Cosna River (Alaska)

Cosna River
Location of the mouth of the Cosna River in Alaska
Native nameK'osno' (Lower Tanana)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
DistrictYukon–Koyukuk Census Area
Physical characteristics
SourceBitzshtini Mountains
 • coordinates64°24′34″N 152°00′31″W / 64.40944°N 152.00861°W / 64.40944; -152.00861[1]
 • elevation1,985 ft (605 m)[2]
MouthTanana River
 • location
32 miles (51 km) northeast of Bitzshtini Mountains
 • coordinates
64°51′16″N 151°21′55″W / 64.85444°N 151.36528°W / 64.85444; -151.36528[1]
 • elevation
249 ft (76 m)[1]
Length44 mi (71 km)[3]

The Cosna River (Lower Tanana: K'osno) is a 44-mile (71 km) tributary of the Tanana River in the central part of the U.S. state of Alaska.[3] It flows northward from the Bitzshtini Mountains into the Tanana west (downstream) of Manley Hot Springs.[4]

In 1899, Lieutenant J. S. Herron attributed the name to the Tanana peoples living in the area.[1] However, a century later linguist William Bright, citing the Koyukon Athabascan Dictionary, attributed the name to the Koyukon words kk' os, schist rock, combined with no', river.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Cosna River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 31, 1981. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  2. ^ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  3. ^ a b Orth, Donald J.; United States Geological Survey (1971) [1967]. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567 (PDF). University of Alaska Fairbanks. p. 240. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013 – via United States Government Printing Office.
  4. ^ Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2010. pp. 112–13. ISBN 978-0-89933-289-5.
  5. ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American Place Names of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-8061-3576-X.