Kickapoo Creek is a tributary of the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

in the U.S. state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. After rising in northern

Peoria County Peoria County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States Census listed its population at 181,830. Its county seat is Peoria. Peoria County is part of the Peoria, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Peoria County was ...

, it winds through and drains much of the county. In its lower reaches, the creek drains much of the city of Peoria as it approaches its mouth. The creek is credited with powering the first factory in Peoria, an 1830

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

.Balance, Charles (1870).
''The History of Peoria, Illinois''
pp. 127-28. N.C. Nason. Close to the southern city limts of Peoria, the creek discharges into the Illinois River. The Rock Island Trail passes over upper Kickapoo Creek by bridge. In its midcourse, the creek flows past

Jubilee College State Park Jubilee College State Park is an Illinois state park located west of Peoria, Illinois. It contains Jubilee College State Historic Site, a frontier Illinois college active from 1840 to 1862. Jubilee College, and the frontier community that suppo ...

and

Wildlife Prairie Park Wildlife Prairie Park, also known as the Hazel & Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie Park, is located in Peoria County, Illinois, in central Illinois, approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of downtown Peoria. The Park has species nativ ...

. Kickapoo Creek, according to the USGS station https://waterdata.usgs.gov/il/nwis/uv/?site_no=05580000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060 at Waynesville, IL, has an annual discharge of 183 cubic feet per second.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Peoria County, Illinois Rivers of Illinois Tributaries of the Illinois River