Lac qui Parle River
Encyclopedia
The Lac qui Parle River is a tributary
of the Minnesota River
, 118 miles (190 km) long, in southwestern Minnesota
in the United States
. A number of tributaries of the river, including its largest, the West Branch Lac qui Parle River, also flow in eastern South Dakota
. Via the Minnesota River, the Lac qui Parle River is part of the watershed
of the Mississippi River
, draining an area of 1156 square miles (2,994 km²) in an agricultural region. Slightly more than two-thirds of the Lac qui Parle watershed is in Minnesota. Lac qui parle means "the lake which speaks" in the French language
, and was a translation of the Sioux
name for Lac qui Parle
, a lake on the Minnesota River upstream of the mouth of the Lac qui Parle River.
The source of the river is Lake Hendricks on the boundary of Lincoln County, Minnesota
, and Brookings County, South Dakota. It issues from the lake in Hendricks, Minnesota
, and flows northeastwardly through northwestern Lincoln County as an intermittent stream on the Coteau des Prairies
, a morainic
plateau
dividing the Mississippi and Missouri River
watersheds, into western Yellow Medicine County
, where it flows off the Coteau, dropping 250 feet (76 m) in eight miles (13 km). Continuing northeastwardly through flat till plain
s with occasional willow
s and cottonwoods along its banks, the river flows into eastern Lac qui Parle County
, passing to the east of Dawson
. It flows into the Minnesota River just below Lac qui Parle Lake
in Lac qui Parle State Park
, approximately ten miles (15 km) northwest of Montevideo
, after flowing through a wooded valley in which it drops 210 feet (64 m) in 18 miles (29 km). Lac qui Parle Lake was formed by a delta
at the mouth of the Lac qui Parle River, and is presently maintained by a dam
.
The river's largest tributary, the West Branch Lac qui Parle River, 55 miles (89 km) long, rises on the coteau in eastern Deuel County, South Dakota
, and flows initially northeastwardly as an intermittent stream, past Gary, South Dakota
, then eastwardly through Lac qui Parle County, past Dawson. Other tributaries include two small trout
streams: Canby Creek, 24 miles (39 km) long, which flows northeastwardly on the Coteau in western Yellow Medicine County, through Canby
; and Tenmile Creek, 33 miles (53 km) long, which flows eastwardly and northwardly through Lac qui Parle County, through Boyd
.
According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, of the 806 square miles (2,087.5 km²) of the river's watershed in Minnesota, 79% of the land is used for agricultural cultivation, primarily corn
and soybean
s.
's stream gauge
near the community of Lac qui Parle in Lac qui Parle Township
, the annual mean flow of the river between 1910 and 2005 was 157 cubic feet per second (4 m³/s). The highest recorded flow during the period was 17,100 ft³/s (484 m³/s) on April 10, 1969. Readings of zero were recorded on numerous days during several years.
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 Minnesota River
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
, 118 miles (190 km) long, in southwestern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A number of tributaries of the river, including its largest, the West Branch Lac qui Parle River, also flow in eastern South Dakota
South Dakota
South 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...
. Via the Minnesota River, the Lac qui Parle River is part of the 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...
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...
, draining an area of 1156 square miles (2,994 km²) in an agricultural region. Slightly more than two-thirds of the Lac qui Parle watershed is in Minnesota. Lac qui parle means "the lake which speaks" in the French language
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...
, and was a translation of the Sioux
Sioux language
Sioux is a Siouan language spoken by over 33,000 Sioux in the United States and Canada, making it the fifth most spoken indigenous language in the United States or Canada, behind Navajo, Cree, Inuit and Ojibwe.-Regional variation:...
name for Lac qui Parle
Lac qui Parle
Lac qui Parle is a reservoir located in western Minnesota, United States, which was formed by the damming of the Minnesota River. The dam was built by the Works Progress Administration . Lac qui Parle is a French translation of the native Dakota name, meaning "lake which speaks".The northernmost...
, a lake on the Minnesota River upstream of the mouth of the Lac qui Parle River.
