The Sheyenne River is one of the major tributaries of the
Red River of the North
The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...
, meandering
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed June 8, 2011 across eastern
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
The river begins about north of
McClusky, and flows generally eastward before turning south near
McVille. The southerly flow of the river continues through
Griggs and
Barnes counties before it turns in a northeastward direction near
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
. The river forms the 27-mile long
Lake Ashtabula behind the
Baldhill Dam north of
Valley City, which was constructed in 1951 for flood control by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
The Sheyenne is classified as a "perch river," as its banks are higher than the surrounding ground, formed as natural
levee
A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...
s in flooding centuries ago. When floodwaters break through the banks, they spread in a wide area.
From Lisbon, the river crosses the Sheyenne National Grassland and enters
Cass County near the city of
Kindred. This stretch of the river is designated a
National Wild and Scenic Riverway. From Kindred, the river flows north-northeastward through the fertile plains of the
Red River Valley
The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted ...
.
The character of the river changes as it leaves the sandy grasslands and picks up the fertile clay soil of the Red River Valley. Previously, the river posed a flooding hazard to cities such as
West Fargo and
Harwood, where it joins the Red River of the North, which flows north to
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg () is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its southern end is about north of the city of Winnipeg. Lake Winnipeg is Canada's sixth-largest freshwater lake and the third- ...
in
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
. Thanks to a diversion canal completed near
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...
and extending past West Fargo, these major Sheyenne River cities fared well in the
1997 Red River flood. By contrast, this flood devastated the cities of
Grand Forks in North Dakota and
East Grand Forks in
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
.
The Sheyenne diversion canal, built 1990-1992 in a joint federal-state effort, channels waters around the edges of the cities to draw off floodwaters. It was built primarily by the US Army Corps of Engineers, at a cost of $27.8 million. In West Fargo alone, the diversion project involved construction of:
* 6.8 mile diversion control
* 12.7 miles of protection
levee
A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...
s
* 4 diversion structures
* 2 pumping stations (54,000 and 66,000 gpm)
* 1 railroad bridge
* 4 highway bridges
* 6 road raises.
["Sheyenne Diversion"](_blank)
City of West Fargo Government website, 2016
The Sheyenne River was named after the
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...
Indians of the area.
Alternate names include: ''Cayenne River,'' ''Cheyenne River,'' and ''Maitomoni'ohe''.
The Sheyenne River was formed by the meltwater of the Wisconsinan glacier about 13,000 years ago. The valley constitutes the glacier’s western edge at that time. Flowing 581 miles (~929 km) from its headwaters located 15 miles north of McClusky in Sheridan County until it converges with the Red River at Fargo, the Sheyenne River is the longest river located within North Dakota. The river valley from Baldhill Dam at Lake Ashtabula and south to Lisbon can be as deep as 200 feet and a mile wide.
Anglers can find northern pike, walleye, yellow perch, channel catfish and white bass in its lower reaches. Records indicate 53 fish species known to inhabit the Sheyenne, about twice the number of species found in other tributaries of the Red River. Two rare fish - the rosyface shiner and the pugnose shiner - and three rare mussels - the mapleleaf, black sandshell, and pigtoe clams - live in the Sheyenne.
Crossings
The river is crossed by several historic bridges, including the
Lisbon Bridge and the
Colton's Crossing Bridge in Lisbon; the
West Park Bridge in
Valley City; the
West Antelope Bridge in
Flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
; the
Romness Bridge near
Cooperstown; and the
Nesheim Bridge at
McVille.
In Valley City it is crossed by several more bridges, including the
Hi-Line Railroad Bridge and, before demolition, the
Rainbow Arch Bridge.
See also
*
List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem)
The longest rivers of the United States include 38 that have main stems of at least long. The main stem is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". The United States Geological Survey (USGS) defines a mai ...
References
External links
Contour and boating map of Lake Ashtabula
{{authority control
*
Rivers of North Dakota
Bodies of water of Wells County, North Dakota
Dakota toponyms
Tributaries of the Red River of the North