Sweetwater River (North Platte River)
Sweetwater River | ||
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Data | ||
Water code | US : 1609188 | |
location | Wyoming , USA | |
River system | Mississippi River | |
Drain over | North Platte → Platte → Missouri → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico | |
source | in Sublette County 42 ° 39 ′ 15 ″ N , 109 ° 3 ′ 25 ″ W. |
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muzzle | in Natrona County in the North Platte River Coordinates: 42 ° 30 ′ 25 " N , 107 ° 3 ′ 36" W 42 ° 30 ′ 25 " N , 107 ° 3 ′ 36" W
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length | 250 km |
The Sweetwater River is a river in the US state of Wyoming . It rises on the continental divide in the south of the Wind River Range , a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains , and flows after almost 250 km (150 miles) into the North Platte River , or into the Pathfinder Reservoir , to which the two rivers through the Kortes Dam be dammed .
Around the middle of the 19th century, the most important traffic route across the Rocky Mountains ran along the river. The Oregon Trail , California Trail and Mormon Trail settler and trade routes ran together in this section and branched off to the west just before the Wind River Range over the South Pass . Major river attractions include Independence Rock , a prominent rock that early mountain men and settlers reached on the annual mountain train on or around July 4th , and Devils Gate , a narrow gorge down the river.