The Rock 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

Big Sioux River The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. It flows generally southwardly for ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataTh ...

, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed March 30, 2011 in southwestern

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and northwestern

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 ...

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 ...

. Via the Big Sioux and

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

rivers, it is part of the

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 ...

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 ...

. The river's name comes from a prominent rocky outcrop about 175 feet high (designated "The Rock" on Joseph Nicollet's 1843 map of the area) of reddish-gray

Sioux Quartzite The Sioux Quartzite is a Proterozoic quartzite that is found in the region around the intersection of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa, and correlates with other rock units throughout the upper midwestern and southwestern United States. It was ...

, about 3 miles (5 km) north of Luverne. The outcrop of quartzite is contained in Minnesota's

Blue Mounds State Park Blue Mounds State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, in Rock County, Minnesota, Rock County near the town of Luverne, Minnesota, Luverne. It protects an American Bison, American bison herd which grazes on one of the state's largest prairie ...

Course

The Rock River starts in

Pipestone County, Minnesota Pipestone County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,424. Its county seat is Pipestone. History The county was formed on May 23, 1857, by act of the territorial legislature, but was not orga ...

, approximately northeast of the town of Pipestone, and flows initially southwardly through

Rock County, Minnesota Rock County is a County (United States), county at the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 9,704. Its county seat is Luverne, Minnesota, Luverne. History The c ...

, and

Lyon County, Iowa Lyon County is the most northwesterly county of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,934. The county seat is Rock Rapids. Lyon County is named in honor of Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, who served in the Mex ...

, where it turns southwestward into

Sioux County, Iowa Sioux County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,872. Its county seat is Orange City. Its largest city is Sioux Center. History Sioux County was formed on January 15, 1851. It has been ...

. It flows into the Big Sioux River in Sioux County, north of

Hawarden Hawarden (; cy, Penarlâg) is a village, community (Wales), community and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the Deeside conurbation on the Wales-England border and is home ...

. Along its course the Rock River passes the towns of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, Edgerton, Luverne and Ash Creek in Minnesota; and the towns of Rock Rapids, Doon and Rock Valley in Iowa.

Tributaries

In its upper course in Minnesota, the river collects the East Branch Rock River, about long, which flows for its entire length in Pipestone County. In Iowa, it collects the

Little Rock River The Little Rock River is a tributary of the Rock River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 30, 2011 in southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa in the United ...

just south of Doon.

References

Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
*

DeLorme DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...

(1998). ''Iowa Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . *

(1994). ''Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . * * * Waters, Thomas F. (1977). ''The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. . {{authority control Rivers of Iowa Rivers of Minnesota Rivers of Lyon County, Iowa Rivers of Pipestone County, Minnesota Rivers of Rock County, Minnesota Rivers of Sioux County, Iowa Tributaries of the Mississippi River

Course

Tributaries

See also

References