Kankakee River

Kankakee River
Theakiki,[1] Aukiki[1]
View of the river from Kankakee, Illinois, near Cobb Park
Map
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana, Illinois
RegionUpper Illinois River Valley, Upper Mississippi Basin
CitiesSouth Bend, Indiana, Kankakee, Illinois
Physical characteristics
SourceSt. Joseph County, Indiana
 • locationPortage Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana
 • coordinates41°39′14.864″N 86°18′19.0404″W / 41.65412889°N 86.305289000°W / 41.65412889; -86.305289000
 • elevation725 ft (221 m)
MouthIllinois River
 • location
Goose Lake Township, Illinois
 • coordinates
41°23′25.4292″N 88°15′37.1478″W / 41.390397000°N 88.260318833°W / 41.390397000; -88.260318833
 • elevation
508 ft (155 m)
Length133 mi (214 km)
Basin size5,150 sq mi (13,300 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationWilmington, Will County, Illinois
 • average4,823 cu ft/s (136.6 m3/s)
 • minimum204 cu ft/s (5.8 m3/s)
 • maximum75,900 cu ft/s (2,150 m3/s)
Basin features
ProgressionKankakee River → IllinoisMississippiGulf of Mexico
Tributaries 
 • leftYellow River, Iroquois River
 • rightLittle Kankakee River, Crooked Creek (Indiana)

The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately 133 miles (214 km) long,[2] in the Central Corn Belt Plains of northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time, the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. Significantly altered from its original channel, it flows through a primarily rural farming region of reclaimed cropland, south of Lake Michigan.

  1. ^ a b "Brief History of LaPorte County". Archived from the original on May 17, 2008.
  2. ^ United States Geological Survey. "National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flow line data". The National Map. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2011.

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