The Grand River is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

that stretches from northernmost tributary origins between Creston and Winterset in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed May 26, 2011 to its mouth on the Missouri River near Brunswick, Missouri. Its watershed of , with three-quarters in Missouri, makes it the largest watershed serving the Missouri River in northern Missouri.

History of the Grand River region

Fort D'Orleans was erected by French explorer Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont which is believed to have been at the mouth of the Grand on Missouri River in 1723 (the French named the river "La Grande Riviére"). The fort was abandoned in 1726 and has been obliterated by floods. The area was part of

Iowa people The Iowa, also known as Ioway, and the Bah-Kho-Je or Báxoje (English: grey snow; Chiwere language, Chiwere: Báxoje ich'é) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Sioux, Siouan people. Today, they are enrolled in either of ...

tribal territory through the 1820s. The Ioway chief

Big Neck Moanahonga, known as Big Neck or Great Walker, was an Iowa people , Iowa Nation leader. In July 1829 Big Neck had ostensibly led a party of Ioway Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans to return to their former hunting grounds alon ...

(aka Great Walker) had his village on the Grand River before 1824 and into 1829. The Big Neck War: In July 1829, a large party of Iowa (or Ioway) Native Americans, led by Chief

, returned to their former hunting grounds in violation of treaty. One of the Ioway's dogs killed a pig and they threatened (or insulted, according to some sources) the white women. The settlers sent messengers south to Randolph and Macon counties asking for help. Captain William Trammell responded with a party of some two dozen men to help. By the time of their arrival, the Ioways had left the area and moved upriver into what is now Schuyler County. Trammell's force, augmented by several of the men from The Cabins, pursued and engaged the Ioway at a place called Battle Creek, killing several Native Americans including Big Neck's brother, sister-in-law, and their child. The Trammell party lost three men in the skirmish, including Captain Trammell himself, and one additional casualty died of his wounds shortly afterward. Discretion being the better part of valor, the surviving whites returned to the cabins, collected the women and children, and headed south for the Randolph County settlement of Huntsville. Later, a group of militia under General John B. Clark pursued and apprehended Big Neck and his braves, capturing them in March 1830. Soon, several escaped from jail and fled to the current state of Iowa; however, Big Neck himself and the remainder were put on trial by a grand jury of Randolph County. The jury found on March 31, 1830, that: "After examining all the witnesses, and maturely considering the charges for which these Iowa Indians are now in confinement, we find them not guilty, and they are at once discharged." The acquittal of Big Neck seemed to have brought the war to a peaceful, if uneasy, conclusion. A few months later, white settlers returned to The Cabins, this time in greater numbers, and this time to stay permanently. In 1835 the Missouri Legislature declared it a navigable stream to the Iowa line, although

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

traffic never extended much further than Chillicothe. Even then boats had difficulty with the river's changing water levels, and sometimes it was too low for them to travel that far upriver. The town of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

is named for a steamer that sank there.

Geography

The West and East Forks of the Grand rise just south of Creston in

Union County, Iowa Union County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,138. The county seat is Creston. Organized at a time of tensions before the Civil War, the county was named in 1853 ...

. The Middle Fork rises at Mount Ayr, Iowa in

Ringgold County, Iowa Ringgold County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,663, making it the Iowa county with the second-smallest population. The county seat is Mount Ayr. The county is named after Maj. Samuel ...

. The three forks merge just south of

Albany, Missouri Albany is a city and county seat of Gentry County, Missouri, United States. With an annual growth rate of -0.30%. The population was 1,679 at the 2020 census. History Albany was originally called Athens, and under the latter name was platted i ...

in Gentry County. That is where the river officially assumes the single Grand River name. The biggest confluence of streams is at Chillicothe, where the

Thompson River The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river ...

and

Shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...

, Medicine, and Locust creeks merge with the river. The Grand River Basin has more than 1,000 third order or higher streams. Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge is on the Yellow Creek tributary at Sumner, Missouri. No dams have been built on the river. At various times plans have been proposed for five dams, with the most prominent being the Pattonsburg Dam at

Pattonsburg, Missouri Pattonsburg is a city in northwest Daviess County, Missouri, United States. The population was 314 at the 2020 census. History Pattonsburg's current location is four miles north of the previous spot, Old Pattonsburg, as it is referred to toda ...

. The United States Corps of Engineers bought out the residents after the

Great Flood of 1993 The Great Flood of 1993 (or Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993) was a flood that occurred in the Midwestern United States, along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from April to October 1993. The flood wa ...

; but, the proposed dam has not been authorized. Average discharge for the Grand at Sumner, Missouri is 3,917 cubic feet per second (111 m³/s). The maximum instantaneous peak flow of 180,000 cu ft/s (5,100 m³/s) occurred in June, 1947. During the 1993 flood 150,000 cu ft/s (4,200 m³/s) was reported at Sumner. The Grand descends at a rate of about three feet per mile (0.5 m/km), although the Pop's Branch near

Princeton, Missouri Princeton is the county seat and largest city of Mercer County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,007 at the 2020 census, down from the 2010 census, which counted 1,166 people. Princeton, Missouri was also the birthplace of the famous ...

descends at 44 feet per mile (8 m/km).

References

{{authority control Rivers of Iowa Rivers of Missouri Tributaries of the Missouri River Rivers of Carroll County, Missouri Rivers of Chariton County, Missouri Rivers of Daviess County, Missouri Rivers of Gentry County, Missouri Rivers of Livingston County, Missouri Rivers of Mercer County, Missouri Bodies of water of Ringgold County, Iowa Bodies of water of Union County, Iowa Mississippi River watershed

History of the Grand River region

Geography

See also

References