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
The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...
southeast of the
Sandhills. The name of the river means "wolf" in
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 ...
, named by early
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 ...
trappers after the
Skidi band of the
Pawnee, whose name means "Wolf People," and who lived along its banks. The river and its tributaries, including the North Loup, Middle Loup, and South Loup, are known colloquially as "the Loups", comprising over 1800 mi (2900 km) of streams and draining approximately one-fifth of Nebraska.
Course
The river is formed in eastern
Howard County, approximately northeast of
St. Paul and north of
Grand Island, by the confluence of the North Loup and Middle Loup rivers. It flows east-northeast, past
Fullerton, where it is joined from the north by the
Cedar River. It continues east-northeast roughly parallel to the Platte, past
Genoa, separated from the Platte by approximately 15 mi (24 km). It joins the Platte from the northwest approximately southeast of
Columbus.
A diversion dam southwest of Genoa diverts water to the
Loup Canal The Loup Canal is a hydroelectric and irrigation canal located in eastern Nebraska, United States. The canal is owned and managed by Loup Power District, a public power electric utility.
The canal is long. It begins at headworks on the Loup Riv ...
to
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
facilities in
Monroe and then in
Columbus. The canal then runs into the Platte a short distance below its confluence with the Loup.
Discharges
See also
*
Twin Bridge (Brownlee, Nebraska)
*
List of Nebraska rivers
*
French colonization of the Americas
*
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail is the long route from Illinois to Utah that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled for 3 months. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails System, known as the Mormon ...
References
External links
Trail of the Loup (1906)
{{authority control
Rivers of Nebraska
Rivers of Platte County, Nebraska
Rivers of Nance County, Nebraska
Rivers of Merrick County, Nebraska
Rivers of Howard County, Nebraska
Rivers of Colfax County, Nebraska
Tributaries of the Platte River