Menomonee River

For the river in northwestern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin, see Menominee River. For the river in Illinois, see Menominee River (Illinois).
Menomonee River
Menominee
Map
Physical characteristics
SourceMilwaukee River
Length33 miles (53.1 km)
Discharge 
 • locationLake Michigan

The Menomonee River is one of three primary rivers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, along with the Kinnickinnic River and Milwaukee River.[1]

Description

Named after the Menomonee (also spelled Menominee) Indians, the word was given to the Menomonee people by the Chippewa people, and in the Chippewa language literally means "rice eaters" referring to the abundant wild rice that once grew along its shores in the Menomonee Valley.[citation needed] A tributary of the Milwaukee River, it is the most industrialized within the Milwaukee River Basin.

Watershed

View of the Menomonee River looking northeast from the 6th Street Viaduct

The Menomonee River is 33.0 miles (53.1 km) long,[2] and empties into Lake Michigan at Milwaukee. Not to be confused with longer rivers named after the same Indian tribe. With a watershed that covers approximately 140 square miles (360 km2) of urban landscape, it is home to a population of more than 336,670 people. This includes portions of Washington, Ozaukee, Waukesha, and Milwaukee counties. A large swath of the river has been heavily channelized and industrialized as it runs through the Menomonee Valley. This has become a primary source of pollution for the river.

Its estuary empties into Lake Michigan from the Milwaukee River near the Milwaukee harbor, along with the Kinnickinnic River to the south.

Parks

Public Parks along the Menomonee River
Parks Location
Three Bridges Park, Valley Park, Doyne Park, Granville Dog Park Milwaukee
Charles C. Jacobus Park, Hart Park, Hoyt Park, Hansen Park, Hartung Park, Currie Park, Webster Park Wauwatosa
Frontier Park Butler
Rotary Park, Rivers Edge Park, Lime Kiln Park, Village Park Menomonee Falls
Haupt Strasse Park, Shoen Laufen Park Germantown

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Menomonee River
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 19, 2011
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43°01′56″N 87°54′41″W / 43.03222°N 87.91139°W / 43.03222; -87.91139