File:Platte_River.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
The Platte River is a major waterway that flows through Nebraska in the central United States. It is important for water supply, irrigation, wildlife habitat, and as a migration route for birds like the endangered whooping crane.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Etymology
- French ("flat river") and Chiwere ("flat water")
- Country
- United States
- State
- Nebraska
- Region
- Great Plains
- Cities
- North Platte , Kearney , Grand Island , Fremont , Omaha
- Source
- North Platte River
- Location
- Confluence of Grizzly Creek and Little Grizzly Creek, Jackson County , Colorado
- Coordinates
- 40°38′23″N 106°24′19″W / 40.63972°N 106.40528°W / 40.63972; -106.40528
- Length
- 716 mi (1,152 km)
- Elevation
- 8,050 ft (2,450 m)
- 2nd source
- South Platte River
- Mouth
- Missouri River
- Basin size
- 84,910 sq mi (219,900 km )
- Average
- 7,037 cu ft/s (199.3 m /s)
- Minimum
- 131 cu ft/s (3.7 m /s)
- Maximum
- 160,000 cu ft/s (4,500 m /s)
- River system
- Missouri River basin
- Left
- North Platte River , Loup River , Elkhorn River
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Great Blue Heron and immature Bald Eagle on the Platte River.jpg
- Length
- 499
Show 4 more facts
- Commons category
- Platte River
- watershed area
- 241000
- discharge
- 199
- native label
- Platte River
Sources (6)
via Wikidata · CC0
~25 min read
Article
The Platte River (/plæt/) is a major river in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is about 310 mi (500 km) long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over 1,050 miles (1,690 km). The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itself is a tributary of the Mississippi River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The Platte over most of its length is a broad, shallow, meandering stream with a sandy bottom and many islands—a braided stream.
The Platte is one of the most significant tributary systems in the watershed of the Missouri, draining a large portion of the central Great Plains in Nebraska and the eastern Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming. The river valley played an important role in the westward expansion of the United States, providing the route for several major emigrant trails, including the Oregon, California, Mormon, and Bozeman trails. The first Europeans to see the Platte were French explorers and fur trappers about 1714; they first called it the Nebraskier (Nebraska), a transliteration of the name given by the Otoe people, meaning "flat water". This expression is very close to the French phrase "rivière platte" ("flat river"), which is likely the origin of the name "Platte River".
Gallery (9)
On the map
4 mapped locations