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 southwe ...

. It is formed by the confluence of two forks, one of which has its origins in Grant County 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 U.S. Route 83 (US 83) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that extends in the central United States. Only four other north–south routes are longer: US 1, US 41, US 59, and US 87, while US ...

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 o ...

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 portio ...

and boils up beneath the river in places, sometimes creating areas of

quicksand Quicksand is a colloid A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a ...

. 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 Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...

, borders it south of Mullen.

Discharge

At Dunning, the Dismal has a mean annual discharge of .

References

External links

Photos and report of kayak trip on the Dismal

Nebraska 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

Discharge

See also

References

External links