The source of the river is Lake Hendricks on the boundary of Lincoln County, Minnesota
Lincoln County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,429 people, 2,653 households, and 1,785 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile . There were 3,043 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...
, and Brookings County, South Dakota. It issues from the lake in Hendricks, Minnesota
Hendricks, Minnesota
Hendricks is a city in Lincoln County, Minnesota, in the United States. The population was 713 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 1.03% is water...
, and flows northeastwardly through northwestern Lincoln County as an intermittent stream on the Coteau des Prairies
Coteau des Prairies
The 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...
, a morainic
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
dividing the Mississippi and Missouri River
Missouri River
The 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...
watersheds, into western Yellow Medicine County
Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota
-External links:***...
, where it flows off the Coteau, dropping 250 feet (76 m) in eight miles (13 km). Continuing northeastwardly through flat till plain
Till plain
A till plain is an extensive flat plain of glacial till that forms when a sheet of ice becomes detached from the main body of a glacier and melts in place depositing the sediments it carried. A till plain with irregular topography is referred to as a ground moraine.-See also:*Glacial till plains...
s with occasional willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
s and cottonwoods along its banks, the river flows into eastern Lac qui Parle County
Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,067 people, 3,316 households, and 2,225 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 3,774 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
, passing to the east of Dawson
Dawson, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,539 people, 677 households, and 398 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,043.4 people per square mile . There were 756 housing units at an average density of 512.6 per square mile...
. It flows into the Minnesota River just below Lac qui Parle Lake
Lac qui Parle
Lac qui Parle is a reservoir located in western Minnesota, United States, which was formed by the damming of the Minnesota River. The dam was built by the Works Progress Administration . Lac qui Parle is a French translation of the native Dakota name, meaning "lake which speaks".The northernmost...
in Lac qui Parle State Park
Lac Qui Parle State Park
Lac qui Parle State Park is a Minnesota state park near Watson. Lac qui Parle is a French translation of the native Dakota name, meaning "lake which speaks"...
, approximately ten miles (15 km) northwest of Montevideo
Montevideo, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,346 people, 2,353 households, and 1,444 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,190.5 people per square mile . There were 2,551 housing units at an average density of 568.1 per square mile...
, after flowing through a wooded valley in which it drops 210 feet (64 m) in 18 miles (29 km). Lac qui Parle Lake was formed by a delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
at the mouth of the Lac qui Parle River, and is presently maintained by a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
.
The river's largest tributary, the West Branch Lac qui Parle River, 55 miles (89 km) long, rises on the coteau in eastern Deuel County, South Dakota
Deuel County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,498 people, 1,843 households, and 1,258 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile . There were 2,172 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
, and flows initially northeastwardly as an intermittent stream, past Gary, South Dakota
Gary, South Dakota
Gary is a city in Deuel County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 227 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Gary is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land...
, then eastwardly through Lac qui Parle County, past Dawson. Other tributaries include two small trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
streams: Canby Creek, 24 miles (39 km) long, which flows northeastwardly on the Coteau in western Yellow Medicine County, through Canby
Canby, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there are 1,903 people, 842 households, and 453 families residing in the city. The population density is 876.5 people per square mile . There are 918 housing units at an average density of 422.8 per square mile...
; and Tenmile Creek, 33 miles (53 km) long, which flows eastwardly and northwardly through Lac qui Parle County, through Boyd
Boyd, Minnesota
Boyd is a city in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 175 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
.
According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, of the 806 square miles (2,087.5 km²) of the river's watershed in Minnesota, 79% of the land is used for agricultural cultivation, primarily corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s.
Flow rate
At the United States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
's stream gauge
Stream gauge
A stream gauge, stream gage or gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water surface elevation and/or volumetric discharge are generally taken and observations of biota may also be...
near the community of Lac qui Parle in Lac qui Parle Township
Lac qui Parle Township, Minnesota
Lac qui Parle Township is a township in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 183 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, the annual mean flow of the river between 1910 and 2005 was 157 cubic feet per second (4 m³/s). The highest recorded flow during the period was 17,100 ft³/s (484 m³/s) on April 10, 1969. Readings of zero were recorded on numerous days during several years.