Elk River (Minnesota)

The Elk River is a river, about 70 mi (115 km) long, in east-central Minnesota in the United States. [ [http://reference.allrefer.com/gazetteer/E/E01947-elk-river.html Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry] ] It is a tributary of the Mississippi River, draining a watershed of 630 mi² (1,632 km²). [Renwick, Mary E., and Eden, Susanna (1999). "Minnesota Rivers: A Primer." St. Paul: Water Resources Center, College of Natural Resources, University of Minnesota.]

Course

The Elk River rises in northern Benton County and initially flows generally southward. In Sherburne County the river turns southeastward, paralleling the Mississippi River for the remainder of its course, past the communities of Becker and Big Lake.DeLorme (1994). "Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer". Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-222-6] It is called "Gaa-biitawi-ziibi" ("the parallelling river") in the Ojibwe due to this parallel course with the MississippiFact|date=February 2007. It joins the Mississippi at the city of Elk River, after passing through Orono Lake, which is formed by a municipal hydroelectric dam. [Waters, Thomas F. (1977). "The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota". Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-0960-8]

Tributaries

In Sherburne County's Big Lake Township, the Elk collects the St. Francis River and the Snake River; [Gnis|652199|Snake River] the latter is a minor stream which flows for its entire length in Sherburne County, generally southward through Santiago, Becker and Big Lake Townships in a straightened and channelized course.

ee also

*List of Minnesota rivers

References

*Gnis|643267|Elk River