 Named by soldiers of German origin, the Donner und Blitzen River translates as "thunder and lightning".The name usually brings to mind two of Santa Claus' reindeer, but the river is named for a thunderstorm the soldiers experienced as they crossed the river; dry lightning is an almost daily occurrence in the region during certain times of the year.The Donner und Blitzen River arises as an intermittent stream on the lower slopes west of Steens Mountain at the level at , roughly south-southeast of Burns and northwest of Alvord Lake and empties at into Malheur Lake.