The Fox 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 an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''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 into which they ...

of the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

, flowing from southeastern

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Ottawa, Illinois Ottawa is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the confluence of the navigable Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River and Illinois River, the latter being a conduit for river barges and ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The Wisconsin section was known as the Pishtaka River in the 19th century. There is another Fox River in

that flows through

Lake Winnebago Lake Winnebago (, , ) is a shallow freshwater lake in the north central United States, located in east central Wisconsin. At , it is the largest lake entirely within the state, covering an area of about by with of shoreline, an average depth ...

into Green Bay. There are also two other "Fox Rivers" in

southern Illinois Southern Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois comprising the southern third of the state, principally south of Interstate 70. Part of downstate Illinois, it is bordered by the two List of U.S. rivers by discharge, most voluminous ri ...

: the Fox River (Little Wabash tributary) and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the

Wabash River The Wabash River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana, and a significant part of Illinois, in the United ...

near

New Harmony, Indiana New Harmony is a historic town on the Wabash River in Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, Posey County, Indiana. It lies north of Mount Vernon, Indiana, Mount Vernon, the county seat, and is part of ...

. The Fox River (Illinois River tributary) is known locally as an excellent fishery with opportunities for

Smallmouth Bass The smallmouth bass (''Micropterus dolomieu'') is a species of freshwater fish in the Centrarchidae, sunfish family (biology), family (Centrarchidae) of the order (biology), order Centrarchiformes. It is the type species of its genus ''Micropterus ...

Flathead Catfish The flathead catfish (''Pylodictis olivaris''), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus ''Py ...

, and

Walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

. The river’s watershed encompasses 1720 square miles in Illinois and 938 square miles in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin

The Fox River rises in the Halbach Swamp, southeast of the community of Colgate, Wisconsin and flows past Brookfield, Waukesha, Big Bend,

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

, Rochester, Burlington, Wheatland, Silver Lake and Wilmot, for a total of in Wisconsin. A major dam in

forms a navigable waterway which is one of the busiest in southeastern Wisconsin. The river is generally navigable from the Iron Bridge (now a concrete bridge) in Tichigan, Wisconsin (just south of Big Bend) down to the dam. The river connects several small lakes in this section, and one large lake, Tichigan Lake and one smaller lake, Buena Lake. The entire area including connected lakes and the Fox are often referred to as Tichigan Lake. At the southern end of this section, Foxwood Isle separates the main dam to its west and a spillway to the east. A small dam is present just a few miles south in downtown Rochester. The river then flows unobstructed through Burlington, where it joins the White River, and on to Wilmot. This is a popular and picturesque day-canoe trip never straying far from the road, but often just out of sight of it. Flooding is common on this section of the river, especially near Wheatland to the border. The Fox River watershed encompasses 938 square miles in Wisconsin.https://www.lakecountyil.gov/2401/Fox-River-Watershed Stormwater Management Commission, Lake county, Illinois Retrieved 5/24/21

Illinois

The river enters Illinois where it widens into a large area of interconnected lakes known as the Chain O'Lakes. Fox Lake is the largest village in this area. From the chain, the river flows generally southward for , until it joins the

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. Illinois towns and communities that are on the Fox River include (from north to south): Fox Lake, Johnsburg, McHenry, Holiday Hills, Island Lake, Burtons Bridge, Port Barrington, Cary, Fox River Grove, Algonquin, Carpentersville, West Dundee, East Dundee, Elgin, South Elgin, St. Charles,

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Batavia, North Aurora,

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

, Montgomery, Oswego, Yorkville, Plano, Millington, Sheridan and

. Collectively, the area surrounding the Fox River is known as the Fox Valley. Around 1 million people live in this area. Native American tribes that lived near the Fox River included the

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

, Sauk and

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

tribes. The Fox River has 15 dams, including McHenry Dam, which raises the river slightly to maintain depth in the Chain O'Lakes in northern Illinois, the Montgomery Dam and the Dayton Dam, a hydroelectric dam near Ottawa. In September 2023, the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

issued a draft report recommending the removal of nine of these dams for environmental reasons. In the winter, bald eagles can be found nesting along the banks. Early in the history of Illinois, the Fox River provided water for the

Illinois and Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago ...

via a feeder canal, allowing the canal to pass over the Fox River on an aqueduct. The Fox River watershed encompasses 1720 square miles in Illinois.

References

External links

* Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources *
Watershed - Lower Fox River - Illinois (FX02)
*
Watershed - Middle Fox River - Illinois (FX04)
*
Watershed - Upper Fox River - Illinois (FX07)
*
Friends of the Fox River

Fox River Ecosystem Partnership (IL)

Fox River CAUSE (WI)

Southeast Fox River Partnership (WI)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox River (Illinois River Tributary) McHenry, Illinois Fox River Grove, Illinois Algonquin, Illinois Carpentersville, Illinois Elgin, Illinois South Elgin, Illinois St. Charles, Illinois Geneva, Illinois Batavia, Illinois Aurora, Illinois Oswego, Illinois Yorkville, Illinois Plano, Illinois Ottawa, Illinois Rivers of Kane County, Illinois Rivers of Kendall County, Illinois Rivers of Kenosha County, Wisconsin Rivers of Lake County, Illinois Rivers of LaSalle County, Illinois Rivers of McHenry County, Illinois Waukesha, Wisconsin Rivers of Racine County, Wisconsin Rivers of Waukesha County, Wisconsin Rivers of Illinois Rivers of Wisconsin Tributaries of the Illinois River

Wisconsin

Illinois

See also

References

External links