Frenchman Creek is a spring-fed waterway that begins in Phillips County,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, crosses
Chase
Chase or CHASE may refer to:
Businesses
* Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York
* Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company
* Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England
* Chase Co ...
and
Hayes
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** Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th president of the United States
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counties in
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 ...
and ends at its juncture with the
Republican River
The Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, rising in the High Plains (United States), High Plains of eastern Colorado and flowing east U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline ...
in
Hitchcock County
Hitchcock County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 2,616. Its county seat is Trenton.
In the Nebraska license plate system, Hitchcock County is represented by the prefix 67 (it h ...
,
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 ...
. The length of the waterway is approximately .U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data The National Map , accessed March 29, 2011
History
Various mills and irrigation works have been built on Frenchman Creek. A 100 barrel roller mill was built on the east side of the falls in Wauneta in 1887 by Blair and Polly.
In 1888, Champion Mill was built on the Frenchman in the community of
Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...
by Thomas Scott; it operated commercially, grinding flour and feed grain, from 1888 to 1968. The last functional water-powered mill in Nebraska, it was purchased by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in 1969 and is preserved as a state historical park.
Frenchman Creek flows into Enders Reservoir near the village of Enders, Nebraska .
Enders Dam
Enders Dam (National ID # NE01070) is a dam in Chase County, Nebraska, near the southwestern corner of the state.
The earthen dam was constructed between 1947 and 1951 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. It is high and long at its crest ...
was built in 1947-1951 as part of the Missouri Basin Program of the
Bureau of Reclamation
The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...
. Water stored at Enders is diverted into the Frenchman-Cambridge Irrigation district. Enders Reservoir State Recreation Area is a popular location for fishing, hunting and other outdoor recreation activities.
Flows in the Frenchman, and associated releases from Enders Reservoir, have declined over the years. The primary cause is believed to be the lowering of water table levels due to groundwater irrigation in the Frenchman Basin. This has reduced the flows of springs that have historically fed the creek. In order to maintain the recreational and wildlife environments on the reservoir, irrigation releases were halted after 2002.Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
See also
*
List of rivers of Colorado
This is a list of streams in the U.S. State of Colorado.
__TOC__
Alphabetical list
The following alphabetical list includes many important streams that flow through the State of Colorado, including all 158 named rivers. Where available, t ...
*
List of rivers of Nebraska
This is a partial list of rivers in Nebraska (U.S. state).
By tributary Missouri River
*''Cheyenne River (SD)''
**Hat Creek
* White River
*Niobrara River
** Burgess Creek
** Bingham Creek
**Snake River
** Long Pine Creek
** Keya Paha River
** ...