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The Platte River is an approximately . (499 km) long river in the Western United States
Western United States

The Western United States—commonly referred to as the American West or simply The West—traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost U.S....
. It is a tributary to the Missouri River
Missouri River

The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and the longest river in the United States of America. The Missouri begins at the confluence of the Madison River, Jefferson River, and Gallatin River rivers in Montana, and flows through Missouri River Valley south and east into the Mississippi north of St....
, which in turn is a tributary to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. Platte River being one of the most significant river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
 systems in the watershed
Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean....
 of the Missouri, it drains a large portion of the central Great Plains
Great Plains

The Great Plains are the broad expanse of prairie and steppe which lie west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada....
 in Nebraska
Nebraska

Nebraska is a U.S. state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Western United States.Nebraska probably gets its name from the archaic Chiwere language words ?? Br?sge or the Omaha-Ponca language N? Bth?ska meaning "flat water," after the Platte River that flows through the state....
 and the eastern Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
 in Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
 and Wyoming
Wyoming

The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
. The river was highly significant in the westward expansion of the United States, providing the route for several major westward trails, including the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail was one of the main overland migration routes on the North American continent, leading from locations on the Missouri River to the Oregon Territory....
 and the Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail

The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846-1857....
.






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Encyclopedia


The Platte River is an approximately . (499 km) long river in the Western United States
Western United States

The Western United States—commonly referred to as the American West or simply The West—traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost U.S....
. It is a tributary to the Missouri River
Missouri River

The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and the longest river in the United States of America. The Missouri begins at the confluence of the Madison River, Jefferson River, and Gallatin River rivers in Montana, and flows through Missouri River Valley south and east into the Mississippi north of St....
, which in turn is a tributary to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. Platte River being one of the most significant river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
 systems in the watershed
Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean....
 of the Missouri, it drains a large portion of the central Great Plains
Great Plains

The Great Plains are the broad expanse of prairie and steppe which lie west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada....
 in Nebraska
Nebraska

Nebraska is a U.S. state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Western United States.Nebraska probably gets its name from the archaic Chiwere language words ?? Br?sge or the Omaha-Ponca language N? Bth?ska meaning "flat water," after the Platte River that flows through the state....
 and the eastern Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
 in Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
 and Wyoming
Wyoming

The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
. The river was highly significant in the westward expansion of the United States, providing the route for several major westward trails, including the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail was one of the main overland migration routes on the North American continent, leading from locations on the Missouri River to the Oregon Territory....
 and the Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail

The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846-1857....
. In the 18th century, it was also known among French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 fur trappers who explored it as the Nebraska River.

The Platte River is a braided stream
Braided river

Not to be confused with the River Braid, Ballymena, Northern Ireland. For other uses see Braid .A braided river is one of a number of channel types and has a channel that consists of a network of small channel s separated by small and often temporary islands called braid bars or, in British usage, aits or eyots....
 that spans from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming to the Missouri River. It then pours into the Missouri River which leads into the Mississippi River and then into the Gulf of Mexico.

Description


The Platte River is formed in western Nebraska east of the city of North Platte
North Platte, Nebraska

North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North Platte River and South Platte River Platte Rivers forming the Platte River....
 by the confluence of its two affluent
Tributary

A tributary is a stream or river which flows into a Mainstem river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea. Tributaries and the mainstem river serve to drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater by leading the water out into an ocean or some other large body of water....
s, the South Platte
South Platte River

The South Platte River, historically known as the Rio Jesus Maria, is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American West, located in the U.S....
 and the North Platte River
North Platte River

The North Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 680 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. It forms the Platte at its confluence with the South Platte River in western Nebraska....
s, both of which rise in the eastern Rockies near the Continental Divide
Continental Divide

The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Divide or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the drainage basin that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, 1) those river systems which drain into the Atlantic Ocean , and 2)...
. It flows in a large arc, southeast then northeast, across Nebraska south of the Sandhills region, passing Gothenburg
Gothenburg, Nebraska

Gothenburg is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lexington, Nebraska Lexington micropolitan area. The population was 3,619 at the United States Census, 2000....
, Cozad
Cozad, Nebraska

Cozad is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,163 at the 2000 United States Census. The town is on the Great Plains of central Nebraska, along the Union Pacific Railroad and U.S....
, Kearney
Kearney, Nebraska

Kearney is a city in Buffalo County, Nebraska, Nebraska, United States. The population was 27,431 at the 2000 United States Census. It is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska and home to the University of Nebraska-Kearney....
, and Grand Island
Grand Island, Nebraska

Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, Nebraska, United States. The population was 42,940 at the 2000 United States Census....
. It is joined by the Loup River
Loup River

This article is on the Loup River in Nebraska, USA; for information on the Loup River in southeast France, see Loup River .The Loup River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately long, in central Nebraska in the United States....
  southeast of Columbus
Columbus, Nebraska

Columbus is a city in Platte County, Nebraska, Nebraska, United States, 80 miles west by north of Omaha, Nebraska on the Loup River, a short distance above the confluence with the Platte River....
 and flows east past North Bend
North Bend, Nebraska

North Bend is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,213 at the 2000 United States Census....
 then to Fremont
Fremont, Nebraska

Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, Nebraska, United States, near Omaha, Nebraska in the eastern part of the state....
, then south, passing south of Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River....
 and joining the Missouri north of Plattsmouth
Plattsmouth, Nebraska

Plattsmouth is a city in Cass County, Nebraska, Nebraska, founded in 1855. The population was 6,887 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Cass County, Nebraska....
. Combined with the length of the North Platte, the Platte stretches over , with a drainage basin of .

