The Shell Rock River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed May 13, 2011

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 West Fork Cedar River in southern

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 northern

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 Cedar and

rivers, it is part 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 ...

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 ...

Name

This river was named for the fossil shells found in outcroppings along its banks. The

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

settled on "Shell Rock River" as the stream's name in 1931. According to the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

, it has also been known by the spelling "Shellrock River".

Course

The Shell Rock River flows from Albert Lea Lake in

Freeborn County, Minnesota Freeborn County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 30,895. Its county seat is Albert Lea, Minnesota, Albert Lea. Freeborn County comprises the Albert ...

, and soon enters Iowa, flowing generally south-southeastwardly through eastern Worth, northeastern Cerro Gordo, western Floyd, northeastern

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

, southwestern Bremer and northwestern

Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus ur ...

counties, past the town of Glenville in Minnesota and the towns of Northwood,

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, Rock Falls, Nora Springs, Rockford, Marble Rock,

Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Greene, Iowa, a city *Greene, Maine, a town ** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene *Greene (town), New York ** Greene (village), New York, in the town ...

, Clarksville and Shell Rock in Iowa. It joins the West Fork of the Cedar River in Black Hawk County, about north-northwest of Cedar Falls. At Rockford, Iowa, it collects the

Winnebago River The Winnebago River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river in northern Iowa. It is a tributary of the Shell Rock River, part of the Cedar River watershed ...

from the west.

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. .

References

{{authority control Rivers of Iowa Rivers of Minnesota Rivers of Black Hawk County, Iowa Rivers of Bremer County, Iowa Rivers of Butler County, Iowa Rivers of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa Rivers of Floyd County, Iowa Rivers of Freeborn County, Minnesota Rivers of Worth County, Iowa Tributaries of the Mississippi River

Name

Course

See also

References