The Keya Paha River ( ) is a river flowing U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data The National Map , accessed March 30, 2011 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
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
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 ...
.
The name is derived from the
Dakota language
Dakota (''Dakhótiyapi, Dakȟótiyapi''), also referred to as Dakhota, is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language. It is critically endan ...
''ke'-ya pa-ha''', meaning "turtle hill", specifically Turtle Butte. The river's name was given to
Keya Paha County, Nebraska
Keya Paha County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 824. Its county seat is Springview.
In the Nebraska license plate system, Keya Paha County is represented by the prefix 82 ...
, through which it flows.
The river originates in Todd County in south central South Dakota, at the confluence of Antelope Creek and Rock Creek near the town of Hidden Timber. It flows in a generally southeasterly direction through Todd and Tripp counties in South Dakota and then through Keya Paha and
Boyd Boyd may refer to:
Places Canada
* Boyd Conservation Area, a conservation area located northwest of Toronto, Ontario
* Boyd Lake (disambiguation)
United States
* Boyd County (disambiguation)
* Boyd, Indiana
* Boyd, Iowa
* Boyd, Kansas
* B ...
counties in Nebraska. It ends at its confluence with the
Niobrara River
The Niobrara River (; oma, Ní Ubthátha khe, , literally "water spread-out horizontal-the" or "The Wide-Spreading Water") is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. Many early settlers, such as Mari Sando ...
about west of
Butte, Nebraska
Butte is a small town in, and the county seat of, Boyd County, Nebraska, United States. Its population was 326 according to the 2010 census, down from 366 in 2000.
History
Butte was named from the small hills, or buttes, near the town site.
...
. The river has a year-round flow, except for winter ice, and has a quality of water better than all other South Dakota rivers.
In 1861, the border between the
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 ...
and
Dakota
Dakota may refer to:
* Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux
** Dakota language, their language
Dakota may also refer to:
Places United States
* Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Dakota, Illinois, a town
* Dakota, Minnesota, ...
territories followed the Keya Paha River from the 43rd parallel to the river's confluence with the Niobrara; it then followed the Niobrara to Missouri. This situation lasted until 1882 when the boundary was changed to follow the 43rd parallel all the way to Missouri; the change added portions of Keya Paha and Boyd counties to Nebraska.
Discharge
At a gaging station south of Naper in Boyd County, the river's mean discharge was . The maximum mean annual discharge was , recorded in 1962; the minimum mean annual discharge was , recorded in 1976. The peak flow recorded at that point was , registered on July 1, 1962. From July 22 to July 30, 1976, the discharge was recorded as zero.
See also
*
List of rivers of South Dakota
This is a list of rivers in the state of South Dakota in the United States.
By tributary
Minnesota River watershed
* Little Minnesota River
** Jorgenson River
*Whetstone River
*North Fork Yellow Bank River
*South Fork Yellow Bank River
*West Bran ...