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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 ...
,
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. 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
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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"
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