Pelly River
| Pelly River (Ts'enkínyäk Chú) | |
|---|---|
Pelly River at Pelly Crossing | |
Map of the Pelly River | |
| Etymology | Named by Robert Campbell in honour of Sir John Henry Pelly, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Yukon |
| Cities | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mackenzie Mountains |
| • location | An unnamed glacier |
| • coordinates | 62°26′32″N 129°11′34″W / 62.44222°N 129.19278°W |
| • elevation | 1,465 m (4,806 ft) |
| Mouth | Yukon River |
• coordinates | 62°46′44″N 137°20′16″W / 62.77889°N 137.33778°Wdisplay=inline,title |
• elevation | 458 m (1,503 ft) |
| Length | 530 km (330 mi), East-southeast to west-northwest |
| Basin size | 49,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 700 m3/s (25,000 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 35 m3/s (1,200 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 4,160 m3/s (147,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | Ross River, Tay River, Macmillan River |
The Pelly River (Ts'ekínyäk Chú) is a river in Canada, and is a headstream of the Yukon River. The river originates west of the Mackenzie Mountains and flows 530 km (330 mi) through south-central Yukon. The Pelly has two main tributaries, the Ross and Macmillan rivers.
The Selkirk First Nation (Hucha Hudan people) name for the river is Ts'enkínyäk Chú, meaning 'water running between the mountains'. The river was later named by Robert Campbell in honour of Sir John Henry Pelly, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. The restored Hudson's Bay Company trading post of Fort Selkirk is at the juncture of the Pelly and Yukon Rivers.