Middle Fork Vermilion River | |
---|---|
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Confluence of a drainage ditch and Prairie Creek in Ford County southeast of Paxton, Illinois |
• coordinates | 40°24′15″N88°01′05″W / 40.4042016°N 88.0180938°W |
Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with the Salt Fork forming the Vermilion River west of Danville, Illinois |
• coordinates | 40°06′13″N87°43′02″W / 40.1036474°N 87.7172458°W |
• elevation | 535 ft (163 m) |
Length | 77 mi (124 km) |
Discharge | |
• location | Oakwood, Illinois |
• average | 416 cu/ft. per sec. [1] |
Basin features | |
Progression | Middle Fork → Vermilion → Wabash → Ohio → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
GNIS ID | 413502 |
Type | Scenic |
Designated | May 11, 1989 |
The Middle Fork of the Vermilion River is a tributary of the Vermilion River (Wabash River) in Illinois. The Middle Fork rises in Ford County and flows southeast to join the Vermilion near Danville. [2]
In its natural state, the Middle Fork drained a large upland marsh in what is now Ford County. The Middle Fork has been extended into the marsh by drainage ditches. Including the ditches, the Middle Fork is about 77 miles (124 km) long. [3]
The Middle Fork is Illinois' only designated National Wild and Scenic River. Parks and access points include:
The following cities, towns and villages are among those in the watershed of the Middle Fork:
Parts of the following counties are drained by the Middle Fork:
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The Paria River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 95 miles (153 km) long, in southern Utah and northern Arizona in the United States. It drains a rugged and arid region northwest of the Colorado, flowing through roadless slot canyons along part of its course.
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The Vermilion River is a tributary of the Wabash River in the states of Illinois and Indiana, United States.
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The Mackinaw River is a 130-mile-long (210 km) tributary of the Illinois River in the U.S. state of Illinois. Its watershed covers approximately 1,136 square miles (3,000 km2), and contains some of the most productive agricultural land in the United States. The river itself maintains some of the highest quality streams in the state and provides habitat for 60-70 native fish species and 25-30 species of mussels. Its name, also spelled Mackinac, is derived from the Ojibwe word mikinaak meaning "turtle".
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The Salt Fork is a tributary of the Vermilion River located in the Central Corn Belt Plains of Illinois.
The Mazon River or Mazon Creek, is a tributary of the Illinois River in the United States. The confluence is near Morris, Illinois.
Henderson Creek is a 64.6-mile-long (104.0 km) tributary of the Mississippi River, which it joins in Henderson County, Illinois, near the villages of Gladstone and Oquawka.
Macoupin Creek is a 99.7-mile-long (160.5 km) tributary of the Illinois River, which it joins near the village of Hardin, Illinois.
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The Saline Branch, or Saline Branch Ditch, is a tributary of the Vermilion River in east central Illinois. It drains a parcel of east-central Champaign County, including most of the city of Urbana, Illinois and the University of Illinois campus within Urbana.