Elk River (Minnesota)

For other places with the same name, see Elk River (disambiguation).

The Elk River is a river, about 70 mi (115 km) long, in east-central Minnesota in the United States.[1] It is a tributary of the Mississippi River, draining a watershed of 630 mi² (1,632 km²).[2]

Contents

Course

The Elk River rises in northern Benton County, Minnesota and initially flows generally southward. In Sherburne County the river turns southeastward, paralleling the Mississippi River for the remainder of its course, past the communities of Becker and Big Lake.[3] In his 1843 map of the Upper Mississippi, Joseph Nicollet recorded this river as "Kabitawi R[iver]", reflecting Gaa-biitawi-ziibi ("the parallelling river") in the Ojibwe) due to this parallel course with the Mississippi.[4] It joins the Mississippi at the city of Elk River, after passing through Orono Lake,[3] which is formed by a municipal hydroelectric dam.[5]

Tributaries

In Sherburne County's Big Lake Township, the Elk collects the St. Francis River and the Snake River;[6] the latter is a minor stream which flows for its entire length in Sherburne County, generally southward through Santiago, Becker and Big Lake Townships in a straightened and channelized course.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
  2. ^ Renwick, Mary E., and Eden, Susanna (1999). Minnesota Rivers: A Primer. St. Paul: Water Resources Center, College of Natural Resources, University of Minnesota.
  3. ^ a b c DeLorme (1994). Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-222-6
  4. ^ Nicollet, Joseph N. (1843). Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi River.
  5. ^ Waters, Thomas F. (1977). The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-0960-8
  6. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Snake River
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