The Platte River has three main stretches from the Rocky Mountains to North Platte, Nebraska from there to Columbus, Nebraska and the onto the Missouri River. It starts from ice melt in the mountains and then follows down to the plains of Nebraska where it is used to irrigate farmland. The Platte is stabilized by reservoir storage of flood water and return flow by ground storage and many small tributaries along the entire length of the river.

The Platte River is connected to many numbers of tributaries such as the North and South Platte Rivers which originate in the Rocky Mountains. From there it loses water on its way to the Missouri River: were it not for rivers such as the Loup, the Elkhorn and the Salt Creek, the Platte River would run dry due to evaporation and irrigation.

The Platte drains one of the most arid areas of the Great Plains and thus its flow is considerably lower than rivers of comparable length in North America. For much of its length, it is a classic wide and shallow braided stream. During pioneer days, the common humorous description was that the Platte was "a mile wide at the mouth, but only six inches deep." 49ers said it was "too thick to drink, too thin to plow". In western Nebraska, the banks and riverbed of the Platte provide a green oasis amid an otherwise semi-arid region of North America. The central Platte River valley is an important stopover for migratory water birds, such as the Whooping Crane
Whooping Crane

The Whooping Crane , the tallest North American bird, is an endangered Crane species named for its whooping sound and call. Along with the Sandhill Crane, it is one of only two cranes species found in North America....
 and Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane

The Sandhill Crane is a large Crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American midwest....
, in their yearly traversal of the Central Flyway
Central Flyway

The Central Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Great Plains in the United States and Canada. The main endpoints of the flyway include central Canada and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico; the migration route tends to narrow considerably in the Platte River and Missouri River valleys of central and eastern N...
.

This river has shrunk significantly in the past 70 years. This reduction in size is attributed in part to irrigation, and to a much greater extent to the waters diverted and used by the growing population of Colorado, which has outstripped the ability of its groundwater to sustain them.

History


The first Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an to discover the Platte was the French explorer Étienne de Veniard, sieur de Bourgmont
Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont

?tienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont was a France explorer who made the first maps and documentation of the Missouri River and Platte River rivers....
 in 1714, who named it the Nebraskier, an Oto
Otoe tribe

The Otoe or Oto are a Native Americans in the United States people. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is closely related to that of the Iowa tribe and Missouri tribe....
 word meaning "flat water". The French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 word for flat, plate (pronounced plat, or platte), was later applied. The river provided valuable transportation for the French trade in furs with the Pawnee
Pawnee

The Pawnee are a Native Americans in the United States tribe that historically lived along the Platte River, Loup River and Republican Rivers in present-day Nebraska and in Northern Kansas....
 and Oto Indians

The Platte lay in a gray area between Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 and French claims in the Great Plains. Joseph Naranjo, a black explorer, had also encountered the Platte, and later guided the Villasur expedition
Villasur expedition

The Villasur expedition of 1720 was a Spanish colonization of the Americas intended to check the growing New France presence on the Great Plains of central North America....
 there to stop French expansion. Theirs was the deepest penetration of Spanish exploration
Spanish colonization of the Americas

The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spain's conquest, settlement, and rule over much of the western hemisphere. Beginning with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, over three centuries the Spanish Empire expanded from early small settlements in the Caribbean to include Central America, most of South America, Mexico, what toda...
 into the central plains.

Ceded to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of the French territory Louisiana in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million French franc plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs , a total cost of $15,000,000 for the Louisiana territory....
, the Platte was explored and mapped by Major Stephen H. Long in 1820. The Platte was used by American trappers, and the Great Platte River Road
Great Platte River Road

The Great Platte River Road was the convergence point for the Trapper's Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail, the Pony Express route, and the military road from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Laramie across Nebraska....
 played an important role in westward expansion during the 19th century. It provided fresh water, game, and a clear path westward for the pioneers. Both the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail followed the Platte (and the North Platte). In the 1860s, the Platte and North Platte furnished the route of Pony Express
Pony Express

The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the North American continent from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 1860 to October 1861....
 and later for the Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
 portion of the first transcontinental railroad. In the 20th century, its valley was used for the route of the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway

The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States. Actively promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway originally spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, California through 13 states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebras...
 and later for Interstate 80
Interstate 80

Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States . It connects downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City....
, which parallels the Platte (and the North Platte) through most of Nebraska.

This is also why many or most of Nebraska’s larger cities are located on or near the Platte River such as Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Grand Island, and North Platte. There were also historical sites along the Platte River such as Fort Kearny and other fur trading posts mostly due to the ease and abundance of traveling along the Platte River.

