The Baraboo 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

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskous ...

, about 70 mi (115 km) long, in south-central

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Via the Wisconsin River, 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 List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

. The Baraboo River was probably named after a French trader in the area, Francois Barbeau, although it may also be a corruption of a French word or phrase.

Course

The Baraboo River rises in southeastern

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: *Monroe County, Alabama * Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida *Monroe County, Georgia * Monroe County, Illinois * Monroe County, Indi ...

and flows generally southeastwardly through

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the s ...

, Sauk and

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

Counties, past Kendall,

Elroy Elroy may refer to: Places in the United States * Elroy, North Carolina, a census-designated place * Elroy, Pennsylvania, a village in Franconia Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania * Elroy, Texas, an unincorporated community * Elroy, Wisc ...

, Union Center, Wonewoc, La Valle, Reedsburg, Rock Springs, North Freedom, West Baraboo and

Baraboo Baraboo is a city in the Midwest and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The largest city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2020 population was 12,556. It is sit ...

. It flows into the Wisconsin River from the west, about 3 mi (5 km) south of

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

. In its upper course above Elroy, the river is paralleled by the

Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail The Elroy-Sparta State Trail is a Wisconsin State rail trail between Elroy and Sparta, Wisconsin. Considered to be the first rail trail when it opened in 1967, it was designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian and light motorized traffic. Designat ...

Tributaries

*At Union Center, the river collects the West Branch Baraboo River, which rises in eastern Vernon County and flows generally eastwardly past Hillsboro. *Just downstream of La Valle, the river collects the Little Baraboo River, which rises in eastern Vernon County and flows generally eastwardly past Ironton. Along its course the Little Baraboo River briefly enters Richland County.

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 message ...

(1992). ''Wisconsin Atlas & Gazetteer''. Freeport, Maine: DeLorme. . *

External links

{{authority control Rivers of Wisconsin Rivers of Columbia County, Wisconsin Rivers of Juneau County, Wisconsin Rivers of Monroe County, Wisconsin Rivers of Richland County, Wisconsin Rivers of Vernon County, Wisconsin

Course

Tributaries

See also

References

External links