Loup River

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title: "Loup River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-nebraska", "rivers-of-platte-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-nance-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-merrick-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-howard-county,-nebraska", "rivers-of-colfax-county,-nebraska", "tributaries-of-the-platte-river"] topic_path: "general/rivers-of-nebraska" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loup_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]

Field	Value
name	Loup River
name_etymology	French for "wolf", for the Skidi "Wolf People" band of the Pawnee people
image	Loup River at Nebraska Hwy 39 looking DS.JPG
image_caption	Loup River at Nebraska Highway 39 crossing south of Genoa; looking downstream (east).
map	Loup River basin map.png
map_size	300
map_caption	The Loup River in Nebraska, showing the North and South Loup rivers
pushpin_map	USA Nebraska
pushpin_map_size	300
pushpin_map_caption	Location of the mouth of the Loup River in Nebraska
subdivision_type1	Country
subdivision_name1	United States
subdivision_type2	State
subdivision_name2	Nebraska
subdivision_type3	County
length	68 mi
source1_location	Howard County, Nebraska
source1_coordinates
mouth	Platte River
mouth_location	Platte County, Nebraska
mouth_coordinates
mouth_elevation	1424 ft
basin_size	15000 sqmi
::

| name = Loup River | name_native = | name_native_lang = | name_other = | name_etymology = French for "wolf", for the Skidi "Wolf People" band of the Pawnee people | image = Loup River at Nebraska Hwy 39 looking DS.JPG | image_caption = Loup River at Nebraska Highway 39 crossing south of Genoa; looking downstream (east). | map = Loup River basin map.png | map_size = 300 | map_caption = The Loup River in Nebraska, showing the North and South Loup rivers | pushpin_map = USA Nebraska | pushpin_map_size = 300 | pushpin_map_caption= Location of the mouth of the Loup River in Nebraska | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = United States | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = Nebraska | subdivision_type3 = County | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | subdivision_type5 = | subdivision_name5 = | length = 68 mi | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location= | discharge1_min = | discharge1_avg = | discharge1_max = | source1 = | source1_location = Howard County, Nebraska | source1_coordinates= | source1_elevation = | mouth = Platte River | mouth_location = Platte County, Nebraska | mouth_coordinates = | mouth_elevation = 1424 ft | progression = | river_system = | basin_size = 15000 sqmi | tributaries_left = | tributaries_right = | custom_label = | custom_data = | extra = The Loup River (pronounced /lup/) is a spring-fed tributary of the Platte River, approximately 68 mi long, in central Nebraska in the United States. The river drains a sparsely populated rural agricultural area on the eastern edge of the Great Plains southeast of the Sandhills. The name of the river means "wolf" in French, named by early French trappers after the Skidi band of the Pawnee, whose name means "Wolf People," and who lived along its banks. The river and its tributaries, including the North Loup, Middle Loup, and South Loup, are known colloquially as "the Loups", comprising over 1800 mi (2900 km) of streams and draining approximately one-fifth of Nebraska.

Course

The river is formed in eastern Howard County from a spring, approximately 5 mi northeast of St. Paul and 20 mi north of Grand Island, by the confluence of the North Loup and Middle Loup rivers. It flows east-northeast, past Fullerton, where it is joined from the north by the Cedar River. It continues east-northeast roughly parallel to the Platte, past Genoa, separated from the Platte by approximately 15 mi (24 km). It joins the Platte from the northwest approximately 4 mi southeast of Columbus.

A diversion dam southwest of Genoa diverts water to the Loup Canal to hydroelectric facilities in Monroe and then in Columbus. The canal then runs into the Platte a short distance below its confluence with the Loup.

Discharges

::data[format=table]

River	Location	Discharge	Notes
South Loup River	St. Michael	230 cuft/s
Middle Loup River	St. Paul	1148 cuft/s
North Loup River	near St. Paul	975 cuft/s
Loup River	Columbus	2584 cuft/s	Discharge includes water removed by Loup River Power Canal
::

References

References

1. {{GNIS. 830922. Loup River
2. "USGS Surface Water data for Nebraska: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
3. "USGS Surface Water data for Nebraska: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
4. "USGS Surface Water data for Nebraska: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
5. "USGS Surface Water data for Nebraska: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
6. "USGS Surface Water data for Nebraska: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".

::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. ::