The Elkhorn River is a river in northeastern

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, United States, that originates in the eastern Sandhills and is one of the largest

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' 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 into which the ...

of the Platte River, flowing and joining the Platte just southwest of

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, approximately south and west of Gretna. Located in northeast and north-central Nebraska, the Elkhorn River basin encompasses approximately . The Elkhorn has several tributaries, including its own North and South forks, Logan Creek Dredge, Rock Creek and Maple Creek.

History

The Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered the Elkhorn River near its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

with the Platte, and referred to it as the "Corne de Cerf". Located a few miles north of the confluence is the Elkhorn Crossing Recreation Area. This public park, operated by the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, marks the location where thousands of immigrants in the nineteenth century, bound for the west, camped while waiting to cross the river. For years Logan Fontenelle and Joseph LaFlesche, young mixed-race men who worked with the Omaha people, owned the ferry that carried people, wagons and animals between the two river banks. LaFlesche had been adopted by Omaha chief Big Elk and named as his successor. Fontenelle, of Omaha-French descent, served the tribe as an interpreter in relations with the US Indian agent and negotiations with the government over cession of lands.

References

External links

{{authority control Rivers of Nebraska Rivers of Antelope County, Nebraska Rivers of Sarpy County, Nebraska Rivers of Douglas County, Nebraska Rivers of Washington County, Nebraska Rivers of Stanton County, Nebraska Rivers of Madison County, Nebraska Rivers of Dodge County, Nebraska Rivers of Holt County, Nebraska Rivers of Cuming County, Nebraska Tributaries of the Platte River

History

See also

References

External links