Cedar River (Iowa River tributary): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

Line 1:

{{short description|338-mile-long (544 km) river in Minnesota and Iowa}}

{{Infobox river

[[Image:Iowarivermap.png|right|200px|thumb|Map showing the Cedar (to the right) and Iowa (to the left) rivers.]]▼

| name = Cedar River

The '''Cedar River''' is a {{convert|338|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}<ref name=NHD>U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. [http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ The National Map] {{webarchive |url=https://www.webcitation.org/66gupqQDM?url=http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |date=2012-04-05 }}, accessed May 13, 2011</ref> [[river]] in [[Minnesota]] and [[Iowa]]. It is a tributary of the [[Iowa River]], which flows to the [[Mississippi River]]. The Cedar River takes its name from the [[Juniperus virginiana|red cedar]] (''Juniperus virginiana'') trees growing there, and was originally called the '''Red Cedar River''' by the [[Sac and Fox|Meskwaki]].<ref>John C. Hartman, ed., Section Red Cedar River, Chapter XIV, Waterways and Bridges, [https://books.google.com/books?id=YZoUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA376 History of Black Hawk County Iowa and its People], S.J. Clarke, Chicago, 1915; pages 376-378.</ref> The first Mississippi [[Steamboat#United States steamboats|steamboat]] reached [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]] in 1844, and during the next decade, the '''Red Cedar''' (as it was still called) was an important commercial waterway.<ref>Luther A. Brewer and Barthinius L. Wick, eds., Section Early Steamboating on the Cedar, Chapter XL, The Bridges across the Cedar at Cedar Rapids and Early Steamboating on the Cedar River, [https://books.google.com/books?id=SYEUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA423 History of Linn County Iowa], Pioneer, Chicago, 1911; pages 423-434.</ref> The surrounding region is known officially as the '''Cedar River Valley''', though it is more commonly referred to simply as the '''Cedar Valley'''. The stream is young geologically, and only in places where the glacial material has been removed is the underlying bedrock exposed.▼

| name_native =

| name_native_lang =

| name_other =

| name_etymology =

| nickname =

<!---------------------- IMAGE-->

| image = Cedar River.jpg

| image_size =

[[Image:Cedar| image_caption = River.jpg|thumb|Cedar River at the [[Lansing Township, Minnesota#Ramsey|Ramsey]] Mill Pond near [[Austin, Minnesota]].|300px|right]]▼

| image_alt =

<!---------------------- MAPS -->

| map = Iowarivermap.png

| map_size =

▲[[Image:Iowarivermap.png|right|200px|thumb| map_caption = Map showing the Cedar (to the right) and Iowa (to the left) rivers.]]

| map_alt =

| pushpin_map =

| pushpin_map_size =

| pushpin_map_caption=

| pushpin_map_alt =

<!---------------------- LOCATION -->

| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = [[United States]]

| subdivision_type2 = State

| subdivision_name2 = [[Iowa]], [[Minnesota]]

| subdivision_type3 = Cities

| subdivision_name3 = [[Austin, Minnesota]], [[Cedar Falls, Iowa]], [[Waterloo, Iowa]], and [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]]

| subdivision_type4 =

| subdivision_name4 =

| subdivision_type5 =

| subdivision_name5 =

<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->

| length = {{convert|338|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}<ref name=GNIS>{{GNIS|465058|Cedar River}}</ref>

| width_min =

| width_avg =

| width_max =

| depth_min =

| depth_avg =

| depth_max =

| discharge1_location=

| discharge1_min =

| discharge1_avg =

| discharge1_max =

<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->

| source1 =

| source1_location = [[Sargeant, Minnesota]]

| source1_coordinates= {{Coord|43.8346852|-92.8076868|display=inline|format=dms}}

| source1_elevation =

| mouth = [[Iowa River]]

| mouth_location = [[Columbus Junction, Iowa]]

| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|41|16|59|N|91|20|49|W|display=titleit}}▼

