| Oswego River | |
|---|---|
 The Oswego River as it passes through the city of Oswego. | |
 The Oswego drainage basin, with the Oswego River highlighted | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Counties | Onondaga,Oswego |
| City | Oswego |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Seneca River |
| • location | Geneva |
| • coordinates | 42°52′05″N76°56′27″W / 42.86806°N 76.94083°W /42.86806; -76.94083[1] |
| • elevation | 443 ft (135 m)[2] |
| 2nd source | Oneida River |
| • location | Brewerton |
| • coordinates | 43°14′24″N76°08′26″W / 43.24000°N 76.14056°W /43.24000; -76.14056[3] |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Northwest ofSyracuse |
| • coordinates | 43°12′5″N76°16′50″W / 43.20139°N 76.28056°W /43.20139; -76.28056[4] |
| • elevation | 357 ft (109 m)[4] |
| Mouth | Lake Ontario |
• location | Oswego |
• coordinates | 43°27′54″N76°30′50″W / 43.46500°N 76.51389°W /43.46500; -76.51389[4] |
• elevation | 245 ft (75 m)[5] |
| Basin size | 5,122 sq mi (13,270 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Oswego[6] |
| • average | 6,912 cu ft/s (195.7 m3/s)[6] |
| • minimum | 261 cu ft/s (7.4 m3/s)(September 18, 1985)[6] |
| • maximum | 37,000 cu ft/s (1,000 m3/s)(March 28, 1936)[6] |
TheOswego River (/ɒsˈwiːɡoʊ/) is ariver in upstateNew York in theUnited States. It is the second-largest river (after theNiagara River) flowing intoLake Ontario.James Fenimore Cooper’s novelThe Pathfinder, or The Inland Sea is set in the Oswego River valley.[7]
The nameOswego is aMohawk name that means "flowing out", or specifically, "small water flowing into that which is large".[8]
James Fenimore Cooper described the Oswego in these words:
The Oswego is formed by the junction of theOneida and the Onondaga,[note 1] both of which flow from lakes; and it pursues its way, through a gently undulating country, some eight or ten miles, until it reaches the margin of a sort of natural terrace, down which it tumbles some ten or fifteen feet, to another level, across which it glides with the silent, stealthy progress of deep water, until it throws its tribute into the broad receptacle of the Ontario.[9]
The Oswego River starts at theconfluence of theOneida River (flowing fromOneida Lake) and theSeneca River (flowing fromSeneca Lake,Cayuga Lake, andMontezuma Marsh). The river drains an area of 5,122 square miles (13,266 km2), as large as the states ofRhode Island andDelaware together, comprising most of theFinger Lakes region of upstate New York.
At its mouth at Lake Ontario, the river divides theCity of Oswego, just as it divides theCity of Fulton 11 miles upstream.
Part of its length theOswego Canal was built. The Oswego River also serves as a part of theNew York State Canal System, providing a route from theErie Canal to Lake Ontario. This section of the canal was completed in 1827, two years after completion of the Erie Canal. In 1917, as part of a general overhaul of the canal system, the Oswego Canal was deepened and refurbished. The canal is now 14 feet (4.3 m) deep and has an overhead clearance of 20 feet (6.1 m).
The Oswego River was listed as aGreat Lakes Areas of Concern in The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada until it was formally removed on July 21, 2006.[10]
The river is known for itssteelhead run in the earlyspring, followed by asalmon run in earlyautumn. The river is stocked annually by theNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation with 140,000Chinook salmon and 20,000 steelhead.[11]
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