Middle River (Iowa)

Middle River
River
The Middle River, looking upstream from the Summerset Trail in Warren County
Country US
State Iowa
Districts Warren County, Iowa, Madison County, Iowa, Adair County, Iowa, Guthrie County, Iowa
Tributaries
 - right South Fork Middle River
Source
 - elevation 1,466 ft (447 m)
 - coordinates 41°35′24″N 94°41′42″W / 41.590°N 94.695°W / 41.590; -94.695
Mouth Des Moines River
 - elevation 758 ft (231 m)
 - coordinates 41°28′55″N 93°24′07″W / 41.482°N 93.402°W / 41.482; -93.402Coordinates: 41°28′55″N 93°24′07″W / 41.482°N 93.402°W / 41.482; -93.402
Map of the Des Moines River watershed with the Middle River highlighted
[1]
The Middle River, looking downstream from the Summerset Trail

The Middle River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in south-central Iowa in the United States. It is 123 miles (198 km) long[2] and drains an area of 489.5 square miles (1,268 km2).[3] Via the Des Moines River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.

The Middle River rises in southwestern Guthrie County and initially flows southeastwardly through Adair County, then eastwardly through Madison County, then east-northeastwardly through Warren County, passing the towns of Casey, Winterset, Patterson, Bevington, Martensdale, Spring Hill and Carlisle.[4] A substantial portion of the Middle River's course through Warren County has been straightened and channelized.[4] It joins the Des Moines River in Warren County near Carlisle, 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Des Moines.[5]

A short headwaters tributary of the river is known as the South Fork Middle River.[6] It rises near the western edge of Guthrie County, about a mile north of Adair, at an elevation of 1,433 feet (437 m) and flows generally east-southeast for about five miles (8.0 km) passing just south of Casey before turning northeast as it empties into the Middle River just east of Casey at an elevation of 1,195 feet (364 m).

See also

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 26, 2011
  2. Iowa Department of Natural Resources/Iowa Geological Survey. Watershed Monitoring and Assessment: Middle River.
  3. 1 2 DeLorme (1998). Iowa Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-214-5.
  4. Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry for Middle River
  5. "South Fork Middle River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.

External links

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