The Dismal River is a winding
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed March 30, 2011 river in the state of
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
. It is formed by the confluence of two forks, one of which has its origins in
Grant County Grant County may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* County of Grant, Victoria
;United States
*Grant County, Arkansas
*Grant County, Indiana
* Grant County, Kansas
*Grant County, Kentucky
*Grant County, Minnesota
*Grant County, Nebraska
*Grant C ...
and the other in
Hooker County. The forks meet near
Nebraska Highway 97
Nebraska Highway 97 is a highway in western Nebraska. It has a southern terminus north of North Platte at an intersection with U.S. Highway 83. The northern terminus is at U.S. Highway 20 in Valentine.
Route description
Nebraska Highway 9 ...
between
Mullen
Mullen is a surname of Irish and Scottish origin. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alex Mullen (born 1992), Australian professional footballer
*Andrew Mullen (born 1996), British Paralympian swimmer
*Ann A. Mullen (1935–1994), Ameri ...
and
Tryon. From here the Dismal River flows east-southeast into
Thomas County, crossing
U.S. Highway 83 south of
Thedford. Passing just south of the
Nebraska National Forest
The Nebraska National Forest is a United States National Forest located within the U.S. state of Nebraska. The total area of the national forest is 141,864 acres, or 222 sq miles (574 km2). The forest is managed by the U.S. Forest Service's ...
(once the
Dismal River National Forest), it turns slightly to the northeast before its confluence with the Middle
Loup River
The Loup River (pronounced /lup/) is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately long, in central Nebraska in the United States. The river drains a sparsely populated rural agricultural area on the eastern edge of the Great Plains southeast ...
just East of
Dunning in
Blaine County.
Most of the land along the river is privately owned and used for ranching. The water comes from the
Ogallala Aquifer
The Ogallala Aquifer () is a shallow water table aquifer surrounded by sand, silt, clay, and gravel located beneath the Great Plains in the United States. One of the world's largest aquifers, it underlies an area of approximately in porti ...
and boils up beneath the river in places, sometimes creating areas of
quicksand
Quicksand is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that los ...
. Deer, coyotes, beavers, turkey and rattlesnakes inhabit the area along the river.
Though much of the river's length is unpopulated, the Dismal River Golf Course, designed by
Jack Nicklaus, borders it south of Mullen.
Discharge
At
Dunning, the Dismal has a mean annual discharge of .
See also
*
List of rivers of Nebraska
References
External links
Photos and report of kayak trip on the DismalNebraska Game and Parks Commission description
{{authority control
Rivers of Nebraska
Bodies of water of Grant County, Nebraska
Bodies of water of Thomas County, Nebraska
Bodies of water of Hooker County, Nebraska
Bodies of water of Blaine County, Nebraska
Tributaries of the Platte River