The South Platte River is one of the two principal
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
of the
Platte River
The Platte River () is a major river in the State of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itsel ...
. Flowing through the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
s of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
and
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, it is itself a major river of the American
Midwest and the American
Southwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
/
Mountain West. Its
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
includes much of the eastern flank of the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
in Colorado, much of the populated region known as the
Colorado Front Range and
Eastern Plains
The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains and east of the population centers of the Front Range.
Geography
The Eastern Plains are part of the High Plains, which are the wester ...
, and a portion of southeastern
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
in the vicinity of the city of
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...
. It joins the
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long, counting its many curves.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 21, 2011 In a ...
in western Nebraska to form the Platte, which then flows across Nebraska to the
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
. The river serves as the principal source of water for eastern Colorado. In its valley along the foothills in Colorado, it has permitted
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
in an area of the
Colorado Piedmont
The Colorado Piedmont is an area along the base of the foothills of the Front Range in north central Colorado in the United States. The region consists of a broad hilly valley, just under 5000 ft (1500 m) in elevation, stretching north and northe ...
and
Great Plains that is otherwise arid.
Description
The river is formed in
Park County, Colorado
Park County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,390. The county seat is Fairplay. The county was named after the large geographic region known as South Park, which was named by early f ...
, southwest of
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
in the
South Park grassland basin by the confluence of the
South Fork and
Middle Fork, about southeast of
Fairplay
FairPlay is a digital rights management (DRM) technology developed by Apple Inc. It is built into the MP4 multimedia file format as an encrypted AAC audio layer, and was used until April 2009 by the company to protect copyrighted works sold ...
. Both forks rise along the eastern flank of the
Mosquito Range
The Mosquito Range (elevation approximately 14,000 ft) is a high mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The peaks of the range form a ridge running north–south for roughly 40 mi (64 km) fr ...
, on the western side of South Park, which is drained by the tributaries at the headwaters of the river. From South Park, it passes through of the
Platte Canyon
The Platte Canyon is a deep, narrow, scenic gorge on the South Platte River in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The canyon is southwest of Denver on the border between Jefferson and Douglas counties. The canyon is at the entrance to the mountai ...
and its lower section, Waterton Canyon. Here, it is joined by the
North Fork before emerging from the foothills southwest of the Denver suburb of
Littleton. At Littleton, the river is impounded to form
Chatfield Reservoir
Chatfield Dam and Reservoir is a dam and artificial lake located on the South Platte River, south of Littleton, Colorado. The dam and reservoir were built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a response to the disastrous flood of 1965. ...
, a flood-control basin for the
Denver metropolitan area.
The river flows north through central Denver, which was founded along its banks at its confluence with
Cherry Creek. The valley through Denver is highly industrialized, serving generally as the route for both the
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
lines, as well as
Interstate 25. On the north side of Denver, it is joined somewhat inconspicuously by
Clear Creek, which descends from the mountains to the west in a canyon that was the cradle of the
Pike's Peak Gold Rush
The Pike's Peak Gold Rush (later known as the Colorado Gold Rush) was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 ...
. North of Denver, it flows through the agricultural heartland of the Piedmont (a
shale region that was formed through erosion by the ancestor of the river following the creation of the Rockies). It flows directly past the communities of
Brighton and
Fort Lupton, and is joined in succession by
Saint Vrain Creek, the
Little Thompson River
The Little Thompson River is a tributary of the Big Thompson River and thence the South Platte River in the U.S. state of Colorado.
The river's headwaters lie in the Roosevelt National Forest. It flows east through the foothills of the Rocky Mou ...
, the
Big Thompson River
The Big Thompson River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 78 miles (123 km) long, in the U.S. state of Colorado. Originating in Forest Canyon in Rocky Mountain National Park, the river flows into Lake Estes in the town ...
, and the
Cache la Poudre River
The Cache la Poudre River ( ), also known as the Poudre River, is a river in the state of Colorado in the United States.
Name
The name of the river () is a corruption of the original Cache à la Poudre, or "cache of powder". It refers to an ...
, which it receives just east of
Greeley.
East of Greeley, it turns eastward, flowing across the
Colorado Eastern Plains
The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains and east of the population centers of the Front Range.
Geography
The Eastern Plains are part of the High Plains, which are the western ...
, past
Fort Morgan Fort Morgan can apply to any one of several places in the United States:
*Fort Morgan (Alabama), a fort at the mouth of Mobile Bay
*Fort Morgan, Alabama, a nearby community
*Fort Morgan (Colorado), a frontier military post located in present-day Fo ...
and
Brush, where it turns northeastward. It continues past
Sterling, and runs into Nebraska between
Julesburg, Colorado
Julesburg is the statutory town that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Sedgwick County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,225 at the 2010 United States Census.
It is close to the Nebraska border.
History
T ...
, and
Big Springs, Nebraska
Big Springs is a village in Deuel County, Nebraska, Deuel County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 400 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census.
History
The first name of the settlement was "Lone Tree", after a large cottonwood t ...
. In Nebraska, it passes south of
Ogallala and joins the
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long, counting its many curves.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 21, 2011 In a ...
near the city of
North Platte.
The South Platte River through Denver is on the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA) list of impaired waterbodies for pathogen impairment, with ''E. coli ''as the representative pathogen species. Other water issues involve the appearance of the
New Zealand mud snail
The New Zealand mud snail (''Potamopyrgus antipodarum'') is a species of very small freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum. This aquatic gastropod mollusk is in the family Tateidae.
It is native to New Zealand, where it is found throug ...
and
zebra mussel
The zebra mussel (''Dreissena polymorpha'') is a small freshwater mussel. The species originates from the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in ma ...
.
