Turnagain River

The Turnagain River is a river in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is a tributary of the Kechika River.

Turnagain River
Location
Canada
Province	British Columbia
Physical characteristics
Source	Turnagain Lake
• location	Kitimat–Stikine
• coordinates	58°16′40″N 129°10′08″W[1]
• elevation	1,070 m (3,510 ft)
Mouth	Kechika River
• location	Chee House, Stikine Region
• coordinates	59°9′11″N 127°35′55″W[2]
• elevation	583 m (1,913 ft)
Basin size	6,580 km2 (2,540 sq mi)[3]
Discharge
• location	Above Sandpile Creek
• average	87.6 m3/s (3,090 cu ft/s)[3]
• minimum	5.85 m3/s (207 cu ft/s)[3]
• maximum	444 m3/s (15,700 cu ft/s)[3]
Basin features
Progression	Turnagain→ Kechika→ Liard→ Mackenzie→ Arctic Ocean

It was named the Turn-Again River by Samuel Black of the Hudson's Bay Company, who in 1824 journeyed to the river before turning back. It was also known as Black River and Little Muddy River before its current name was adopted on 1 June 1937. Its name in the Kaska language is Gacho.^[2][4]

The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) operated a trading post (also known as Lower Post) on the river from 1888 to 1892, when the HBC sold off all its interests in the Cassiar District. It reacquired the post in summer 1897, but shut it down again two years later due to poor returns and the re-establishment of Fort Nelson.^[4]

Geography

The Turnagain River starts at Turnagain Lake,^[1] and flows generally east and north before joining the Kechika River. The Kechika River is a tributary of the Liard River, which is in turn tributary to the Mackenzie River, which empties into the Arctic Ocean. A notable tributary is the Cassiar River, which flows north to joins the Turnagain southeast of Cry Lake^[5] and which was the focus of the Cassiar Gold Rush of the 1870s. Other major tributaries are the Major Hart River and the Dall River.

Part of the river flows through the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area.^[6]

See also

• List of rivers of British Columbia

References

1. "Turnagain Lake". BC Geographical Names.
2. "Turnagain River". BC Geographical Names.
3. "Monthly Discharge Data for TURNAGAIN RIVER ABOVE SANDPILE CREEK (10BA001) [BC]". wateroffice.ec.gc.ca. Environment Canada. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
4. "Hudson's Bay Company: Black River". pam.minisisinc.com. Archives of Manitoba - Keystone Archives Descriptive Database. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
5. BC Names entry "Cassiar River"
6. Muskwa-Kechika Map Archived 2008-11-20 at the Wayback Machine, Muskwa-Kechika Management Area