Platte
Map of the Platte River, also showing the South and North Platte River watersheds
Origin	Western Nebraska
Mouth	Missouri River, Nebraska
Basin countries	United States
Length	310 miles (499 km)
Source elevation	2,770 feet (844 m) at North Platte, Nebraska

The Platte River is an approximately 310 mi. Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and 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, North Platte is a city in and the County seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. (499 km) long river in the Western United States. The Western United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American West or simply the West &mdashtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost It is a tributary to the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary to the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to Platte River being one of the most significant river systems in the watershed of the Missouri, it drains a large portion of the central Great Plains in Nebraska and the eastern Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there 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, The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. 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 and the Mormon Trail. Pioneers traveled across the Oregon Trail, one of the main overland migration routes on the North American Continent, in wagons in order to settle new parts of the The Mormon In the 18th century, it was also known among French fur trappers who explored it as the Nebraska River. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

The Platte River is a braided stream 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

Platte River valley west of Omaha, Nebraska

The Platte River is formed in western Nebraska east of the city of North Platte by the confluence of its two affluents, the South Platte and the North Platte rivers, both of which rise in the eastern Rockies near the Continental Divide. Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and North Platte is a city in and the County seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. Wealth derives from the old English word "weal" which means "well-being The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American West, located in the U The North Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 680 mi (1094 km long in the U A continental divide is a line of elevated Terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that Water falling on one side of the line eventually It flows in a large arc, southeast then northeast, across Nebraska south of the Sandhills region, passing Gothenburg, Cozad, Kearney, and Grand Island. The Sand Hills is a region of mixed-grass Prairie in north-central Nebraska, covering just over one quarter of the state Gothenburg is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. Cozad redirects here For the Kiowa drum group see Cozad Singers. Kearney is a city in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. Grand Island is a city in and the County seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. It is joined by the Loup River 5 miles (8. This article is on the Loup River in Nebraska USA for information on the Loup River in southeast France see Loup River (France. 0 km) southeast of Columbus and flows east past North Bend then to Fremont, then south, passing south of Omaha and joining the Missouri 5 miles (8. Columbus is a city in Platte County, Nebraska, United States, 80 miles (148 km west by north of Omaha on the Loup River, a short North Bend is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. Fremont is a city in and the County seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, United States, near Omaha in the eastern part of the state 0 km) north of Plattsmouth. Plattsmouth is a city in Cass County, Nebraska, founded in 1855. Combined with the length of the North Platte, the Platte stretches over 900 miles (1,448 km), with a drainage basin of 90,000 square miles (233,099 km²).

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 and if it weren’t for rivers like the Loup and Elkhorn and also the Salt Creek then the Platte River would run dry due to evaporation and irrigation.

A Great Blue Heron and immature Bald Eagle on the Platte River in Nebraska

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. The Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias, is a wading Bird in the Heron family Ardeidae, common over most of North and Central The Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a Bird of prey found in North America that is most recognizable as the national bird and For much of its length, it is a classic wide and shallow braided stream. Not to be confused with the River Braid Ballymena, Northern Ireland. 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 and Sandhill Crane, in their yearly traversal of the Central Flyway. The Whooping Crane ( Grus americana) the tallest North American bird is an Endangered crane species named for its whooping sound and call The Sandhill Crane ( Grus canadensis) is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The Central Flyway is a Bird migration route that generally follows the Great Plains in the United States and Canada.

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 European to discover the Platte was the French explorer Étienne de Veniard, sieur de Bourgmont in 1714, who named it the Nebraskier, an Oto word meaning "flat water". Étienne de Veniard Sieur de Bourgmont (April 1679-1734 was a French explorer who made the first maps and documentation of the Missouri and Platte rivers Year 1714 ( MDCCXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The French word for flat, platte, was later applied. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The river provided valuable transportation for the French trade in furs with the Pawnee and Oto indians

The Platte lay in a gray area between Spanish and French claims in the Great Plains. The Pawnee (also Paneassa, Pari, Pariki) are a Native American tribe that historically lived along the Platte, Loup and The Otoe or Oto are a Native American people The Otoe language Chiwere, is closely related to that of the Iowa and Missouri Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Joseph Naranjo, a black explorer, had also encountered the Platte, and later guided the Villasur expedition there to stop French expansion. The Villasur expedition of 1720 was a Spanish military expedition intended to check the growing French presence on the Great Plains of central North Theirs was the deepest penetration of Spanish exploration into the central plains. The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spain 's conquest settlement and rule over much of the Western hemisphere.

Ceded to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase, the Platte was explored and mapped by Major Stephen H. Long in 1820. For the film see Louisiana Purchase (film. The Louisiana Purchase (French Vente de la Louisiane "Louisiana Sale" Stephen Harriman Long (December 30 1784 &ndash September 4 1864 was a U Year 1820 ( MDCCCXX) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Platte was used by American trappers, and the Great Platte River Road played an important role in westward expansion during the 19th century. The Great Platte River Road was the convergence point for the Trapper's Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail, the The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar 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 and later for the Union Pacific portion of the first transcontinental railroad. Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the USA was completed in 1869 The Pony Express was a fast Mail service crossing the North American continent from St This article refers to a railroad built in the United States between Omaha and Sacramento completed in 1869 In the 20th century, its valley was used for the route of the Lincoln Highway and later for Interstate 80, which parallels the Platte (and the North Platte) through most of Nebraska. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The Lincoln Highway was the first automobile road across America. Interstate 80 (I-80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States (after I-90)

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.

It is a very important historical piece in that it provided a well known and consistent path for the people who traveled along the Oregon and Mormon Trail. Now it is used as the route which I-80 follows across the middle of our country.

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, James A. Michener's epic novel about the West from prehistoric to modern times, the second chapter is about the geological history of the Platte River tributary. Centennial was a novel written by American author James Michener and published in 1974 James Albert Michener ( February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American author of more than 40 titles the majority of which The river as stopover for sandhill cranes plays an important part in Richard Powers' 2006 novel The Echo Maker. The Sandhill Crane ( Grus canadensis) is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. Richard Powers (born June 18, 1957) is an American Novelist whose works explore the effects of modern science and technology The Echo Maker is a 2006 Novel by American writer Richard Powers which won the National Book Award 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 <http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0300/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskas tudies. org/0300/stories/0301_0112. htm Kirsch, Eileen. Wildlife Monographs, No. 132, Habitat Selection and Productivity of Least Terns on the Lower Platte River, Nebraska (Jan. , 1996), pp. 3-48 Kirsch, Eileen et al. Colonial Waterbirds, Vol. 16, No. 2 (1993), pp. 139-148 Max, Post Van Der Burg. A Diminishing Habitat. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006. McCammon, Sarah. Cohyst Project. UNL. Lincoln: CoJMC, 2006. Nebraska. Natural Resources. Legislative Bill 962. 2004. Nebraska State Map Collection. 29 Apr. 2008 <http://geology.com/state- map/nebraska. shtml>. 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.

See also

• List of Nebraska rivers