The Couderay River is a 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 Chippewa River

Chippewa River (Wisconsin)

The Chippewa River in Wisconsin flows approximately 183 miles through west-central and northwestern Wisconsin. It was once navigable for approximately 50 miles of its length, from the Mississippi River, by Durand, northeast to Eau Claire. Its catchment defines a portion of the northern boundary...

 in northwestern 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...

. Via the Chippewa River, it is part 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...

 watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

. It flows for its entire length in Sawyer County

Sawyer County, Wisconsin

Sawyer County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 16,196. Its county seat is Hayward.-History:The county is named for Philetus Sawyer, who represented Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in the 19th century.-Geography:According to...

. Its name is derived 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...

 "Rivière des Courte Oreilles" (River of the "Short Ears").

Course

The Couderay River flows from Lac Courte Oreilles

Lac Courte Oreilles

Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...

 and passes through Little Lac Courte Oreilles, the Billy Boy Flowage and the Grimh Flowage. It flows generally east-southeastwardly, through the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation and past the communities of Reserve

Reserve, Wisconsin

Reserve is a census-designated place in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 429 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Reserve is located at ....

, Couderay

Couderay, Wisconsin

Couderay is a village in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Couderay River. The population was 96 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Couderay....

 and Radisson

Radisson, Wisconsin

Radisson is a village in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Couderay River. The population was 222 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Radisson and was named in honor of the early French explorer, Pierre-Esprit Radisson .-Geography:Radisson is located at ...

.