The Eau Claire 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 drainage ...

of the Chippewa River in west-central

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

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 territorie ...

. It is one of three rivers by this name in Wisconsin. Via the Chippewa River, it is part 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, it f ...

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

. Its name is the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

translation from the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

''Wayaa-gonaatigweyaa-ziibi'' (Clear potable-water River).

Course

The Eau Claire River rises as two streams, the North Fork Eau Claire River and the South Fork Eau Claire River, both of which rise in southwestern Taylor County and flow generally southwestwardly through northeastern

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

and northwestern

Eau Claire Eau Claire (French for "clear water", ''pl.'' ''eaux claires'') is the name of a number of locations and features in North America. The name is pronounced as if it were spelled "O'Clare". Place names (Canada) Communities *Eau Claire, Calgary, a n ...

Counties. The North Fork is about 25 mi (40 km) long and flows past the village of

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

; it collects the Wolf River in Eau Claire County. The South Fork is about 35 mi (56 km) long.

From the convergence of its headwaters' forks, the Eau Claire River flows generally westwardly through northern Eau Claire County for about 40 mi (64 km), past the city of Altoona to its confluence with the Chippewa River in downtown

. Two

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

s along its course in Eau Claire County cause the river to form two

reservoirs A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

Lake Eau Claire Eau Claire Dam is a dam in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, United States. The concrete gravity dam was dedicated on August 12, 1937, as the result of the largest Depression-era Works Progress Administration project in the entire state. Also known a ...

and Lake Altoona. Upstream from Altoona, just north of the village of Fall Creek, the river passes over a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

known as Big Falls, which is the site of a county park.

Cultural information

Eau Claire River (named the "Clear Water River, a branch of the Chippewa") serves in part as the boundary between the Chippewa and

Winnebago Winnebago can refer to: * The exonym of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native North Americans with reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin ** Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a federally recognized tribe group in the state ** The Winnebago language of the ...

in an 1825 treaty, and as a southern boundary for the 1837 Treaty-ceded Territory, where the signatory

Bands may hunt, fish and gather to maintain their cultural livelihood.

References

External links

Big Falls County Park website
- river length information {{authority control Rivers of Clark County, Wisconsin Eau Claire, Wisconsin Rivers of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin Rivers of Wisconsin Rivers of Taylor County, Wisconsin Tributaries of the Mississippi River

Course

Cultural information

See also

References

External links