Selkirk Mountains

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Selkirk Mountains
At the Rogers Pass, a painting by John A. Fraser.png
At the Rogers Pass by John A. Fraser, 1886
Highest point
Peak Mount Sir Sandford
Elevation 3,519 m (11,545 ft)
Coordinates 51°39′24″N117°52′03″W / 51.65667°N 117.86750°W / 51.65667; -117.86750
Dimensions
Length525 km (326 mi)NS
Width175 km (109 mi)EW
Geography
South BC-NW USA-relief Selkirks.png
Location map of the Selkirk Mountains
Countries Canada and United States
Provinces/States British Columbia, Idaho and Washington
Range coordinates 49°57′N117°23′W / 49.95°N 117.38°W / 49.95; -117.38
Parent range Columbia Mountains
Borders on Monashee Mountains, Purcell Mountains and Cariboo Mountains
Geology
Type of rock Metamorphic rock

The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mica Peak and Krell Hill near Spokane and extend approximately 320 km north (200 miles) from the border to Kinbasket Lake, at the now-deserted location of the onetime fur company post, Boat Encampment. The range is bounded on its west, northeast and at its northern extremity by the Columbia River, or the reservoir lakes now filling most of that river's course. From the Columbia's confluence with the Beaver River, they are bounded on their east by the Purcell Trench, [1] which contains the Beaver River, Duncan River, Duncan Lake, Kootenay Lake and the Kootenay River. The Selkirks are distinct from, and geologically older than, the Rocky Mountains. [2] The neighboring Monashee and Purcell Mountains, and sometimes including the Cariboo Mountains to the northwest, are also part of the larger grouping of mountains known as the Columbia Mountains. A scenic highway loop, the International Selkirk Loop, encircles the southern portions of the mountain range.

Contents

The Selkirks were named after Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk.

Modern history

USGS surveyors on Scotchman Peak in 1900 USGS Idaho Montana 1900 Scotchman Peak Packing.jpg
USGS surveyors on Scotchman Peak in 1900

In 1857 gold was discovered in the Selkirks. [3] Coal, copper, marble, mercury, silver, and zinc were also found in the mountains. [3] During the development of Western Canada, the Selkirks presented a formidable barrier to the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, until A.B. Rogers discovered the mountain pass that bears his name in 18811882. As a result of the railway's construction via that route, Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks (Canada) in the heart of the Selkirks were among the first national parks created in Canada, along with Yoho and Banff National Parks in the Rockies. Until the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway via the Rogers Pass, automotive traffic between most of British Columbia and the rest of Canada necessarily was forced to follow the path of the Columbia River via its Big Bend, around the north end of the Selkirks.

Fauna

This area, some of it protected in Washington's Salmo-Priest Wilderness, is also home to mule deer and white-tailed deer, elk, black bears, cougars, bobcats, red fox, bald eagles, golden eagles, osprey, great blue heron, porcupine, badgers, coyote, martens, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, gray wolves and moose. Formerly rarely seen, grizzly bears are also known to roam through this region now in abundance. [4]

South Selkirk mountain caribou

The southern end of the Selkirk Mountains was the home of the last naturally occurring caribou herd in the contiguous United States, [5] the South Selkirk mountain caribou. The herd was cross boundary, spending some time in extreme northern Idaho, eastern Washington, and British Columbia, Canada. The South Selkirk mountain caribou is a woodland mountain caribou, an ecotype of the boreal woodland caribou, one of the most critically endangered mammals. [6]

In 2009 the herd of 50 animals was declining. Predation from wolves that had been reintroduced to the area negatively effected the herd, and by April 2018, only three remained, [6] and in January 2019, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced in its scientific journal, Science , that British Columbia's provincial biologists captured the female caribou in Canada and moved her to a captive rearing pen near Revelstoke in the hopes of "preserving highly endangered herds". [7] According to the AAAS, it is believed that this female caribou is the "last member of the last herd to regularly cross into the lower 48 states from Canada". [7] [8]

Sub-ranges

Peaks

The 10 highest peaks [10]

MtFoxandMtDawsonfrom AsulkanPass.jpg
Mt. Fox and Mt. Dawson from Asulkan Pass, British Columbia, c. 1902

Related Research Articles

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The Kootenays or Kootenay is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kootenay River</span> River in Western Canada and the United States

The Kootenay River or Kootenai River is a major river of the Northwest Plateau in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northern Montana and Idaho in the United States. It is one of the uppermost major tributaries of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Kootenay River runs 781 kilometres (485 mi) from its headwaters in the Kootenay Ranges of the Canadian Rockies, flowing from British Columbia's East Kootenay region into northwestern Montana, then west into the northernmost Idaho Panhandle and returning to British Columbia in the West Kootenay region, where it joins the Columbia at Castlegar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Revelstoke National Park</span> National park in British Columbia, Canada

