The Platte 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 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 central 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...

. It is about 48 mi (77 km) long.

Course

The Platte flows from Platte Lake in southeastern Crow Wing County

Crow Wing County, Minnesota

Crow Wing County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 62,500. Its county seat is Brainerd.-Geography:...

 and follows a generally southwestward course through eastern Morrison County

Morrison County, Minnesota

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,712 people, 11,816 households, and 8,460 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile . There were 13,870 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...

, past the towns of Harding

Harding, Minnesota

Harding is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States, along the Platte River. The population was 125 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

 and Royalton

Royalton, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 816 people, 322 households, and 209 families residing in the city. The population density was 473.7 people per square mile . There were 328 housing units at an average density of 190.4 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 98.77% White, 0.25%...

. It flows into the Mississippi River in Benton County

Benton County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,226 people, 13,065 households, and 8,518 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 13,460 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...

, about 3 mi (5 km) south of Royalton.

The Platte's largest tributary is the Skunk River

Skunk River (Platte River)

-References:***USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Minnesota...

, which joins it in Morrison County.