Mississinewa River

Mississinewa River
The Mississinewa River near Marion, Indiana
Country	United States
Basin features
Main source	Darke County, Ohio
River mouth	Wabash River near Peru, Indiana
Physical characteristics
Length	120 mi (190 km)

The Mississinewa River is a tributary of the Wabash River in eastern Indiana and a small portion of western Ohio in the United States. It is 120 miles (190 km) long. Via the Wabash and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.

During the War of 1812, the river was the site of the Battle of the Mississinewa, which pitted United States forces against the Miami Indians. Two oilers of the U.S. Navy have been named USS Mississinewa after the river. The word Mississinewa is partly derived from the Miami Indian word nimacihsinwi which means "It lies on a slope" .

The Mississinewa River has its headwaters near the Indiana state border in northwestern Darke County, Ohio, within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the start of the Wabash. Both rivers start out as drainage ditches for local farms and have very little water during drought in this immediate area. After exiting Darke County the Mississinewa flows for the remainder of its course in Indiana. It initially flows westward in a heavily straightened and channelized course through northern Randolph and Delaware counties; it turns northwestward in Delaware County and flows through Grant, Wabash and Miami counties. It joins the Wabash River from the south in Miami County, about 2 miles (3 km) east of Peru.