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The Crow River is a
tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, ...
in south-central
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
. It drains a watershed of .


Name

The earliest record of the name for Crow River is "Karishon River", reflecting the
Dakota language Dakota (''Dakhótiyapi, Dakȟótiyapi''), also referred to as Dakhota, is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language. It is critically endange ...
''Khaŋǧí Šúŋ Watpá'' (now ''Wakpá''), meaning "The Large Wing-feather of the Crow River". In other documents, this was translated as "Crow Wing River", or by its
Ojibwe language Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian la ...
name "Undeg-sipi" (from ''Aandego-ziibi''), meaning "Crow River". Early explorers recorded the name of this river in various ways: "Goose River" by
Jonathan Carver Jonathan Carver (April 13, 1710 – January 31, 1780) was a captain in a Massachusetts colonial unit, explorer, and writer. After his exploration of the northern Mississippi valley and western Great Lakes region, he published an account of his exp ...
, " Rook's River" by Giacomo Beltrami, and as "Karishon or Crow River" by
Joseph Nicollet Joseph Nicolas Nicollet (July 24, 1786 – September 11, 1843), also known as Jean-Nicolas Nicollet, was a French geographer, astronomer, and mathematician known for mapping the Upper Mississippi River basin during the 1830s. Nicollet led three ...
. The North Fork of the Crow River was named by the Ojibwe Indians for the bird they called the "marauder of newly planted corn."


Hydrography

The Crow River flows for most of its length as three streams: *The North Fork Crow River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed November 29, 2012
flows from Grove Lake in eastern Pope County and follows a generally east-southeastward course through southwestern Stearns, northeastern Kandiyohi, northern Meeker and central
Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...
counties, through Rice Lake and Lake Koronis and past the towns of Regal, Paynesville and Kingston. A minor
headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition ...
tributary of the North Fork is named the Skunk River. The average discharge of the North Fork Crow River, based on data gathered at the USGS station at Paynesville, and data gathered at the USGS station on the Middle Fork Crow River at Spicer (the North Fork is measured above where the Middle Fork flows in), is 173 cubic feet per second. See below for the link to the Spicer station. *The Middle Fork Crow River, long, rises near
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 m ...
in southwestern Stearns County and flows into Kandiyohi County, initially southward through Mud Lake and Nest Lake and past the town of
New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut * New London, Indiana * New London, Iowa * New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town ...
, eastward through Green Lake and Calhoun Lake and into northern Meeker County, where it joins the North Fork. At Spicer, the river measures approximately 67 cubic feet per second. *The South Fork Crow River, long, flows from Wakanda and Little Kandiyohi lakes in south-central Kandiyohi County and follows a generally eastward course through southwestern Meeker, northern McLeod, northwestern Carver and southeastern Wright counties, past the towns of
Cosmos The cosmos (, ) is another name for the Universe. Using the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos, and understandings of the reasons for its existence and significance, are studied i ...
, Hutchinson, Lester Prairie,
Mayer Mayer may refer to: *Mayer (name) Places * C. Mayer (crater), named after Christian Mayer * Mayer, Syria * Mayer, Arizona, United States * Mayer, Minnesota, United States * Mayersville, Mississippi, United States * Mayerthorpe, Alberta, Cana ...
, Watertown and Delano. Portions of the South Fork's upper course have been heavily straightened and channelized. At Mayer, the river has a mean annual discharge of 259 cubic feet per second. The north and south forks converge at Rockford to form the Crow River, which flows for northeastward to the Mississippi River. The river's course is used to define the boundary between
Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...
and Hennepin counties. The Crow flows through Greenfield,
Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
, St. Michael, Otsego and
Dayton Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...
; it enters the Mississippi River from the south at the common boundary between Otsego and Dayton. Crow River at Rockford, Minnesota.jpg, Crow River at
Rockford, Minnesota Rockford is a city in Wright and Hennepin counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 4,316 at the 2010 census. While Rockford is mainly located within Wright County, a small part of the city extends into Hennepin County. It is ...


Landscape

The Crow River, North Fork flows southeast from Lake Koronis for about 125 miles until it joins the Mississippi River at Dayton. The roughly 40 mile stretch from upstream of Rockford to the Mississippi is considered to be the best for canoeing. Upstream from Buffalo, you will encounter more challenging paddling due to sandy, erodible banks and fast-growing silver maples that frequently fall and block the river. In this stretch, you may see more wildlife, but you have to work harder to get around numerous obstacles.


See also

*
List of rivers of Minnesota Minnesota has 6,564 natural rivers and streams that cumulatively flow for . The Mississippi River begins its journey from its headwaters at Lake Itasca and crosses the Iowa border downstream. It is joined by the Minnesota River at Fort Snel ...


References


Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
*Waters, Thomas F. (1977). ''The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. .


External links



{{authority control Rivers of Minnesota Tributaries of the Mississippi River Rivers of Hennepin County, Minnesota Rivers of Pope County, Minnesota Rivers of Stearns County, Minnesota Rivers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota Rivers of Meeker County, Minnesota Rivers of Wright County, Minnesota Rivers of McLeod County, Minnesota Rivers of Carver County, Minnesota