Des Moines River
Des Moines River | ||
Basin of the Des Moines River |
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Data | ||
Water code | US : 465582 | |
location | Minnesota , Iowa (USA) | |
River system | Mississippi River | |
Drain over | Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico | |
origin | Lake Shetek 44 ° 5 ′ 2 ″ N , 95 ° 41 ′ 17 ″ W. |
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Source height | 452 m | |
muzzle |
Mississippi River at Keokuk Coordinates: 40 ° 22 ′ 52 " N , 91 ° 25 ′ 20" W 40 ° 22 ′ 52 " N , 91 ° 25 ′ 20" W |
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Mouth height | 182 m | |
Height difference | 270 m | |
Bottom slope | 0.32 ‰ | |
length | 845 km | |
Catchment area | 38,340 km² | |
Drain |
MQ |
246 m³ / s |
Left tributaries | Boone River | |
Right tributaries | Raccoon River | |
Reservoirs flowed through | Saylorville Lake , Lake Red Rock | |
Big cities | Des Moines | |
Medium-sized cities | Ottumwa | |
Small towns | Keokuk | |
The Des Moines River above Ottumwa, Iowa |
The Des Moines River is about 845 km (525 miles) long right tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest of the United States .
It rises in southern Minnesota , flows through Iowa from northwest to southeast and finally flows into the Mississippi at Keokuk . The state capital Des Moines owes its name to this largest river in the Iowa.
The origin of the name is not entirely clear. Originally it was probably called by French explorers La Rivière des Moines , ie "Monk's River". According to other theories, the name comes from Moingona , a subgroup of the Peoria Indians originally living in the area .
Before the construction of the major railroad lines (around 1860), the Des Moines was the main route through Iowa. During a historic flood in 1993, the city of Des Moines and neighboring communities had to be partially evacuated.
Places that are on this river
- Algona
- Armstrong
- Bonaparte
- Chillicothe
- Currie
- Dakota City
- Des Moines
- Douds
- Eddyville
- Eldon
- Estherville
- Farmington
- Fort Dodge
- Fraser
- Graettinger
- Humboldt
- Jackson
- Johnston
- Keokuk
- Keosauqua
- Lehigh
- Leando
- Ottumwa
- Rutland
- Windom
other names
According to the Geographic Names Information System , the Des Moines River is / was also known as:
- La Riviere des Moins
- Le Moine River
- Monk River
- Nadouessioux River
- Outontantes River
- River Demoin
- River of the Maskoutens
- River of the Peouareas
See also
Web links
- Des Moines History ( Memento of January 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- DesMoinesRiver.org
- US Army Corps of Engineers: Des Moines River Basin