek, [[Kasiks River]], [[Khyex River]], [[Kitsumkalum River]], [[Kitwanga River]], Kleanza Creek, [[Lakelse River]], Lean-To Creek, Limonite Creek, Magar Creek, Moonlit Creek, Salmon Run Creek, Sockeye Creek, Spring Creek, Star Creek, Thomas Creek, Trapline Creek, White Creek, Williams Creek, [[Zymagotitz River]], [[Zymoetz River]]
== Wildlife ==
The Skeena supports a wide variety of fish and wildlife. The British Columbia Ministry of the Environment, through BC Parks, has designated a number of Ecological Reserves along the course of the river.<ref>Skeena River Ecological Reserve [http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/eco_reserve/skeena_er.html].</ref>
=== Fish ===
The Skeena is well-known for its [[sport fishing]], most notably [[salmon]] and [[steelhead]].<ref>For example, see [http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/angling/river/skeena.phtml]</ref><ref name=bcadventure1>[http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/river/skeena.phtml Skeena River - Four Seasons of Skeena Fishing], http://www.bcadventure.com, URL accessed 6 November 2006</ref><ref name=zboatbc>[http://www.zboatbc.com/the-rivers.html The Skeena River], Z-Boat Lodge River Guides, URL accessed 6 November 2006</ref> The Skeena is also very important to the [[commercial fishing]] industry. For example, numbering 5 million spawning salmon a year, the Skeena is second only to the [[Fraser River]] in Canada in its capacity to produce [[sockeye salmon]].<ref name=lotsofsockeye>[http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/comm/publications/speciesbook/salmon/sockeye.skeena.html Salmon - Sockeye - Skeena River: Fishery Outlook / Management], [[Fisheries and Oceans Canada]], URL accessed 11 November 2006</ref>
The following types of [[pacific salmon]]* can be found in the Skeena:
*[[Chinook salmon]], sometimes known as King, Tyee, Spring, Quinnat, Tule, or Blackmouth salmon.
*[[Chum salmon]], sometimes known as Dog or Calico salmon.
*[[Coho salmon]], sometimes known as Silver salmon.
*[[Pink salmon]], sometimes known as Humpback salmon.
*[[Sockeye salmon]], sometimes known as Red salmon or Blueback salmon.
<nowiki>*</nowiki><small>Note that there is an ongoing debate about whether [[Steelhead]], also known as [[Rainbow trout]], Ocean trout, or Redband trout, is also a species of salmon. Steelhead are also found in the Skeena.</small>
=== Bears ===
The rare [[Kermode bear]] lives in and near the Skeena Valley from Prince Rupert to [[Hazelton, British Columbia|Hazelton]]. The region is also home to many [[American Black Bear|black bears]] and [[brown bears]]. [[Grizzly bears]] are less common in the area but the [[Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary]] is located nearby.
== History ==
[[Image:First Nations girl fishing on the Skeena River, 1915.jpg|thumb|300px|[[First Nation]]s girl fishing on the Skeena River near [[Kitwanga, British Columbia|Kitwanga]], [[1915]]]]
[[Image:Sternwheeler Inlander.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Inlander (sternwheeler)|SS ''Inlander'']] on the Skeena River at [[Kitselas Canyon]], [[1911]]]]
=== Fur trading ===
The [[Hudson's Bay Company]]'s local headquarters were at [[Port Simpson, British Columbia|Port Simpson]], although [[Port Essington, British Columbia|Port Essington]] was also used extensively as a port for its sternwheelers.<ref name=normabennett>''Pioneer Legacy - Chronicles of the Lower Skeena River - Volume 1'', Norma V. Bennett, 1997, ISBN 0-9683026-0-2</ref>
=== Riverboats ===
While [[canoes]] played a crucial role on the Skeena for centuries, the age of the [[steamboat]] heralded a new era of boating on the Skeena. The first steam-powered vessel to enter the Skeena was the ''Union'' in 1864. In 1866 the ''Mumford'' attempted to ascend the river but was only able to reach the [[Kitsumkalum River]]. It was not until 1891 that the Hudson's Bay Company sternwheeler the ''Caledonia'' successfully negotiated through the [[Kitselas Canyon]] and reached Hazelton. A number of other steamers were built around the turn of the century, in part due to the growing [[fish industry]] and the [[gold rush]].<ref name=normabennett>''Pioneer Legacy - Chronicles of the Lower Skeena River - Volume 1'', Norma V. Bennett, 1997, ISBN 0-9683026-0-2</ref>
===See also===
*[[List of British Columbia rivers]]
*[[Steamboats of the Skeena River]]
*[[List of ships in British Columbia]]
==Footnotes==
<div class="references-small">
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Rivers of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Skeena Country]]
[[Category:North Coast of British Columbia]]