Kaskaskia River
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| Kaskaskia River | |
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| Origin | Champaign County, Illinois west of Champaign, Illinois |
| Mouth | Mississippi River 10 mi (16 km) northwest of Chester |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Length | approximately 320 mi (515 km) |
| Source elevation | ~840 ft, (Yankee Ridge) |
| Mouth elevation | ~350 ft |
| Avg. discharge | 420 m³/s[1] |
| Basin area | approximately 5,746 square miles (14,950 km²) |
The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 320 mi (515 km) long, in central and southern Illinois in the United States. The second largest river system within Illinois, it drains a rural area of farms, as well as rolling hills along river bottoms of hardwood forests in its lower reaches.
"Cascasquia" is an alternative, supposedly more French, spelling of "Kaskaskia" that is sometimes encountered. "Okaw River" was an alternative name for the Kaskaskia that persists in place names along the river, including Okawville, and in a major tributary, the West Okaw River.
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[edit] Description
The Kaskaskia rises in east central Illinois in several farm ditches along the west side of Champaign. The official origin of the River is just north of Interstate 74, where it is marked with a sign. The River flows south across rural Champaign and Douglas counties, then southwest across southern Illinois, past Vandalia. It joins the Mississippi from the north approximately 10 mi (16 km) northwest of Chester and 40 mi SSE of St. Louis, Missouri. The watershed of the river encompasses approximately 5,746 square miles (14,950 km²), approximately 10.2% of the entire state of Illinois.
The Kaskaskia is impounded in Shelby County to form Lake Shelbyville. It is also impounded in Clinton County southwest of Vandalia to form Carlyle Lake.
In the 19th century the river joined the Mississippi at Chester. In 1881 the Mississippi changed its channel to flow along the lower 10 mi (16 km) of the channel of the Kaskaskia. As a result, a small portion of Illinois, including the former capital of Kaskaskia is now located on the west side of the Mississippi. The Kaskaskia River State Fish & Wildlife Area is located along the lower river in southern Illinois.
Fort Kaskaskia was located near the mouth of the river in Randolph County.