Then in 1859 the first irrigation ditch was built to divert water from the Platte in order to be used in farming. There are also many reservoirs along the Platte River used to supply water for farming irrigation such as Swanson Reservoir, Lake McConaughy, and Plum Creek Reservoir.

Species

The Platte is in the middle of the Central Flyway which is a primary North- South Corridor for migratory birds which affects many species including the Whooping Crane, Piping Plover, and Interior Least Tern which are all endangered and protected under the Platte River Endangered Species Partnership as well as the Pallid Sturgeon. It is also home to many other plants and animals.

Plants that occur often in the Platte River area are Big and Little Bluestem, switch grass, and cottonwood trees. Some of the more charismatic animals are white-tail deer, many types of catfish, Canada geese, and bald eagles. The Platte River has always been able to support many animals but recently due to urbanization and farming the ecosystem is being depleted.

Policy

The criteria for over appropriation according to the final reading of LB 962 is if the river basin, sub basin, or reach is subject to an interstate cooperative agreement among three or more states and if , prior to such date, the department has declared a moratorium on the issuance of new surface water appropriations in such river basin, sub basin or reach and has requested each natural resource district with jurisdiction in the affected area in such river basin, sub basin or reach either to close or to continue in effect a previously adopted closure of all or part of such river basin, sub basin, or reach to the issuance of additional water well permits in accordance with subdivision. The Platte River basin is mostly currently under over appropriation conditions.

There are also other policies currently in use. One of these that are being used to hopefully decrease the chance of waters becoming over appropriated is Platte River Cooperative Hydrology Study (COHYST) which is a product of the LB 962 bill. COHYST is a seven million dollar study of areas along the Platte River with goals to manage flows in the Platte River in order to benefit wildlife and determine whether or not areas are over appropriated.

Literary reference

In Centennial
Centennial (novel)

Centennial was a novel written by United States author James Michener and published in 1974.Centennial traces the history of the plains of northeast Colorado from prehistory until the early 1970s....
, James A. Michener
James A. Michener

James Albert Michener was an United States author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which are novels of sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in a particular geographic locale and incorporating historical facts into the story as well....
's epic novel about the West from prehistoric to modern times, the second chapter is about the geological history of the Platte River tributary. The river as stopover for sandhill crane
Sandhill Crane

The Sandhill Crane is a large Crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American midwest....
s plays an important part in Richard Powers
Richard Powers

Richard Powers is an United States novelist whose works explore the effects of modern science and technology....
' 2006 novel The Echo Maker
The Echo Maker

The Echo Maker is a 2006 novel by American writer Richard Powers which won the National Book Award for fiction. It was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction....
.

Algis, Laukaitis J. Searching for the Source. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006. Caponera, Daunte. Principles of Water Law and Administration: National and International. Taylor and Francis, 1992. 126-127. Carolyn, Johnsen. Wrestling for Resources. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006. Condra, G. E. Development of the Platte River Bottomland in South Central Nebraska. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 21 (1931): 101-105. Endangered and Threatened Species of the Platte River. Washington, DC: The National Academies P, 2005. Europeans Compete for Trade. Nebraska Studies. 20 Apr. 2008 . Nemec, Kristine. Underground Treasure Trove. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006. Phelps, Steven. Genetic Identity of Pallid and Shovelnose Sturgeon. Copeia, Vol. 1983, No. 3 (Aug. 16, 1983), pp. 696-700 Summary of LB 962 Activities. Nebraska Department Natural Resources, 2004.

Further reading

  • Bruce, B.W. and P.B. McMahon. (1998). Shallow ground-water quality of selected land-use/aquifer settings in the South Platte River Basin, Colorado and Nebraska, 1993-95 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 97-4229]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Condon, S.M. (2005). Geologic studies of the Platte River, south-central Nebraska and adjacent areas, geologic maps, subsurface study, and geologic history [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1706]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Dennehy, D.F. et al. (1998). Water quality in the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, 1992-95 [U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1167]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Druliner, A.D., B.J. Esmoil, and J.M. Spears. (1999). Field screening of water quality, bottom sediment, and biota associated with irrigation drainage in the North Platte Project area, Nebraska and Wyoming, 1995 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 98-4210]. Lincoln, NE: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Hardgree, M. (1995). A selected bibliography on the hydrology of the Platte River Basin in Nebraska through 1991 [U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-496]. Lincoln, NE: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Kimbrough, R.A. and D.W. Litke. (1998). Pesticides in surface water in agricultural and urban areas of the South Platte River Basin, from Denver, Colorado, to North Platte, Nebraska, 1993-94 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 97-4230]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Larson, L.R. (1985). Water quality of the North Platte River, east-central Wyoming [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 84-4172]. Cheyenne, WY: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Litke, D.W. (1996). Sources and loads of nutrients in the South Platte River, Colorado and Nebraska, 1994-95 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 96-4029]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Sprague, L.A. and A.I. Greve. (2003). Changes in nutrient and pesticide concentrations in urban and agricultural areas of the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska, 1994-2000 [U.S. Geological Survey Water-resources Investigations Report 02-4270]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.


See also