Rock River (Mississippi River)
| Rock River | |
|---|---|
Drainage basis of the Rock River
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| Basin features | |
| Main source |
Horicon Marsh north of Horicon, Wisconsin 43°28′26″N 88°38′41″W / 43.4738889°N 88.6447222°W |
| River mouth |
Confluence with the Mississippi River at Rock Island, Illinois 551 ft (168 m) 41°28′57″N 90°36′58″W / 41.4825326°N 90.6162489°WCoordinates: 41°28′57″N 90°36′58″W / 41.4825326°N 90.6162489°W |
| Progression | Rock River → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 299 mi (481 km) |
| GNIS ID | 416824 |
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 299 miles (481 km) long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. The river was known as the Sinnissippi to Sauk and Fox Indians pushed west by white settlement; the name means "rocky waters".
It begins just to the west of the village of Brandon in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin and flows east and then south to Horicon Marsh, east of Waupun. It meanders southward to the Illinois border ending about 300 miles later at the Mississippi River at the Quad Cities in Illinois and Iowa. During its course it passes through Watertown, collects the Crawfish River in Jefferson, and receives the Bark River at Fort Atkinson. In northern Rock County it receives the Yahara River, and flows southward through Janesville and Beloit into northern Illinois, where it receives the Pecatonica River 5 miles (8 km) south of the state line.
It flows south through Rockford, then southwest across northwestern Illinois, picking up the Kishwaukee River, passing Oregon, Dixon, Sterling and Rock Falls before joining the Mississippi at Rock Island. It was on the Rock River in Dixon where Ronald Reagan was a lifeguard. Reagan's favorite fishing spot, now called "Dutch Landing" after Reagan's nickname, was just southwest of Lowell Park on the Rock River.
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