Nodaway River

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River in Iowa and Missouri, U.S.

title: "Nodaway River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-iowa", "rivers-of-missouri", "lewis-and-clark-expedition", "tributaries-of-the-missouri-river", "rivers-of-page-county,-iowa", "rivers-of-holt-county,-missouri", "rivers-of-nodaway-county,-missouri", "rivers-of-andrew-county,-missouri", "missouri-placenames-of-native-american-origin"] description: "River in Iowa and Missouri, U.S." topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nodaway_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary River in Iowa and Missouri, U.S. ::

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

FieldValue
nameNodaway River
native_nameiow
imageNodaway-confluence.jpg
image_captionNodaway River just before the confluence with the Missouri River at Nodaway, Missouri
mapFullNodaway.png
map_captionNodaway watershed in Iowa and Missouri
subdivision_type1Country
subdivision_name1United States
subdivision_type2State
subdivision_name2Iowa, Missouri
subdivision_type4District
subdivision_name4Page County, Iowa, Holt County, Missouri, Nodaway County, Missouri, Andrew County, Missouri
discharge1_locationGraham, MO
discharge1_avg1,008 cu/ft. per sec.
source1_locationClarinda, Iowa, US
source1_coordinates
source1_elevation945 ft
mouthMissouri River
mouth_locationAmazonia, Missouri, US
mouth_coordinates
mouth_elevation827 ft
tributaries_leftWest Nodaway River
tributaries_rightEast Nodaway River
::

| name = Nodaway River | native_name = iow | native_name_lang = | name_other = | name_etymology = | image = Nodaway-confluence.jpg | image_caption = Nodaway River just before the confluence with the Missouri River at Nodaway, Missouri | map = FullNodaway.png | map_size = | map_caption = Nodaway watershed in Iowa and Missouri | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption = | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = United States | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = Iowa, Missouri | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = District | subdivision_name4 = Page County, Iowa, Holt County, Missouri, Nodaway County, Missouri, Andrew County, Missouri | subdivision_type5 = | subdivision_name5 = | length = | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location = Graham, MO | discharge1_min = | discharge1_avg = 1,008 cu/ft. per sec. | discharge1_max = | source1 = | source1_location = Clarinda, Iowa, US | source1_coordinates = | source1_elevation = 945 ft | mouth = Missouri River | mouth_location = Amazonia, Missouri, US | mouth_coordinates = | mouth_elevation = 827 ft | progression = | river_system = | basin_size = | tributaries_left = West Nodaway River | tributaries_right = East Nodaway River

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Nodaway-lewis.jpg" caption="1814 map by Lewis and Clark of northwest Missouri showing Nodaway River as 'Nodawa'."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Nodaway-flood.jpg" caption="May 2007 Flood"] ::

The Nodaway River is a 65.7 mi tributary that flows from southwest Iowa through northwest Missouri into the Missouri River. It is considered a major water source by the Iowa DNR.

Etymology

The river's name (as "Nodawa") first appears in the journal of Lewis and Clark, who camped at the mouth of the river on July 8, 1804, but who provide no derivation of the name. The name is an Otoe-Missouria term meaning "jump over water". The term would be spelled today in full as Nyi At'ąwe (nyi (water) + a- (on) + t'ąwe (jump)) and would be contracted in regular speech as Nyat'ąwe or Nat'ąwe. The earliest recording of the modern spelling of Nodaway is shown in an 1834 map. Other variant spellings include, Naudoway, and Nadoway.

History

Lewis and Clark camped at the river's mouth on Nodaway Island on July 8, 1804, by Nodaway, Missouri, on the border of Holt County, Missouri and Andrew County, Missouri and took note of the river.

Lewis and Clark liked the spot enough that they recommended it for the winter headquarters of Astor Expedition of 1810–12 that discovered the South Pass in Wyoming through which hundreds of settlers on the Oregon Trail, California Trail, Mormon Trail were to pass.

