Chippewa River (Minnesota)

The Chippewa River (Lakota: Mayáwakȟáŋ[1]) is a 153-mile-long (246 km)[2] tributary of the Minnesota River in western and southwestern Minnesota in the United States. Via the Minnesota River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.[3]

Chippewa River
Map of the Minnesota River watershed with the Chippewa River highlighted (including its East Branch)
Chippewa River (Minnesota) is located in Minnesota
Chippewa River (Minnesota)
Mouth of the Chippewa River
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountiesChippewa, Swift, Pope, Stevens, Grant, Douglas counties
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationStowe Lake, Douglas County
 • coordinates45.9880164°N 95.6456011°W / 45.9880164; -95.6456011
MouthMinnesota River
 • coordinates
44.9346792°N 95.7333596°W / 44.9346792; -95.7333596
Length153-mile-long (246 km)
Basin features
River systemMinnesota River

The river was named after the Chippewa Indians.[4]

Course
Stereoscopic photo of the Chippewa River by Benjamin Franklin Upton

The Chippewa River issues from Stowe Lake in Douglas County, 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Brandon, at the west end of a series of lakes that extends northward to lakes Aaron and Moses and eastward to Chippewa Lake. The Chippewa River passes through several more lakes in its upper course. It initially flows westwardly into Grant County, where it turns generally southward for the remainder of its course through Pope, Stevens, Swift and Chippewa counties. The river passes the towns of Hoffman, Cyrus and Benson; it joins the Minnesota River in Montevideo. Some sections of the river, especially along its middle course in Pope and Swift Counties, have been straightened and channelized.

In Pope County, the river collects the Little Chippewa River, 41 miles (66 km) long, which flows generally southwestwardly through Douglas and Pope counties. At Benson it collects the East Branch Chippewa River, about 64 miles (103 km) long,[2] which rises in southeastern Douglas County and flows initially southward through Pope County, passing through several lakes, into Swift County, where it turns westward.

At Watson, Minnesota, the river has an average flow of 236 cubic feet per second.[5]

See also

References
  1. Ullrich, Jan, ed. (2011). New Lakota Dictionary (2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Lakota Language Consortium. p. 883. ISBN 978-0-9761082-9-0. LCCN 2008922508.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 5, 2012
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Chippewa River
  4. Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 537.
  5. "Water Data, Chippewa River". USGS.

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