Humboldt

River in north Nevada; length 490 km/304 mi. It rises in northeast Nevada, flows southwest through the Humboldt Lake, and ends in the area of interior drainage known as the Humboldt Sink. It is used for irrigation; the Rye Patch Dam (1936) forms Rye Patch Reservoir, to the north-northeast of Lovelock.

For westward-bound 19th-century emigrants, the Humboldt provided a main route from Salt Lake City, Utah, to California. The transcontinental railway (1860s) and modern roads follow the river. In the 20th century, it has been the site of irrigation works.