Flathead
Flathead is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 48.31°, -114.22°
About Flathead
The Flathead River (Salish: člq̓etkʷ ntx̣ʷetkʷ, ntx̣ʷe, Ktunaxa: kananmituk), in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of 158 miles (254 km), empties into the Clark Fork. The river is part of the Columbia River drainage basin, as the Clark Fork is a tributary of the Pend Oreille River, a Columbia River tributary. With a drainage basin extending over 8,795 square miles (22,780 km2) and an average discharge of 11,380 cubic feet per second (322 m3/s), the Flathead is the largest tributary of the Clark Fork and constitutes over half of its flow.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Flathead River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Flathead in Depth
Course
The Flathead River rises in forks in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Montana. The largest tributary is the North Fork, which runs from the Canadian province of British Columbia southwards. The North Fork is sometimes considered the main stem of the Flathead River. Near West Glacier the North Fork combines with the Middle Fork to form the main Flathead River. The river then flows westwards to join the South Fork and cuts between the Whitefish Range and Swan Range via Bad Rock Canyon. All of the headwaters forks are entirely or in part designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers.
History
David Thompson (explorer) explored the area in 1807. Fur traders employed by the North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company entered the Flathead Valley in the early 19th century. Trading posts were established north of Flathead Lake. The 1846 settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute established the border with British North America and that the Flathead Valley was firmly American. The first settlers began arriving in the 1860s. Irrigation agriculture began in the 1880s.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Flathead River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Flathead: Key Facts
| Length | 254 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 22,779 km² |
| Source | Rocky Mountains |
| Mouth | Clark Fork |
| Drainage system | Pend Oreille River basin |
| Tributaries | North Fork Flathead River, South Fork Flathead River, Middle Fork Flathead River |
Facts from Wikidata Q268532 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Flathead: Quick Answers
- Where is Flathead?
- Flathead is located in United States and Canada, at 48.3082° N, 114.2210° W.
- Are there dams on the Flathead?
- No dam on the Flathead is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.