The river is navigable only by shallow fishing and row boats although steam ships navigated just inside its mouth. The river was the primary route for white settlers including Amos Graham and Isaac Hogan following the Platte Purchase of 1836 which opened northwest Missouri for settlement. Nodaway County, which derives its name from the river, was by far the biggest county in the purchase and the fifth largest in the state of Missouri.

Description

The Nodaway begins near Shambaugh, Iowa at the confluence of the East and West Nodaway rivers. The West Nodaway River rises northeast of Massena in eastern Cass County, Iowa, and flows 73.8 mi south-southwest past Villisca and Clarinda, the largest town on the river, to its junction with the East Nodaway. The East Nodaway River rises just west of Orient in Adair County and flows 72.8 mi southwest past Prescott, Corning, Brooks, and Nodaway to its confluence with the West Nodaway. The Middle Nodaway River rises in Adair County south of Casey and flows 60.5 mi southwest past Greenfield, Fontanelle, and Carbon to join the West Nodaway just below Villisca, Iowa, 20.2 mi above the West Nodaway's juncture with the East Nodaway. The East and West Nodaway join to form the Nodaway River 4 mi north of the Iowa-Missouri border, and the river travels south, passing Bradyville on its east, before entering Missouri.

Continuing from the Iowa border in Nodaway County, Missouri, the river travels south a mile west of Burlington Junction where it intersects US 136. Continuing southerly, the river passes west of Quitman and east of Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area before crossing Missouri Route 46. Afterward, the river passes by Skidmore and passes under Missouri Route 113 where it quickly becomes the border between Nodaway County and Holt County. Continuing southerly, it passes between Maitland to its east and Graham to its west, and reaches the tripoint with Andrew County. The river remains the boundary between Holt and Andrew counties to the Missouri River. The Nodaway River then passes through Nodaway Valley Conservation Area, where it is channelized and flows steadily until Interstate 29. Afterward, it passes west of Honey Creek Conservation Area and east of Monkey Mountain Conservation Area, and flows into the Missouri River Valley by Nodaway and joins the Missouri River.

Elevations in the Nodaway system range from just under 1400 ft above sea level at the source of the Middle Nodaway, to 950 ft at the beginning of the main stem, to 800 ft at its mouth on the Missouri River in Nodaway, Missouri in Andrew County, Missouri.

The Nodaway River is a sixth order river with a basin area of 1820 sqmi.

The Platte River basin is to the east and the Grand River and Des Moines River basins to the northeast, with the latter defining the boundary between the Missouri River and Mississippi River basins. The west side is bound by the Tarkio River basin and in the northwest by the Nishnabotna River basin.

The Nodaway River basin is prone to extensive flooding and can contribute as much as 20% of the flood crest of the Missouri River near its mouth.

At Graham, Missouri its normal flow is 1,011 ft3/s. But during the Great Flood of 1993 the river was flowing 78,300 ft3/s at Graham.

Tributaries

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/LowerNodaway.png" caption="Map of the lower Nodaway River watershed in Missouri"] ::

