Little Sioux River

Little Sioux River
Little Sioux River
	The Little Sioux River upstream of Spencer, Iowa
	The Little Sioux River, highlighted on a map of the watershed of the Missouri River
	Mouth
Native name	Eaneah-waudepon (Lakota)
Location
Country	United States
States	Minnesota, Iowa
Counties	Jackson County, Minnesota; Iowa: Harrison, Monona, Woodbury, Ida, Cherokee, Obrien, Clay, Buena Vista, Dickinson, Jackson
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Okabena
• coordinates	43°39′52″N 95°18′53″W / 43.6644052°N 95.3147212°W
Mouth
• location	Little Sioux
• coordinates	41°48′11″N 96°03′58″W / 41.803°N 96.066°W
Length	258 mi-long (415 km)
Basin features
River system	Missouri River

The Little Sioux River is a river in the United States. It rises in southwestern Minnesota near the Iowa border, and continues to flow southwest for 258 miles (415 km)^[1] across northwest Iowa into the Missouri River at Little Sioux. The Little Sioux River was known as Eaneah-waudepon or "Stone River" to the Sioux Indians. Its tributaries include the Ocheyedan River, Maple River and the West Fork of the Little Sioux River. The Little Sioux River is integral to the Nepper Watershed Project, a major Iowa flood control and soil conservation program that was introduced in 1947.^[2]

At Turin, Iowa, the Little Sioux River has a mean annual discharge of 1,761 cubic feet per second.^[3]

History

Prior to the sale of French Louisiana to the United States, the river was known as the Rivière des Aiaouez meaning "River of the Ioways".^[4]

The Little Sioux Valley was important in the Spirit Lake Massacre of 1857, when the Santee Sioux chief Inkpaduta made forays as far downstream as Smithland. The river valley also figures prominently in folklore about the nineteenth century outlaw, Jesse James, who reportedly used the secluded valley, with its wooded ravines, as a hideout and a route north to Minnesota during the 1870s.

Geology

Geologically, the Little Sioux rises in a region of glacial potholes near the "Iowa Great Lakes" (Spirit Lake, and East and West Okoboji). It then traverses a rich agricultural region on its way to the Loess Hills, from which it then flows out onto the floodplain of the Missouri River. Through much of its middle course (i.e., from Linn Grove to Smithland) the Little Sioux is a relatively wild meandered stream, with excellent canoeing, camping, and fishing opportunities. However, from Smithland downstream to its mouth, the river has been channelized and environmentally degraded.

Flooding

Flooding of the river is common in early to late spring, as the often-heavy winter snow melts. This has resulted in riparian woodlands of cottonwood trees adjacent to fertile farm ground on the bottomlands. Correspondingly, hunters are rewarded with a bounty of white-tailed deer, rabbits and pheasants during the fall hunting season.

Fishing

Fishing opportunities are best in late spring after flood waters have dissipated. Edible gamefish such as bullhead and channel catfish are frequently caught with nothing more than a hook and worm, with northern pike, walleye, and shovelnose sturgeon also available.

References

^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 30, 2011
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Sioux River
^ "Little Sioux River". USGS.
^ "Paouté and Aiaouez : A New Perspective on Late Seventeenth-Century Chiwere-Siouan Identity".

External links

The Little Sioux at Anthon, Iowa

[NHD-1] U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 30, 2011

[2] U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Sioux River

[3] "Little Sioux River". USGS.

[4] "Paouté and Aiaouez : A New Perspective on Late Seventeenth-Century Chiwere-Siouan Identity".

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v t e Minnesota tributaries of the Upper Mississippi River below St Anthony Falls
Minnesota River	Little Minnesota River Pomme de Terre River Lac qui Parle River Chippewa River Yellow Medicine River Redwood River Cottonwood River Blue Earth River
St. Croix River	Kettle River Snake River
Cannon River	North Cannon River Little Cannon River Straight River Little Cannon River (Sabre Lake) Belle Creek
Zumbro River	North Fork Zumbro River Middle Fork Zumbro River North Branch Middle Fork Zumbro River South Branch Middle Fork Zumbro River South Fork Zumbro River
Whitewater River	North Fork Whitewater River Middle Fork Whitewater River South Fork Whitewater River
Root River	South Fork Root River Badger Creek South Branch Root River Camp Creek North Branch Root River Middle Branch Root River Rush Creek Pine Creek Coolridge Creek Hemingway Creek
Upper Iowa River (Iowa, Minnesota)	Pine Creek Little Iowa River North Branch Upper Iowa River
Iowa River (Iowa)	Cedar River Shell Rock River Winnebago River (Iowa) Lime Creek Little Cedar River (Iowa and Minnesota) Little Cedar River (Dodge County, Minnesota)
Des Moines River (Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri)	East Fork Des Moines River Heron Lake Outlet Jack Creek Diversion Creek Okabena Creek Lime Creek Beaver Creek
Missouri River (Missouri, Iowa)	Little Sioux River Ocheyedan River West Fork Little Sioux River Big Sioux River (Iowa) Rock River Little Rock River East Branch Rock River Split Rock Creek Pipestone Creek Flandreau Creek
Other rivers and streams	Crooked Creek North Fork Crooked Creek South Fork Crooked Creek Hay Creek Pine Creek Vermillion River South Branch Vermillion River Wapsipinicon River Wells Creek Winnebago Creek
Streams by region	Driftless Area Counties Dakota Dodge Fillmore Goodhue Houston Mower Olmsted Rice Wabasha Winona
See also: List of rivers of Minnesota, North Shore Streams, Wisconsin rivers, Iowa rivers, North Dakota rivers