
The Zumbro 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 drainag ...
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 ...
in the
Driftless Area
The Driftless Area, a topographical and cultural region in the American Midwest, comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois.
Never covered by ice during the last ...
of southeastern
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 List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
in the United States. It is long
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed October 4, 2012 from the confluence of its principal tributaries and drains a
watershed of . The river's name in English is a change from its
French name ''Rivière des Embarras'' ("Obstruction River") due to its mouth near Pine Island in the Mississippi River; the pronunciation changed from to . The
Dakota
Dakota may refer to:
* Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux
** Dakota language, their language
Dakota may also refer to:
Places United States
* Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Dakota, Illinois, a town
* Dakota, Minnesota ...
name for this river is ''Wapka Wazi Oju'' (Pines Planted River), having reference to the grove of great
white pines at Pine Island.
Course
The Zumbro rises as three forks:
The South Fork Zumbro River, long,
[ rises about east of Hayfield in southern Dodge County and flows generally eastwardly into ]Olmsted County
Olmsted County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population is 162,847. Its county seat and most populous city is Rochester.
Olmsted County is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
...
, where it turns northward at Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
and flows into southwestern Wabasha County. The South Fork's course through Rochester has been channelized
Channelized in a telecommunications environment means that the line that communications have been transmitted over contains more than one message thread, separated in some fashion.
Typical channelization methods include packetizing, frequency-d ...
as part of a flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
project. It is dammed in Wabasha County, by the Lake Zumbro Hydroelectric Generating Plant to form Lake Zumbro.
At Rochester, the river measures approximately 153 cubic feet per second.
The Middle Fork Zumbro River, long,[ rises in northeastern Steele County, about west of West Concord and flows generally eastwardly through northern Dodge, southwestern Goodhue and northeastern Olmsted counties, past Pine Island and Oronoco. At Pine Island it collects the North Branch Middle Fork Zumbro River, which rises in southwestern Goodhue County and flows eastwardly through southern Goodhue and northern Dodge counties. At Oronoco it collects the South Branch Middle Fork Zumbro River, which rises in eastern Steele County and flows eastwardly into Dodge County, past ]Mantorville
Mantorville is a city in Dodge County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,197 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dodge County. Founded in 1854, the city is one of the oldest in Minnesota.
Mantorville shares a school ...
. The Middle Fork meets the South Fork in north-central Olmsted County as part of Zumbro Lake.
The North Fork Zumbro River, long,[ rises southeast of Faribault in southeastern Rice County and flows eastwardly through southern Goodhue and southwestern Wabasha counties, past Kenyon, Wanamingo, Zumbrota and ]Mazeppa Mazepa or Mazeppa is the surname of Ivan Mazepa, a Ukrainian hetman made famous worldwide by a poem by Lord Byron. It may refer to:
Artistic works Poems
* "Mazeppa" (poem) (1819), a dramatic poem by Lord Byron
* "Mazeppa", a poem by Victor Hugo, ...
.
The North and South forks join about east of Mazeppa in southwestern Wabasha County, and the Zumbro River flows eastwardly through Wabasha County, through the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest and past Zumbro Falls, Hammond, Millville and Kellogg. It flows into the Mississippi River about east of Kellogg. At this town, the river measures approximately 880 cubic feet per second.
Fish species near Rochester
Some species of fish that can be found in the Zumbro River near Rochester include the green sunfish; rock, smallmouth and largemouth bass; the common carp
The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...
, creek chub, channel catfish
The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, th ...
, and northern pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish water, brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are kno ...
.
See also
* List of Minnesota rivers
References
*
*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 message ...
(1994). ''Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. .
*Waters, Thomas F. (1977). ''The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. .
{{Minnesota tributaries of the lower Mississippi drainage basin, state=collapsed
Rivers of Minnesota
Tributaries of the Mississippi River
Driftless Area
Rivers of Wabasha County, Minnesota
Rivers of Dodge County, Minnesota
Rivers of Olmsted County, Minnesota
Rivers of Steele County, Minnesota
Rivers of Goodhue County, Minnesota
Rivers of Rice County, Minnesota