Des Plaines River

Des Plaines River
Typical section of Des Plaines River in Lake County, Illinois.
Country	United States
Basin features
Main source	West of Kenosha, Kenosha County, Wisconsin 42°40′25″N 88°01′35″W / 42.6736°N 88.0265°W / 42.6736; -88.0265 (Des Plaines River (source))
River mouth	Illinois River 41°23′23″N 88°15′18″W / 41.3898°N 88.2549°W / 41.3898; -88.2549 (Des Plaines River (mouth))Coordinates: 41°23′23″N 88°15′18″W / 41.3898°N 88.2549°W / 41.3898; -88.2549 (Des Plaines River (mouth))
Basin size	630 square miles (1,600 km2)
Physical characteristics
Length	133 miles (214 km)
Discharge	Average rate: 535 cubic feet per second (15 m3/s)

The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for 133 miles (214 km) through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United States Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River.

Native Americans used the river as transportation route and portage. They revealed to early European explorers (mostly French) how to traverse waterways of the Des Plaines watershed to travel from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River and its valley. The river was named by French explorers during their period of colonization of New France and the Illinois Country of La Louisiane.

The slow-moving Des Plaines River rises in southern Wisconsin just west of Kenosha and flows southward primarily through marshland as it crosses into Illinois. The river turns to the east and flows through woodland forest preserve districts in Lake and Cook counties (through Forest Park and the city of Des Plaines), northwest of Chicago. Numerous small fixed dams have been built on the river starting in central Lake County and continuing through Cook County. Eventually, the river turns to the southwest and joins with the Sanitary and Ship Canal in Lockport before flowing through the city of Joliet.