The Salmon River of Idaho cuts a swath of country wild and rugged, inhabited over the eons by wandering nomads and wayward hermits. Lewis and Clark came across the Salmon River and went on to describe it as “foaming and roaring through rocks in every direction, so as to render the passage of anything impossible.” This was in 1805 and it would be nearly fifty years later before gold was discovered that the drainage would be thoroughly explored and catalogued. As forces of nature deposited a variety of sediments across the state which later metamorphosed into the gneiss, schist and quartzite visible inside its gorge, the river began its ravenous gravity fed journey towards the sea. It earns its name “The River of No Return” for its wilderness shrouded, roadless section which spans a massive piece of country between the outposts of Salmon and Riggins Idaho. It flows for 425 miles through central Idaho, draining a rugged, thinly populated watershed of 14,000 square miles. Because of their previous experience with Westerns, producer Stanley Rubin had wanted William Wellman, Raoul Walsh, or Henry King to helm the film, and he was concerned Preminger, who he felt was better suited for film noir melodrama or sophisticated comedy, would be unable to rise to the task of directing a piece of Thus naming the Salmon ‘The River of no Return’, for the boats would never return. The Salmon River is a popular destination for whitewater rafting, and is colloquially known as the "River of No Return" for its swift current and large rapids which make upstream travel difficult. Over the decades roads did find their way to the river’s banks but an 85 mile section of wilderness remains, fittingly named the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness after the conservation minded Idaho senator and native son who served 24 years in congress as a noted progressive, environmental legislator. Lewis and Clark came across the Salmon River and went on to describe it as “foaming and roaring through rocks in every direction, so as to render the passage of anything impossible.”, Idaho's Salmon River - The River Of No Return. Upon arrival, the load of lumber was sold, the sweep scow was dismantled and then also sold as lumber. The Salmon River is located in Idaho in the western United States, also known as "The River of No Return." Otto Preminger was preparing for the opening of The Moon Is Blue when 20th Century Fox executive Darryl F. Zanuck assigned him to direct River of No Return as part of his contract with the studio. … The geology within its canyon walls dates back at least 1.4 billion years to the Precambrian and Paleozoic epochs. Then the hardiest of men would voyage back to Salmon City and start the whole process again. Most of the area is covered by coniferous forests, with dry, open land along the rivers at lower elevations. It earns its name “The River of No Return” for its wilderness shrouded, roadless section which spans a massive piece of country between the outposts of Salmon and Riggins Idaho. Hence the name “River of No Return”. The Nez Percé considered the Salmon River country sacred as it provided in abundance the sustenance needed to survive thanks to its abundant salmon and steelhead fishery. The Nez Percé considered the Salmon River country sacred as it provided in abundance the sustenance needed to survive thanks to its abundant salmon and steelhead fishery. Shaped by faulting and uplifting of the central Idaho batholith the downward cutting eventually shepherded its raucous currents to form the channel it follows today. Gold fever brought about an era of mining and prospecting that ultimately only managed to produce fewer pinches of gold dust than epic stories of survival and perseverance. If you've had the opportunity to float down the Salmon River, you know exactly why it's called the River of No Return. Tracing an arc from its origins in the Stanley Basin and nearby headwaters, it follows a well worn crack revealing some of the oldest minerals visible anywhere on earth on its north then west then south before turning west again path towards its confluence with the Snake River and ultimately the Pacific Ocean. Pioneers managed to assemble watercraft to navigate the waters but once they passed into the canyon no way back to the start existed. Copyright 2020 Salmon River Outfitters Association. It earns its name “The River of No Return” for its wilderness shrouded, roadless section which spans a massive piece of country between the outposts of Salmon and Riggins Idaho.This stretch once nearly 200 miles in length with canyon depths upwards of 5,000 feet was and in some regards still is, a one way street.Pioneers managed to assemble watercraft to navigate the waters but once they passed into the canyon no way back to the start existed.Massive “sweep” boats served as the early supply line into the c… The Nez Percé (named as such by Canadian fur trappers for their traditional pierced noses) were one of the descendants of this clan which remained and became lasting nomads of the forbidding terrain. This stretch once nearly 200 miles in length with canyon depths upwards of 5,000 feet was and in some regards still is, a one way street. Massive “sweep” boats served as the early supply line into the canyon, but once they reached their destination, currents proved to powerful to return them back to their point of origin thus forcing the hearty men and women to disassemble them and use them for lumber. Before the modern era of hydro dams and pollution the Salmon provided 45% of the stealhead trout and summer and fall Chinook of the entire Columbia watershed. The geology within its canyon walls dates back at least 1.4 billion years to the Precambrian and Paleozoic epochs. The Salmon River of Idaho cuts a swath of country wild and rugged, inhabited over the eons by wandering nomads and wayward hermits. Inhabited by a variety of peoples dating back to at least 8,000-11,000 years ago, descendants of the ancient Cordilleran culture which wandered south through the Rocky Mountains eventually began to scratch out a living amid its unique climate. The river drops more than 7,000 feet from its headwaters, near Galena Summit above the Sawtooth Valley in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, to its confluence with the Snake River. Inhabited by a variety of peoples dating back to at least 8,000-11,000 years ago, descendants of the ancient Cordilleran culture which wandered south through the Rocky Mountains eventually began to scratch out a living amid its unique climate.