Sheenjek River

Sheenjek River
Flowing through Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge
Sheenjek River is located in Alaska
Sheenjek River
Location of the mouth of the Sheenjek River in Alaska
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
DistrictNorth Slope Borough, Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area
Physical characteristics
SourceBrooks Range
 • locationslightly south of the Continental Divide, North Slope Borough
 • coordinates69°01′53″N 144°00′40″W / 69.03139°N 144.01111°W / 69.03139; -144.01111[1]
 • elevation6,079 ft (1,853 m)[2]
MouthPorcupine River[1]
 • location
23 miles (37 km) northeast of Fort Yukon, Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge
 • coordinates
66°44′23″N 144°34′01″W / 66.73972°N 144.56694°W / 66.73972; -144.56694[1]
 • elevation
446 ft (136 m)[1]
Length200 mi (320 km)[3]
TypeWild 191.0 miles (307.4 km)
DesignatedDecember 2, 1980[4]

The Sheenjek River is a 200-mile (320 km) tributary of the Porcupine River in the U.S. state of Alaska.[3] It begins in the eastern part of the Brooks Range and flows southward to meet the larger river northeast of Fort Yukon.[1]

Its name derives from the Gwich'in word "khiinjik," meaning "dog-salmon river"."[5] Explorer J.H. Turner called it the Salmon River.[3]

In the United States, the geographic location most remote from human trails, roads, or settlements is found here, at the headwaters of the Sheenjek River.

  1. ^ a b c d e "Sheenjek River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 31, 1981. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  2. ^ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  3. ^ a b c 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. 861. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "National Wild and Scenic Rivers System". rivers.gov. National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  5. ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American Placenames of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 437. ISBN 0-8061-3576-X.