Mount Revelstoke National Park is a national park located adjacent to the city of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. The park is relatively small for a national park, covering 260 km2 (100 sq mi). It is located in the Selkirk Mountains and was founded in 1914. Approximately 600,000 visitors enter Mount Revelstoke and nearby Glacier National Park each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacier National Park (Canada)</span> National park in British Columbia

Glacier National Park is part of a system of 43 parks and park reserves across Canada, and one of seven national parks in British Columbia. Established in 1886, the park encompasses 1,349 km2 (521 sq mi), and includes a portion of the Selkirk Mountains which are part of the larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. It also contains the Rogers Pass National Historic Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purcell Mountains</span> Mountain range in British Columbia, Canada

The Purcell Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. They are a subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which includes the Selkirk, Monashee, and Cariboo Mountains. They are located on the west side of the Rocky Mountain Trench in the area of the Columbia Valley, and on the east side of the valley of Kootenay Lake and the Duncan River. The only large settlements in the mountains are the Panorama Ski Resort and Kicking Horse Resort, adjacent to the Columbia Valley towns of Invermere and Golden, though there are small settlements, such as Yahk and Moyie along the Crowsnest Highway, and residential rural areas dependent on the cities of Creston, Kimberley and Cranbrook, which are located adjacent to the range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Mountains</span> Mountain range in Canada and the United States

The Columbia Mountains are a group of mountain ranges along the Upper Columbia River in British Columbia, Montana, Idaho and Washington. The mountain range covers 135,952 km². The range is bounded by the Rocky Mountain Trench on the east, and the Kootenai River on the south; their western boundary is the edge of the Interior Plateau. Seventy-five percent of the range is located in Canada and the remaining twenty-five percent in the United States; American geographic classifications place the Columbia Mountains as part of the Rocky Mountains complex, but this designation does not apply in Canada. Mount Sir Sandford is the highest mountain in the range, reaching 3,519 metres (11,545 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colville National Forest</span> U.S. National Forest in northeastern Washington state

The Colville National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington state. It is bordered on the west by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest to the east. The forest also borders Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge and the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idaho Panhandle National Forests</span> National forests in Idaho, United States

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are a jointly administered set of three national forests located mostly in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 1973, major portions of the Kaniksu, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests were combined to be administratively managed as the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (IPNF). The IPNF consists of more than 2.5 million acres (10,000 km2) of public lands in the panhandle of north Idaho, with small areas extending into eastern Washington (4.7%) and western Montana (1.2%). The northernmost portion of the IPNF share a boundary with Canada. The Forest Supervisor's office is located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with district office's in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, Priest River, Fernan and Smelterville, and St. Maries and Avery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamber Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada

Hamber Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located 130 kilometres (80.7 mi) north of Golden. Straddling the Great Divide on the provincial boundary with Alberta, the park is surrounded on three sides by Jasper National Park and protects the headwaters of the Wood River at Fortress Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park and Protected Area</span> Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada

The Purcell Wilderness Conservancy is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1974, and encompasses six large drainages in the Purcell Mountains in the southeast of the province. It contains high peaks, alpine meadows and ridges, deep creek and river valleys, and hot springs at Dewar Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salmo-Priest Wilderness</span>

Salmo-Priest Wilderness is a 41,335 acre (167.28 km2) wilderness area located in the Selkirk Mountains in the northeast corner of Washington state, within the Colville National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest.

The Duncan River is in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. Entering the North Arm of Kootenay Lake, the river is a major tributary of the Kootenay River, which in turn flows into the Columbia River. The Selkirk Mountains lie to the west and the Purcell Mountains to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incomappleux River</span> River in British Columbia, Canada

The Incomappleux River is in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. Entering the Beaton Arm of Upper Arrow Lake, the river is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The upper reaches of the Incomappleux valley are home to some of the only inland temperate rainforest in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boreal woodland caribou</span> Subspecies of caribou or reindeer in North America

The boreal woodland caribou, also known as Eastern woodland caribou, boreal forest caribou and forest-dwelling caribou, is a North American subspecies of reindeer found primarily in Canada with small populations in the United States. Unlike the Porcupine caribou and barren-ground caribou, boreal woodland caribou are primarily sedentary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purcell Trench</span> Large valley in the Rocky Mountains

The Purcell Trench, also known as the Kootenay River Valley is a large valley on the western side of the northern part of North America's Rocky Mountains. The trench extends approximately 179 miles (288 km) from Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, down the Kootenay River (north) to Kootenay Lake, up the north arm to Duncan Lake. It joins the Rocky Mountain Trench another 50 miles (80 km) northward at the south tip of Kinbasket Lake, in British Columbia. The trench bottom is 1 to 7 miles wide and is 1,750 to 2,100 feet above sea level. The trench is nearly a straight north or south line. Some of its topography has been carved into U-shaped glacial valleys, it is primarily a product of geologic faulting. The trench splits the Columbia Mountains between the Purcell Mountains on the east and the Selkirk Mountains on the west.

