Little Blitzen River

Little Blitzen River
Little Blitzen U-Shaped Gorge
Little Blitzen River is located in Oregon
Little Blitzen River
Location of the mouth of Little Blitzen River in Oregon
EtymologyGerman for lightning. Given in 1864 by soldiers who crossed the main stem during a thunderstorm and named it Donner und Blitzen (thunder and lightning).[2]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyHarney
Physical characteristics
SourceSteens Mountain
 • locationLittle Blitzen Gorge, Harney County, Oregon
 • coordinates42°40′33″N 118°34′56″W / 42.67583°N 118.58222°W / 42.67583; -118.58222[1]
 • elevation8,975 ft (2,736 m)[3]
MouthDonner und Blitzen River
 • location
near Riddle Ranch, Harney County, Oregon
 • coordinates
42°40′26″N 118°47′37″W / 42.67389°N 118.79361°W / 42.67389; -118.79361[1]
 • elevation
4,862 ft (1,482 m)[1]
Length12.5 mi (20.1 km)[4]
TypeWild

Little Blitzen River is a 12.5-mile (20.1 km) tributary of the Donner und Blitzen River in the U.S. state of Oregon.[4][5] Little Blitzen River rises on the west flank of Steens Mountain about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Frenchglen and about 70 miles (110 km) south of Burns in Harney County.[5][6] Flowing west in a steep-walled canyon, it joins the South Fork Donner und Blitzen River[7] at 42°40′26″N 118°47′37″W / 42.6737752°N 118.7935277°W / 42.6737752; -118.7935277 (Little Blitzen mouth) to form the Donner und Blitzen main stem, which continues north about another 40 miles (64 km) to its mouth at 43°17′30″N 118°49′12″W / 43.291542°N 118.8199273°W / 43.291542; -118.8199273 (Donner und Blitzen River mouth) in Malheur Lake.[5][6] The Donner und Blitzen River was named by soldiers of German origin and translates as "thunder and lightning".[8] Little Blitzen River brings to mind one of Santa Claus's reindeer.[8]

As part of the Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988, Congress designated "the 12.5-mile segment of the Little Blitzen from its headwaters to its confluence with the South Fork Blitzen" as Wild and Scenic.[4] It is part of the nation's first Great Basin redband trout reserve, established by Congress in 2000.[9][10][11] The American Hiking Society has listed Little Blitzen Gorge Trail among its 10 "hidden gems".[12]

  1. ^ a b c "Little Blitzen River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  2. ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003). Oregon Geographic Names, Seventh Edition. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 297. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  3. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  4. ^ a b c "Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988" (PDF). National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 10, 2010. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c "Online Topographic Maps from the United States Geological Survey". TopoQuest. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (1991 ed.). DeLorme Mapping. § 74, 77–78. ISBN 0-89933-235-8.
  7. ^ The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) includes the South Fork in its definition of the main stem Donner und Blitzen River. It places the main stem's source at 42°32′02″N 118°43′52″W / 42.5337785°N 118.7310228°W / 42.5337785; -118.7310228 (Donner und Blitzen River source) rather than at the mouth of the Little Blitzen.
  8. ^ a b Jouris, David (1994). All Over the Map: An Extraordinary Atlas of the United States. Ten Speed Press. p. 92. ISBN 0-89815-649-1. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference BLM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Donner und Blitzen River Redband Trout Reserve". U.S. Code Collection. Cornell University Law School. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
  11. ^ "Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan" (pdf). Andrews/Steens Resource Management Plan. Bureau of Land Management, Burns District Office. Retrieved December 19, 2008. The Redband Trout Reserve section of the report appears on page RMP-39.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference hike was invoked but never defined (see the help page).