The
Big Sioux River is a tributary of the
Missouri RiverThe Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, 419 miles (674.3 km) long, in eastern
South DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
and northwestern
IowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The
United States Board on Geographic NamesThe United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...
settled on "Big Sioux River" as the stream's name in 1961.
The Big Sioux River rises in
Roberts County, South DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 10,016 people, 3,683 households, and 2,618 families residing in the county. The population density was 9 people per square mile . There were 4,734 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
on a low plateau known as the
Coteau des PrairiesThe Coteau des Prairies is a plateau approximately 200 miles in length and 100 miles in width , rising from the prairie flatlands in eastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa in the United States...
and flows generally southwardly through
GrantAs of the census of 2000, there were 7,847 people, 3,116 households, and 2,156 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile . There were 3,456 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
,
CodingtonAs of the census of 2000, there were 25,897 people, 10,357 households, and 6,877 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile . There were 11,324 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
,
HamlinAs of the census of 2000, there were 5,540 people, 2,048 households, and 1,452 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 2,626 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
,
Brookings,
MoodyAs of the census of 2000, there were 6,595 people, 2,526 households, and 1,763 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile . There were 2,745 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
, and
MinnehahaAs of the census of 2000, there were 148,281 people, 57,996 households, and 37,581 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 60,237 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...
counties, past the communities of
WatertownWatertown is a city in and the county seat of Codington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 21,482 at the 2010 census. It is also the principal city of the Watertown Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Codington and Hamlin counties...
,
CastlewoodCastlewood is a city in Hamlin County, South Dakota, United States. It is part of the Watertown, South Dakota Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 627 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
,
BruceBruce is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 204 at the 2010 census. It was first called Lee when it was founded in 1881 but was renamed in 1883 for the son one of the early North Western railroad officials. Or it may have been named after Blanche K. Bruce, a...
,
FlandreauFlandreau is a city in Moody County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,341 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Moody County...
,
EganEgan is a city in Moody County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 278 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Egan is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
,
TrentTrent is a town in Moody County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 232 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Trent is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
,
Dell RapidsDell Rapids is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,633 at the 2010 census. It is known as "The little city with the big attractions."-Geography:...
, and
BalticBaltic is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,089 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Baltic is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
to
Sioux FallsSioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
, where it passes over a
waterfallA waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
which gives that city its name. Downstream of Sioux Falls and the community of
BrandonThere were 1,909 households out of which 53.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.0% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.6% were non-families. 13.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone...
, the Big Sioux is used to define the boundary between South Dakota and Iowa, flowing along the eastern borders of
LincolnAs of the census of 2000, there were 24,131 people, 8,782 households, and 6,665 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile . There were 9,131 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
and
UnionAs of the census of 2000, there were 12,584 people, 4,927 households, and 3,517 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 5,345 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
counties in South Dakota, and the western borders of
Lyon-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 11,581 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,848 housing units, of which 4,442 were occupied.-2000 census:...
,
Sioux-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 33,704 in the county, with a population density of . There were 12,279 housing units, of which 11,584 were occupied.-2000 census:...
and
PlymouthPlymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 24,986 in the 2010 census, an increase from 24,849 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Le Mars...
counties in Iowa, past the communities of
CantonCanton is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States. The city was named by Norwegian settler and former legislator James M. Wahl...
,
FairviewFairview is a town in Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 60 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Fairview is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
,
HudsonHudson is a town in Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 296 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hudson is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
,
North Sioux CityAs of the census of 2000, there were 2,288 people, 916 households, and 621 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,021.7 people per square mile . There were 953 housing units at an average density of 425.6 per square mile...
, and
Dakota DunesDakota Dunes is an unincorporated, master-planned residential and commercial development covering about in Union County in the extreme southeast corner of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The development is sandwiched between the Big Sioux River and the Missouri River...
in South Dakota and
BeloitBeloit is an unincorporated community in Lyon County, Iowa, United States.-Geography:Beloit is located on the banks of the Big Sioux River in northwestern Iowa just across the river from Canton, South Dakota. U.S. Route 18 is just one mile to the north in Canton.-History:Originally served by the...
,
HawardenHawarden is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,478 at the 2000 census. It is located on the Big Sioux River.-Geography:Hawarden is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
and
AkronAkron is a city in Plymouth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,489 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Akron is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
in Iowa. It joins the Missouri River from the north at
Sioux City, IowaSioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
.
Tributaries
The Big Sioux River collects the
Rock RiverThe Rock River is a tributary of the Big Sioux River, about long, in southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. Via the Big Sioux and Missouri rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.-Course:...
from the northeast in Sioux County, Iowa. A minor headwaters tributary of the Big Sioux in Grant County, South Dakota, is known as the
Indian River.
Broken Kettle CreekBroken Kettle Creek is a stream in Plymouth County, Iowa. It is a tributary of the Big Sioux River. The creek rises in Preston Township, flows generally south by southwest, and meets the Big Sioux River in Hancock Township, approximately three miles northeast of Jefferson, South...
has its confluence with the Big Sioux in Plymouth County, Iowa.
Flood control
Between 1955 and 1961, an extensive flood control system was constructed along the Big Sioux and some of its tributaries in Sioux Falls to protect the city from a
100-year floodA one-hundred-year flood is calculated to be the level of flood water expected to be equaled or exceeded every 100 years on average. The 100-year flood is more accurately referred to as the 1% annual exceedance probability flood, since it is a flood that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded...
event. Features of the system include 29 miles (46.7 km) of levees, a floodwall in downtown, and a 15000 feet (4,572 m) diversion channel with a dam at one end and a 118 feet (36 m) spillway at the other. The diversion channel connects two ends of the Big Sioux's natural loop around central Sioux Falls in an effort to channel floodwater away from the city. The levees then act to contain any floodwater either remaining in the natural channel or originating from Skunk Creek (whose mouth is downriver of the diversion dam). Additionally, a
greenwayA greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...
covers much of the river's floodplain in southern and eastern Sioux Falls, further mitigating any property damage from high water.
See also
- List of Iowa rivers
- List of South Dakota rivers
- Little Sioux River
The Little Sioux is a river in the United States. It rises in southwest Minnesota near the Iowa border, and continues to flow southwest for 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...
- River borders of U.S. states
Because of its unique history, many of the boundaries of political divisions of the United States were artificially constructed . Therefore, many U.S. states have straight lines as boundaries, especially in the West...
- Blood Run Site
The Blood Run Site is an archaeological site on the border of the US states of Iowa and South Dakota. The site was essentially populated for 8,500 years, within which earthworks structures were built by the Oneota Culture and occupied descendant tribes such as the Ioway, Otoe, Missouri, and shared...
- Native American Settlement