Caribou herds in Canada are discrete populations of seven subspecies that are represented in Canada. Caribou can be found from the High Arctic region south to the boreal forest and Rocky Mountains and from the east to the west coasts.

Boreal woodland caribou(Rangifer tarandus caribou) are a species of caribou and subspecies of North American reindeer. Boreal woodland caribou are also known as southern mountain caribou, woodland caribou, and forest-dwelling caribou. Mountain caribou are uniquely adapted to live in old-growth forests. The mountain caribou diet consists of tree-dwelling lichens predominantly. They are unique in this aspect as in the far northern regions of their habitat zones, the snowpack is shallow enough that the boreal woodland caribou can paw through the snow to eat the ground-dwelling lichens. In the inland Pacific Northwest Rainforests of eastern British Columbia, where the snowpack can reach upwards of five meters, the mountain caribou rely predominantly on the tree-dwelling lichens such as Bryoria spp. and Alectoria spp., hanging above the snowpack. As a result, these mountain caribou are reliant upon the old growth forests, which have been logged for centuries and continue to dwindle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terminal Peak (Canada)</span> Mountain in the country of Canada

Terminal Peak is a 2,997-metre (9,833-foot) mountain summit located in Glacier National Park of British Columbia, Canada. As part of the Selkirk Mountains, it is situated at the south end of the compact Sir Donald Range, hence the name origin. The mountain is a remote 62 km (39 mi) northeast of Revelstoke, and 32 km (20 mi) west of Golden. The nearest higher peak is Mount Sir Donald, 1.33 km (0.83 mi) to the immediate northwest, and Mount Macoun rises 7.14 km (4.44 mi) to the south. The expansive Illecillewaet Névé lies to the southwest, the Sir Donald Glacier lies below the steep northeast wall, and a small unnamed glacier lies at the bottom of the steep southeast slope. Precipitation runoff from the mountain and meltwater from the glaciers drains west into the Illecillewaet River, and east into the Beaver River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Sifton</span> Mountain in the country of Canada

Mount Sifton is a 2,922-metre (9,587-foot) mountain summit located in Glacier National Park, in the Hermit Range of the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. Mount Sifton is situated 58 km (36 mi) northeast of Revelstoke, and 41 km (25 mi) west of Golden. It is also set 2.35 km (1.46 mi) north-northeast of Grizzly Mountain, and 4.5 km (2.8 mi) northwest of Rogers Pass from which it can be seen from the Trans-Canada Highway. The nearest higher peak is Mount Rogers, 2.17 km (1.35 mi) to the north-northeast. The first ascent of the mountain was made September 3, 1900, by Arthur Michael, Edward Feuz, and Friedrich Michel via the southeast ridge. The peak's name honors Sir Clifford Sifton (1861–1929), Canadian Minister of the Interior from 1896 through 1905. The mountain's toponym was adopted in 1906, then re-approved September 8, 1932, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Duncan</span> Mountain in the country of Canada

Mount Duncan is a 3,202-metre (10,505-foot) summit in British Columbia, Canada.

References

  1. Doughty, P.T.; Price, R.A. (2000). "Geology of the Purcell Trench rift valley and Sandpoint Conglomerate: Eocene en echelon normal faulting and synrift sedimentation along the eastern flank of the Priest River metamorphic complex, northern Idaho". GSA Bulletin. 112 (9): 1356–1374. Bibcode:2000GSAB..112.1356D. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2000)112<1356:GOTPTR>2.0.CO;2.
  2. Meier, Mark F.; Tangborn, Wendell V.; Mayo, Lawrence R.; Post, Austin (1971). "Combined Ice and Water Balances of Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers, Alaska, and South Cascade Glacier, Washington, 1965 and 1966 Hydrologic Years". USGS. Geological Survey Professional Paper 715-A.
  3. 1 2 Wynn, Graeme (2011). "Selkirk Mountains". World Book . Chicago: World Book, Inc. p. 290. ISBN   978-0-7166-0111-1.
  4. "Wilderness.net: Salmo-Priest Wilderness" . Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  5. "Mammals of Eastern Washington". 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  6. 1 2 Robbins, Jim (April 14, 2018). "Gray Ghosts, the Last Caribou in the Lower 48 States, Are 'Functionally Extinct". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Moskovitz, David (January 17, 2019). "The contiguous United States just lost its last wild caribou". Science AAAS. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  8. Wiles, Gary J. (January 2017). "Periodic Status Review for the Woodland Caribou (2017)" (PDF). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: 37. Retrieved January 18, 2019.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. "Three Rocks". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  10. Selkirk Mountains, peakbagger.com, Retrieved 2023-09-04.