The Eau Claire River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in west-central Wisconsin in the United States. [1] It is one of three rivers by this name in Wisconsin. Via the Chippewa River, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. Its name is the French translation from the Ojibwe Wayaa-gonaatigweyaa-ziibi (Clear potable-water River).
The Eau Claire River rises as two streams, the North Fork Eau Claire River and the South Fork Eau Claire River, both of which rise in southwestern Taylor County and flow generally southwestwardly through northeastern Clark and northwestern Eau Claire Counties. The North Fork is about 25 mi (40 km) long and flows past the village of Lublin; it collects the Wolf River in Eau Claire County. The South Fork is about 35 mi (56 km) long.
From the convergence of its headwaters' forks, the Eau Claire River flows generally westwardly through northern Eau Claire County for about 40 mi (64 km), past the city of Altoona to its confluence with the Chippewa River in downtown Eau Claire. Two dams along its course in Eau Claire County cause the river to form two reservoirs: Lake Eau Claire and Lake Altoona. Upstream from Altoona, just north of the village of Fall Creek, the river passes over a waterfall known as Big Falls, which is the site of a county park.
Eau Claire River (named the "Clear Water River, a branch of the Chippewa") serves in part as the boundary between the Chippewa and Winnebago in an 1825 treaty, [2] and as a southern boundary for the 1837 Treaty-ceded Territory, where the signatory Ojibwe Bands may hunt, fish and gather to maintain their cultural livelihood.
Eau Claire County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,710. Its county seat is Eau Claire. The county took its name from the Eau Claire River.
Chippewa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named for the historic Chippewa people, also known as the Ojibwe, who long controlled this territory. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,297. Its county seat is Chippewa Falls. The county was founded in 1845 from Crawford County, then in the Wisconsin Territory, and organized in 1853.
Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 14,778 in the 2021 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County.
Altoona is a city in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,292 at the 2020 census with an estimated population in 2022 of 9,149. The city is a railroad terminal on the Union Pacific Railroad.
Eau Claire is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the state's eighth largest city. Eau Claire is the principal city of the Eau Claire, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, locally known as the Chippewa Valley, and is also part of the larger Eau Claire-Menomonie Combined Statistical Area.
The Jump River is a small rocky river in north-central Wisconsin. In the late 19th century it was used to drive logs down to the Chippewa River. Today it is recreational, rambling through woods and farmlands, used mostly by fishermen and paddlers.
Lake Hallie is a village in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. It was incorporated from part of the Town of Hallie on February 18, 2003. The 2010 census put the village's population at 6,448.
The Wolf River is a 225 mi (362 km) long tributary of the Fox River in northeastern Wisconsin in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The river is one of the two National Scenic Rivers in Wisconsin, along with the St. Croix River. The scenic portion is 24 miles (39 km) long. The river and its parent the Fox River and associated lakes are known for their sturgeon which spawn every spring upstream on the lower river until blocked by the Shawano Dam. The river flows through mostly undeveloped forestland southerly from central Forest County in the north to Lake Poygan in the south. The lake is part of the Winnebago Pool of lakes fed by both the Fox and Wolf Rivers. The Fox-Wolf basin is usually considered to be a single unified basin and the rivers themselves may be referred to as the Fox-Wolf River system.
The Red Cedar River in northwestern Wisconsin is a tributary of the Chippewa River. Its name is translation from the Ojibwe Miskwaawaakokaan-ziibi meaning "Abundant with Red Cedar River." According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the river flows approximately 100 miles from southwestern Sawyer County to its confluence with the Chippewa southeast of Dunnville in southern Dunn County. It drains portions of eight Wisconsin counties: Barron, Chippewa, Dunn, Polk, Rusk, St. Croix, Sawyer, and Washburn.
The Chippewa River in Wisconsin flows approximately 183 miles (294 km) through west-central and northwestern Wisconsin. It was once navigable for approximately 50 miles (80 km) of its length, from the Mississippi River, by Durand, northeast to Eau Claire. Its catchment defines a portion of the northern boundary of the Driftless Area. The river is easily accessible for bikers and pleasure seekers via the Chippewa River State Trail, which follows the river from Eau Claire to Durand.
The Watab River, also known as Watab Creek, is a 9.8-mile-long (15.8 km) tributary of the Mississippi River in Stearns County in central Minnesota in the United States. It rises north of St. Joseph at the confluence of its North and South Forks, and flows northeast through Watab Lake, then east into the Mississippi River at Sartell.
The Hay River is a tributary of the Red Cedar River in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. It is about 50 mi (80 km) long. Via the Red Cedar and Chippewa Rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.
The Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area refers loosely to the urbanized area along the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers, in west-central Wisconsin, with its primary center at Eau Claire and secondary centers at Chippewa Falls and Altoona.
State Trunk Highway 312 is a 7.9-mile (12.7 km) long Wisconsin state highway running along the north side of Eau Claire, from the Town of Union in the west to the Town of Seymour in the east. The entire length of Highway 312 is an expressway with a few grade crossings.
The Chippewa Valley is a valley in Wisconsin, US.
Old Abe State Trail is a 19.5-mile (31.4 km) paved multi-use rail trail in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, USA.
The Flambeau River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in northern Wisconsin, United States. The Chippewa is in turn a tributary of the upper Mississippi River. The Flambeau drains an area of 1,860 square miles (4,800 km2) and descends from an elevation of approximately 1,570 feet (480 m) to 1,060 feet (320 m) above sea level. The Flambeau is an important recreational destination in the region. It is notable among canoeists in the Midwest for outstanding canoe camping, including excellent scenery, fishing and whitewater. The river and its forks have a variety of possible trip lengths from short day outings, to overnight camping, to voyages of a week or more.
Chippewa River State Trail is a 26-mile urban-rural rail trail in western Wisconsin that follows the path of the Chippewa River. The trails runs from the spot of the confluence of the Chippewa with the Eau Claire River, at Phoenix Park in downtown Eau Claire, meeting up with the Red Cedar State Trail near Red Cedar, to Durand. A former railroad corridor, the trail passes through a variety of habitat including wetlands, prairies and sandstone bluff.
Zhaagobe (c.1794), also known as Jack-O-Pa or Shagobai, was a St. Croix Ojibwe chief of the Snake River band. He signed several Chippewa treaties with the United States, including the 1825 Treaty of Prairie du Chien, the 1826 Treaty of Fond du Lac, the 1837 Treaty of St. Peters, and the 1842 Treaty of La Pointe. In 1836, geographer Joseph Nicollet had an Ojibwe guide he called Chagobay, but historians are uncertain as to whether they were the same person.