History
The South Platte was originally called Niinéniiniicíihéhe by the native Arapaho people who lived on its banks. The early Spanish explorers called it the Rio Chato (calm river). In 1702, it was named the Rio Jesus Maria by Captain Jose Lopez, the Tewa Irish scout and captain of war of the New Mexico Indian Auxiliaries, who was ordered by the viceroy of New Spain to search the Tierra Incognita for a French incursion into New Mexico. The South Platte also served as a vital water source in Colorado. Long before the city of Denver was created, many travelers came to the South Platte River to escape the arid Great Plains. These people could survive the heat, but not without the vital water source that the South Platte gave them. Buckets and wells sufficed as a water system for a while, but eventually, the Denver Water System was created.
Dams
In an arid region of the United States, the South Platte is marked with several dams. The first notable water impoundment on the South Platte is
Antero Reservoir
Antero Reservoir is a reservoir in the US state of Colorado. It was created by the first dam placed on the South Platte River in Park County, central Colorado. It is owned by Denver Water and supplies drinking water to the greater Denver metro re ...
. "Antero" is derived from the Spanish word "delantero", which means "foremost" or "head", as the reservoir was the first dam on the South Platte River near the river's origin.
The next dam is Spinney Mountain Reservoir. At capacity, Spinney Mountain covers . A bottom-release dam, Spinney releases to the east of the inlet.
Two miles below Spinney Mountain Reservoir, the river enters Eleven Mile Reservoir, with a capacity of . The Eleven Mile Reservoir Dam drains into Eleven Mile Canyon, which runs through
Forest Service land. Three former Colorado towns, Howbert, Idlewild, and Freshwater Station, were submerged under the reservoir when it was built.
[Laura King Van Dusen, "Forty-Six Years in Howbert: 1887-1933: Former Ranching, Railroading Community Covered by Eleven-Mile Reservoir", ''Historic Tales from Park County: Parked in the Past'' ( Charleston, ]South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
: The History Press, 2013), , pp. 97-104.
From
Eleven Mile Canyon, the South Platte runs northeast to
Cheesman Reservoir, named for Denver water pioneer
Walter S. Cheesman. At its completion in 1905, the dam was the world's tallest, at above the streambed. The reservoir and related facilities were purchased in November 1918 by the Denver Water Board. Cheesman was the first reservoir of Denver's mountain storage facilities,, and has been designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Cheesman Reservoir feeds Cheesman Canyon. Six miles below Cheesman Reservoir is the town of Deckers; there, the river bends north for about to the confluence with the North Fork of the South Platte.
In the late 1980s, a proposal was put forth for the Two Forks Dam, which would have created a reservoir flooding the entire section from the North Fork confluence to the town of Deckers. In 1990, the US EPA vetoed the permit, calling the project an "environmental catastrophe."
From the confluence, the river flows towards Denver and enters Strontia Springs Reservoir.
Below Strontia Springs, the South Platte runs through
Waterton Canyon
The Platte Canyon is a deep, narrow, scenic gorge on the South Platte River in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The canyon is southwest of Denver on the border between Jefferson and Douglas counties. The canyon is at the entrance to the mountai ...
before entering Chatfield Reservoir. Chatfield marks the seventh and final dam on the South Platte until it merges with the North Platte.
Fly fishing overview
The South Platte River is a gold medal western trout river on the eastern slope of Colorado. The river is well known for its wild trophy population of
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...
and
rainbow trout. As a result of its close proximity to
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, the river has thousands of
fly fishing enthusiasts visit each year. With seven dams on the river, the South Platte is considered a
tailwater
Tailwater refers to waters located immediately downstream from a hydraulic structure, such as a dam, spillway, bridge or culvert. Generally measured and reported as the average water depth downstream of a hydraulic structure, tailwater can vary ba ...
fishery. Most of these dams are bottom released, which allows for both stable water temperatures and year-round fly fishing. Popular fly-fishing stretches of the river include
Waterton Canyon
The Platte Canyon is a deep, narrow, scenic gorge on the South Platte River in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The canyon is southwest of Denver on the border between Jefferson and Douglas counties. The canyon is at the entrance to the mountai ...
,
Deckers,
Cheesman Canyon and the
Dream Stream.
See also
*
List of rivers of Colorado
This is a list of streams in the U.S. State of Colorado.
__TOC__
Alphabetical list
The following alphabetical list includes many important streams that flow through the State of Colorado, including all 158 named rivers. Where available, t ...
*
List of rivers of Nebraska
*
South Platte River Trail Scenic and Historic Byway
The South Platte River Trail Scenic and Historic Byway is a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Sedgwick County, Colorado, USA. The byway follows the historic trails used during westward expansion. The route, which includes County Ro ...
, a 19-mile byway in Sedgwick County, Colorado
*
South Platte Trail
South Platte Trail was a historic trail that followed the southern side of South Platte River from Fort Kearny in Nebraska to Denver, Colorado. Plains Indians, such as the Cheyenne and the Arapaho, hunted in the lands around the South Platte Riv ...
, the historic trail along the South Platte River, from northwestern Colorado to the Denver area
References
External links
Antero ReservoirChatfield ReservoirCheesman ReservoirUSGS: South Platte River Basin City of Denver: South Platte InitiativeEleven Mile ReservoirThe Greenway FoundationSpinney Mountain ReservoirStrontia Springs Reservoir and Waterton Canyon
{{authority control
Rivers of Colorado
Rivers of Nebraska
Rivers of Park County, Colorado
Rivers of Deuel County, Nebraska
Rivers of Keith County, Nebraska
Tributaries of the Platte River
Rivers of Sedgwick County, Colorado
Rivers of Douglas County, Colorado
Rivers of Jefferson County, Colorado
Rivers of Weld County, Colorado
Rivers of Morgan County, Colorado
Rivers of Logan County, Colorado