The South Platte River in Denver, Colorado

The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska. It drains much of the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, as well as much of the populated region known as the Colorado Front Range and Eastern Plains. It forms the Platte at its confluence with the North Platte River in western Nebraska. The river serves the principal source of water for eastern Colorado. Its valley along the foothills in Colorado has provided for agriculture in an area of the Colorado Piedmont and Great Plains that is otherwise arid. Its drainage basin also includes a portion of southeastern Wyoming in the vicinity of the city of Cheyenne. Image File history File links South_Platte_River_Denver. ... Image File history File links South_Platte_River_Denver. ... Denver skyline, 1999. ... This article is about the Platte River in Nebraska. ... The Western United States, also referred to as the American West or simply The West, traditionally refers to the region constituting the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). ... A U.S. state is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, together with the District of Columbia and Palmyra Atoll (an uninhabited incorporated unorganized territory), form the United States of America. ... State nickname: The Centennial State Other U.S. States Capital Denver Largest city Denver Governor Bill Owens (R) Senators Wayne Allard (R) Ken Salazar (D) Official languages English Area 269,837 km² (8th)  - Land 268,879 km²  - Water 962 km² (0. ... State nickname: Cornhusker State Other U.S. States Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Governor Dave Heineman (R) Senators Chuck Hagel (R) Ben Nelson (D) Official languages English Area 200,520 km² (16th)  - Land 199,099 km²  - Water 1,247 km² (0. ... White Goat Wilderness Area, Alberta, Canada The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. ... The Colorado Front Range is a colloquial geographic term for the populated areas of the state of Colorado in the United States which are just east of the foothills of the Front Range, from which the region takes its name. ... The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to region of the U.S state of Colorado on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, and east of the population centers of the Front Range. ... The North Platte River The North Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 680 mi (1,094 km) long, in the U.S. states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. ... The Colorado Piedmont is the geologic term for an area along the base of the foothills of the Front Range in north central Colorado in the United States. ... The Great Plains states. ... State nickname: Equality State Other U.S. States Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Governor Dave Freudenthal (D) Senators Craig Thomas (R) Mike Enzi (R) Official languages English Area 253,554 km² (10th)  - Land 251,706 km²  - Water 1,851 km² (0. ... Location in Wyoming Founded  -Incorporated 1867 {{{incorporated}}}  County Laramie County Mayor Jack R. Spiker Area  - Total  - Water 57. ...

Description

The river is formed in Park County, Colorado southwest of Denver in the South Park grassland basin by the confluence of the South Fork and Middle Fork, approximately 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Fairplay. Both forks rise along the eastern flank of the Mosquito Range, 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 the Platte Canyon (sometimes called Waterton Canyon) approximately 50 miles in length, receiving the North Fork before emerging from the foothills southeast of the Denver suburb of Littleton, where it is impounded to form Chatfield Reservoir, a major source of drinking water for the Denver Metropolitan Area. Park County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. ... Denver skyline, 1999. ... View of South Park along U.S. Highway 285 looking eastward toward the Front Range For other uses: see South Park (disambiguation). ... The South Fork South Platte River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 25 miles (40 km) long, in central Colorado in the United States. ... The Middle Fork South Platte River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 35 miles (56 km) long, located in central Colorado in the United States. ... Fairplay is a town located in Park County, Colorado. ... 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 Platte Canyon is a deep narrow scenic gorge on the South Platte River in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. ... The North Fork South Platte River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 50 miles (80 km) long, in central Colorado in the United States. ... Littleton is a city located in the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Colorado. ... The Denver Metropolitan Area (population 2,179,240 in 2000) has Denver, Colorado with a population of about 500,000 as its core. ...

It 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 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 Colorado Gold Rush. 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 Big Thompson River, and the Cache la Poudre River, which it receives just west of Greeley. Denver skyline, 1999. ... Cherry Creek in central Colorado Cherry Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 64 mi (103 km) long, in Colorado in the United States. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... Interstate 25 is an interstate highway in the western United States. ... Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 40 mi (64 km) long, in north central Colorado in the United States. ... The Colorado Gold Rush was the boom in the prospecting and mining of gold in present-day Colorado in the United States that began in 1859 and lasted throughout the early 1860s. ... Shale Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. ... Brighton is a city located in Adams County, Colorado. ... Fort Lupton is a city located in Weld County, Colorado. ... St. ... The Big Thompson River The Big Thompson River is a tributary of the South Platte, approximately 78 miles (123 km) long, in the U.S. state of Colorado. ... Cache La Poudre River as it flows through Fort Collins, Colorado The Cache La Poudre River (sometimes called the Poudre River for short) is a tributary of the South Platte River in the state of Colorado in the United States. ... Greeley is a city located in Weld County, Colorado. ...

East of Greeley it turns eastward, flowing across the Colorado Eastern Plains, past the towns of Fort Morgan and Brush, where it turns northeastward, flowing past the town of Sterling and into Nebraska near the town of Julesburg. In Nebraska, it passes south of the town of Ogallala and joins the North Platte near the town of North Platte, Nebraska. The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to region of the U.S state of Colorado on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, and east of the population centers of the Front Range. ... Fort Morgan is a city located in Morgan County, Colorado. ... Brush is a city located in Morgan County, Colorado. ... Sterling is a city located in Logan County, Colorado. ... Julesburg is a town located in Sedgwick County, Colorado. ... Sign for Front Street a popular Old West-themed tourist attraction in Ogallala Ogallala is a city located in Keith County, Nebraska. ... Grain elevator along the Union Pacific Railroad in downtown North Platte North Platte is a small city located in Lincoln County in southwestern Nebraska on I-80 where the South Platte River and the North Platte River join to form the Platte River. ...

See also

• List of Colorado rivers
• List of Nebraska rivers

This is a partial list of rivers in the state of Colorado in the United States. ... This is a partial list of rivers in the state of Nebraska in the United States: Missouri River White River Niobrara River Snake River Keya Paha River Platte River Elkhorn River Logan River Loup River North Loup River Middle Loup River South Loup River Cedar River North Platte River South...

External links

• USGS: South Platte River Basin
• University of Colordo: GIS Hydro Data for the South Platte
• City of Denver: South Platte Initiative