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The Wild Rice 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 drai ...
of the
Red River of the North The Red River (french: rivière Rouge or ) is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it fl ...
, approximately long, in southeastern
North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...
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 territori ...
. Via the Red River,
Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Its southern end is about north of t ...
, and the
Nelson River The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The river drains Lake Winnipeg and runs before it ends in Hudson Bay. Its full length (including the Saskatchewan River and Bow River) is , i ...
, it is part of the watershed of Hudson Bay. The Wild Rice River drains an area of in the Red River Valley region. Its tributaries also drain a small part of northeastern
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
. Despite its length, it is a fairly small stream, flowing at an average rate of approximately 100 
cubic feet per second Cubic may refer to: Science and mathematics * Cube (algebra), "cubic" measurement * Cube, a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex ** Cubic crystal system, a crystal system w ...
(3 m³/s). The river was so named for the former abundance of wild rice along its course.


Course

The Wild Rice River rises as an intermittent stream in Brampton Township in southeastern Sargent County, approximately south of Cogswell. It initially flows generally eastwardly in a winding course through Sargent and Richland counties, through the Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge and past the towns of Cayuga, Mantador and
Great Bend Great Bend is a city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. It is named for its location at the point where the course of the Arkansas River bends east then southeast. As of the 2020 census, the population of the ci ...
. Past Great Bend, the river turns northward; from west of the city of Wahpeton it generally parallels the Red River in a winding channel at a distance of approximately . It flows into the Red River in southeastern Cass County, approximately southeast of Frontier and south of Fargo.North Dakota Atlas & Gazetteer, pp. 52-53, 63-64


Flow rate

The
United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
operates a stream gauge on the river northwest of
Abercrombie Abercrombie may refer to: People * Abercrombie Lawson (1870–1927), botanist and professor * Abercrombie (surname) (list of people with the family name Abercrombie) Places Americas * Abercrombie, North Dakota, United States, city in Richland ...
. Between 1932 and 2005, the annual mean flow of the river at the gauge was . The river's highest flow during the period was on April 11, 1969. Readings of zero have also been recorded. At an upstream gauge near Rutland in Sargent County, the annual mean flow between 1960 and 1982 was . A reading of was recorded on April 3, 1997.Robinson, pp. 38-39


See also

* List of rivers in North Dakota


References


Notes


Sources


Books

*


Websites

* * * *


Software

* Google Earth elevations for
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 ...
coordinates. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. {{Authority control Rivers of North Dakota Bodies of water of Cass County, North Dakota Bodies of water of Richland County, North Dakota Bodies of water of Sargent County, North Dakota Tributaries of the Red River of the North