Platte River (Iowa and Missouri)
Platte River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Iowa, Missouri |
District | Platte County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, Andrew County, Missouri, Nodaway County, Missouri, Worth County, Missouri, Taylor County, Iowa, Ringgold County, Iowa, Adams County, Iowa, Union County, Iowa |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Creston, Iowa |
• coordinates | 41°08′57″N 94°23′00″W / 41.14917°N 94.38333°W[1] |
• elevation | 1,340 ft (410 m)[2] |
Mouth | Missouri River |
• location | Platte City, Missouri |
• coordinates | 39°15′51″N 94°50′15″W / 39.26417°N 94.83750°W[1] |
• elevation | 738 ft (225 m)[1] |
Discharge | |
• location | Sharps Station, MO |
• average | 1,783 cu/ft. per sec.[3] |
The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, about 200 miles (320 km) long,[4] in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri in the United States. It is sometimes known as the Little Platte River to distinguish it from the larger Platte River, also a tributary of the Missouri, in nearby Nebraska; the Platte River of Missouri itself has a tributary known as the "Little Platte River".[5][6][7]
Course
The Platte River rises near Creston in Union County, Iowa, and flows generally southwardly through Adams, Ringgold and Taylor Counties in Iowa; and Worth, Nodaway, Andrew, Buchanan and Platte Counties in Missouri. Along its course it passes the Iowa towns of Maloy, Blockton and Athelstan; and the Missouri towns of Sheridan, Parnell, Ravenwood, Conception Junction, Guilford, Tracy, Platte City and Farley. The Platte flows into the Missouri River near Farley, downstream of Leavenworth, Kansas.[8][9]
Several sections of the
Tributaries
- Near its headwaters in Iowa the Platte collects minor branches known as the West Platte River,[10] Middle Platte River,[11] and East Platte River.[12][8]
- In Buchanan County, Missouri, it collects the One Hundred and Two River and the Third Fork,[13] which rises in Gentry County and flows southwardly through DeKalb County, past Union Star. The Third Fork collects the Little Third Fork,[14] which flows southwardly through DeKalb and Buchanan Counties, past Clarksdale. Before leaving Buchanan County Castile Creek enters from the northeast.[9]
- In Platte County, Missouri, it collects the Little Platte River,
History
When Missouri entered the union in 1821, the western border of Missouri from Arkansas to Iowa was based on the confluence of the
However, settlers (most notably Joseph Robidoux in St. Joseph, Missouri) began encroaching on the land. Further settlers in northern Missouri were upset about being cut off from the Missouri.
In 1836,
In 1838 settlers used the river (and the Nodaway River) to reach the heart of the newly available land. The Platte River is not used for transportation in modern times although Missouri River steam boats did call on Tracy, Missouri.
On September 3, 1861,
The river is the biggest river in the Platte Purchase area and it flows through the
Average flow at mile 25.1 is 1,925 cubic feet second (54.5 m3/s). The highest flow was 37,800 ft3/s (1070 m3/s) during the Great Flood of 1993 on July 26, 1993. The lowest flow was 12 ft3/s (0.33 m/s) during a drought in August 1989.
See also
- List of Iowa rivers
- List of Missouri rivers
References
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Platte River (Iowa and Missouri)
- ^ Orient, IA, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1981
- ^ "USGS Surface Water data for Missouri: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 30, 2011
- ^ Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry for "Little Platte River" Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Platte River
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Platte River
- ^ ISBN 978-0-89933-214-7.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-89933-353-3.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: West Platte River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Middle Platte River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: East Platte River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Third Fork
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Third Fork
External links
- Missouri Department of Conservation Profile of the River
- Smithville Lake website
- Media related to Little Platte River at Wikimedia Commons