The Nodaway River has 33 named direct tributaries, 3 of which are in Iowa and the other 30 in Missouri. ::data[format=table] | Left Tributary Name | url=https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#10/40.2589/-95.1799|title=TopoView|publisher=USGS|access-date=May 12, 2025}} | Distance from Source | Distance from Mouth | Right Tributary Name | Page County, Iowa | Nodaway County, Missouri | Holt and Nodaway counties, Missouri | Holt and Andrew counties, Missouri | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | East Nodaway River | SE of Shambaugh | 0 mi | 65.7 mi | West Nodaway River | | | | | | Buchanan Creek | N of Braddyville | 2.2 mi | 63.5 mi | | | | | | | Wolf Creek | S of Braddyville | 7.3 mi | 58.4 mi | | | | | | | Sink Creek | NW of Clearmont | 11 mi | 54.7 mi | | | | | | | Clear Creek | SW of Clearmont | 13.4 mi | 52.3 mi | | | | | | | Muddy Creek | NW of Burlington Junction | 15.6 mi | 50.1 mi | | | | | | | Cuyhoga Creek | W of Burlington Junction | 18.9 mi | 46.8 mi | | | | | | | | W of Burlington Junction | 19.1 mi | 46.6 mi | Mill Creek | | | | | | | SW of Burlington Junction | 21 mi | 44.7 mi | Hagey Branch | | | | | | | NW of Quitman | 22.1 mi | 43.6 mi | Headrick Branch | | | | | | | NW of Quitman | 23.2 mi | 42.5 mi | Huff Creek | | | | | | Bowman Branch | S of Quitman | 24.8 mi | 40.9 mi | | | | | | | Sand Creek | S of Quitman | 26.4 mi | 39.3 mi | | | | | | | | N of Skidmore | 28.8 mi | 36.9 mi | Burr Oak Creek | | | | | | Florida Creek | N of Skidmore | 29.3 mi | 36.4 mi | | | | | | | | W of Skidmore | 29.6 mi | 36.1 mi | Hickory Creek | | | | | | Bagby Creek | S of Skidmore | 33 mi | 32.7 mi | | | | | | | | S of Skidmore | 33.3 mi | 32.4 mi | Rolling Branch | | | | | | | S of Maitland | 39.4 mi | 26.3 mi | Highly Creek | | | | | | Elkhorn Creek | S of Maitland | 39.9 mi | 25.8 mi | | | | | | | Jenkins Creek | S of Maitland | 40.4 mi | 25.3 mi | | | | | | | Hayzlett Branch | S of Graham | 42.9 mi | 22.8 mi | | | | | | | | NE of New Point | 44 mi | 21.7 mi | Hog Creek | | | | | | | NE of New Point | 47.2 mi | 18.5 mi | Hickory Creek | | | | | | | NE of New Point | 48 mi | 17.7 mi | Nichols Creek | | | | | | Arapahoe Creek | NW of Fillmore | 51.3 mi | 14.4 mi | | | | | | | | SW of Fillmore | 54.4 mi | 11.3 mi | Carroll Branch | | | | | | | SW of Fillmore | 55.2 mi | 10.5 mi | Meade Creek | | | | | | Lincoln Creek | SW of Fillmore | 55.5 mi | 10.2 mi | | | | | | | Honey Creek | NW of Nodaway | 57.4 mi | 8.3 mi | | | | | | | | NW of Nodaway | 59 mi | 6.7 mi | Smith Creek | | | | | ::

References

References

  1. "USGS Surface Water data for Missouri: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
  2. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. [http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ The National Map] {{webarchive. link. (2012-03-29 , accessed March 30, 2011)
  3. {{GNIS. 459541
  4. "Major Water Sources—Rivers and Streams". Iowa Department on Natural Resources.
  5. "Nodaway River Watershed: Historic and Recent Use". Missouri Department of Conservation Online.
  6. (1905). "Early Western Travels - 1748-1846, Vol. 17". The Lakeside Press.
  7. "Otoe-Missouria Language".
  8. Loy, Amos. "Map of the United States compiled from the latest and most accurate surveys by Amos Lay, geographer & map publisher, New York".
  9. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3700.rr000030/?r=0.005,0.402,0.277,0.132,0
  10. https://www.oldmapsonline.org/en/maps/b87f7118-b456-5452-9e47-d37869fcbb3b?gid=52b204d6-c0ff-5123-9d49-b10c9747343e#position=5.0392/38.48/-93.16/6.91&year=1861
  11. "Lewis and Clark in Missouri Historical Marker".
  12. "TopoView". USGS.
  13. "MO USGS HUC12 Watershed Boundaries". Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

::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. ::

rivers-of-iowarivers-of-missourilewis-and-clark-expeditiontributaries-of-the-missouri-riverrivers-of-page-county,-iowarivers-of-holt-county,-missouririvers-of-nodaway-county,-missouririvers-of-andrew-county,-missourimissouri-placenames-of-native-american-origin