Elkhorn River
title: "Elkhorn River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-nebraska", "rivers-of-antelope-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-sarpy-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-douglas-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-washington-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-stanton-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-madison-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-dodge-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-holt-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-cuming-county,-nebraska", "tributaries-of-the-platte-river"] topic_path: "general/rivers-of-nebraska" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elkhorn_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Elkhorn River |
| image | Elkhorn River from Cowboy Trail W of 519 Av.JPG |
| image_caption | The Elkhorn River in Antelope County, |
| April 2010 | |
| pushpin_map | USA Nebraska |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location of the mouth of the Elkhorn River in Nebraska |
| source1_location | Confluence of North Fork and South Fork |
| source1_coordinates | |
| mouth_location | Confluence with Platte |
| mouth_coordinates | |
| progression | Platte—Missouri—Mississippi |
| length | 290 mi |
| source1_elevation | 2162 ft |
| mouth_elevation | 1070 ft |
| discharge1_location | near Waterloo |
| discharge1_avg | 1529 cuft/s |
| :: |
| name = Elkhorn River | image = Elkhorn River from Cowboy Trail W of 519 Av.JPG | image_alt = | image_caption = The Elkhorn River in Antelope County, April 2010 | pushpin_map = USA Nebraska | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption = Location of the mouth of the Elkhorn River in Nebraska | pushpin_map_alt = | source1_location = Confluence of North Fork and South Fork | source1_coordinates = | mouth_location = Confluence with Platte | mouth_coordinates = | progression = Platte—Missouri—Mississippi | length = 290 mi | source1_elevation = 2162 ft | mouth_elevation = 1070 ft | discharge1_location=near Waterloo | discharge1_avg =1529 cuft/s | basin_size = | river_system = | tributaries_left = | tributaries_right =
The Elkhorn River is a river in northeastern Nebraska, United States, that originates in the eastern Sandhills and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River, flowing 290 mi and joining the Platte just southwest of Omaha, approximately 1 mi south and 3 mi west of Gretna.
Located in northeast and north-central Nebraska, the Elkhorn River basin encompasses approximately 7000 sqmi. The Elkhorn has several tributaries, including its own North and South forks, Logan Creek Dredge, Rock Creek and Maple Creek.
History
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Elkhorn_river_basin_map.png" caption="The Platte River and tributaries, including the Elkhorn River"] ::
The Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered the Elkhorn River near its confluence with the Platte, and referred to it as the "Corne de Cerf". Located a few miles north of the confluence is the Elkhorn Crossing Recreation Area. This public park, operated by the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, marks the location where thousands of immigrants in the nineteenth century, bound for the west, camped while waiting to cross the river. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Elkhorn_River_c.1900-1910_(Wallace)_(cropped).jpg" caption="The river circa 1900-1910"] ::
For years Logan Fontenelle and Joseph LaFlesche, young mixed-race men who worked with the Omaha people, owned the ferry that carried people, wagons and animals between the two river banks. LaFlesche had been adopted by Omaha chief Big Elk and named as his successor. Fontenelle, of Omaha-French descent, served the tribe as an interpreter in relations with the US Indian agent and negotiations with the government over cession of lands.
References
References
- "USGS Surface Water data for Nebraska: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
- {{gnis. 829066. Elkhorn River
- "The National Map". [[United States Geological Survey]].
- "Platte and Elkhorn River". Papio NRD Website.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::