| mouth_elevation =

| progression =

| river_system = Mississippi River

| basin_size =

| basin_landmarks =

| basin_population =

| tributaries_left =

| tributaries_right =

| waterbodies =

| waterfalls =

| bridges =

| ports =

| custom_label =

| custom_data =

| extra =

}}

▲The '''Cedar River''' is a {{convert|338|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}<ref name=NHD>U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. [http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ The National Map] {{webarchive |url=https://wwwweb.webcitationarchive.org/66gupqQDM?url=web/20120329155652/http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |date=2012-0403-0529 }}, accessed May 13, 2011</ref> [[river]] in [[Minnesota]] and [[Iowa]]. It is a tributary of the [[Iowa River]], which flows to the [[Mississippi River]]. The Cedar River takes its name from the [[Juniperus virginiana|red cedar]] (''Juniperus virginiana'') trees growing there, and was originally called the '''Red Cedar River''' by the [[Sac and Fox|Meskwaki]].<ref>John C. Hartman, ed., Section Red Cedar River, Chapter XIV, Waterways and Bridges, [https://books.google.com/books?id=YZoUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA376 History of Black Hawk County Iowa and its People], S.J. Clarke, Chicago, 1915; pages 376-378.</ref> The first Mississippi [[Steamboat#United States steamboats|steamboat]] reached [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]] in 1844, and during the next decade, the '''Red Cedar''' (as it was still called) was an important commercial waterway.<ref>Luther A. Brewer and Barthinius L. Wick, eds., Section Early Steamboating on the Cedar, Chapter XL, The Bridges across the Cedar at Cedar Rapids and Early Steamboating on the Cedar River, [https://books.google.com/books?id=SYEUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA423 History of Linn County Iowa], Pioneer, Chicago, 1911; pages 423-434.</ref> The surrounding region is known officially as the '''Cedar River Valley''', though it is more commonly referred to simply as the '''Cedar Valley'''. The stream is young geologically, and only in places where the glacial material has been removed is the underlying bedrock exposed.<ref name=GNIS />

==Geography==

The [[Source (river or stream)|headwaters]] of the Cedar River are located in [[Dodge County, Minnesota]], consisting of a west fork and middle fork approximately three miles northeast of the town of [[Blooming Prairie, Minnesota|Blooming Prairie]], and an east fork approximately one mile south of the town of [[Hayfield, Minnesota|Hayfield]]. It then flows into [[Mower County, Minnesota]] through the [[township (United States)|townships]] of [[Udolpho Township, Mower County, Minnesota|Udolpho]], [[Lansing Township, Mower County, Minnesota|Lansing]], [[Austin Township, Mower County, Minnesota|Austin]] (where Turtle Creek and Dobbins Creek join it), and [[Lyle Township, Mower County, Minnesota|Lyle]]. It then flows into [[Mitchell County, Iowa]] and [[Floyd County, Iowa]] with the endpoint being located in [[Louisa County, Iowa]] at the town of [[Columbus Junction, Iowa|Columbus Junction]], where it joins with the [[Iowa River]] which then winds its way to the [[Mississippi River]]. Despite being a tributary of the Iowa River, it appears larger than the Iowa River at their confluence point. [[Palisades-Kepler State Park]] is located on the Cedar River near Cedar Rapids.

At [[Conesville, Iowa]], the Cedar River is approximately 5,798 cubic feet per second.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/uv/?site_no=05465000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060|title=Cedar River|website=USGS}}</ref>

▲[[Image:Cedar River.jpg|thumb|Cedar River at the [[Lansing Township, Minnesota#Ramsey|Ramsey]] Mill Pond near [[Austin, Minnesota]].|300px|right]]

[[Cedar County, Iowa]] is named for the river.

Line 22 ⟶ 88:

===2008===

{{see also|Iowa flood of 2008}}

In 2008, flooding of the river caused the evacuation of around 20,000 of Cedar Rapids' residents and flooded over 1,200 blocks of the city.<ref>"Mandatory evacuations in Cedar Rapids flood", [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-cedar-rapids-iowa-evacuation-flood-080612-ht,0,4587441.story ''Chicago Tribune'', June 12, 2008]</ref> Upriver, the [[Waterloo/ – Cedar Falls metropolitan area|Waterloo-Cedar Falls metropolitan area]] was less affected, thanks mainly to the large dikes that protect the downtowns of both cities. To the north, the flooding Cedar River collapsed Charles City's landmark suspension bridge, as well as destroyeddestroying many homes and community parks.{{CN|date=December 2022}}

===2013===

Line 28 ⟶ 94:

==See also==

*[[List of rivers of Iowa|List of Iowa rivers]]

*[[List of rivers of Minnesota|List of Minnesota rivers]]

*[[List of longest streams of Minnesota]]

*[[List of longest streams of Iowa]]

==References==

Line 37 ⟶ 105:

*[http://www.bobolinkbooks.com/Iowa/jphome.html John Page: Cedar River Series]

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080502213957/http://www.thecregproject.org/default.php Cedar River Environmental Group]

*{{GNIS|465058|Cedar River}}

▲{{coord|41|16|59|N|91|20|49|W|display=title}}

{{Minnesota tributaries of the lower Mississippi drainage basin|state=collapsed}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cedar River (Iowa River tributary)|*]]

[[Category:Rivers of Iowa]]

[[Category:Rivers of Minnesota]]

Line 53 ⟶ 120:

[[Category:Rivers of Black Hawk County, Iowa]]

[[Category:Geography of Cedar Rapids, Iowa]]

[[Category:Tributaries of the Mississippi River watershed]]

[[Category:Iowa River]]