The Bad Axe River is a 4.2 miles (6.8 km) tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 in southwestern Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. "Bad axe" is a translation from the French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, "la mauvaise hache", but the origin of the name is unknown. The river's mouth at the Mississippi was the site of the Battle of Bad Axe

Battle of Bad Axe

The Battle of Bad Axe, also known as the Bad Axe Massacre, occurred 1–2 August 1832, between Sauk and Fox Indians and United States Army regulars and militia. This final battle of the Black Hawk War took place near present-day Victory, Wisconsin in the United States...

, an 1832 U.S. Army massacre of Sac and Fox

Meskwaki

The Meskwaki are a Native American people often known to outsiders as the Fox tribe. They have often been closely linked to the Sauk people. In their own language, the Meskwaki call themselves Meshkwahkihaki, which means "the Red-Earths." Historically their homelands were in the Great Lakes region...

 Indians

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 at the end of the Black Hawk War

Black Hawk War

The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....

.

Course

The Bad Axe River flows for its entire length in western Vernon County

Vernon County, Wisconsin

Vernon County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2009, the population estimate was 29,324. Its county seat is Viroqua.-History:...

, and for most of its length as two streams, the North Fork Bad Axe River and the South Fork Bad Axe River. The North Fork rises at the town of Westby

Westby, Wisconsin

Westby is a city in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,045 at the 2000 census.-History:Westby was named after general store owner and Civil War Union soldier Ole T. Westby of Biri, Norway, where many of the city's Norwegian-American settlers originated...

 and flows generally southwestwardly for 31 miles (49.9 km). The South Fork rises about 3 miles (5 km) south of Viroqua

Viroqua, Wisconsin

Viroqua is the county seat of Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,079 at the 2010 census. The city is located within the Town of Viroqua.-History:...

 and flows westwardly for 16 miles (25.7 km). The main stem of the Bad Axe flows for less than 5 miles (8 km) westward from the convergence of the two forks to its confluence with the Mississippi, about 6 miles (10 km) south of Genoa

Genoa, Wisconsin

Genoa is a village in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 263 at the 2000 census. The village is within the Town of Genoa. There is also a village named Genoa City, Wisconsin.-Economy:...

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