Vermilion River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Confluence of the Middle Fork and Salt Fork west of Danville, Illinois |
• coordinates | 40°06′13″N87°43′01″W / 40.1036474°N 87.716968°W |
Mouth | |
• location | Wabash River northeast of Cayuga, Indiana |
• coordinates | 39°57′31″N87°26′24″W / 39.9586493°N 87.4400157°W Coordinates: 39°57′31″N87°26′24″W / 39.9586493°N 87.4400157°W |
• elevation | 472 ft (144 m) |
Length | 28.4 miles (45.7 km) [1] |
Discharge | |
• location | Danville, Illinois |
• average | 1,078 cu/ft. per sec. [2] |
Basin features | |
Progression | Vermilion River → Wabash → Ohio → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
Tributaries | |
• left | Middle Fork, North Fork |
• right | Salt Fork |
GNIS ID | 445248 |
The Vermilion River is a tributary of the Wabash River in the states of Illinois and Indiana, United States. [3]
There are two "Vermilion Rivers" in Illinois. The Wabash tributary flows south, while the other Vermilion River flows north to the Illinois River. There are also two Little Vermilion rivers, one flowing into the Wabash River and one into the Illinois.
The north-flowing Vermilion River and the south-flowing Middle Fork Vermilion River lie along a straight line connecting Oglesby and Danville. The two rivers drain what was once an upland marsh near Roberts. The two rivers have been extended by drainage ditches so that they nearly connect at their headwaters. The rivers may share a common name because early settlers regarded them as a single river that flowed two directions. The rivers may have served as a canoe route between the Illinois River and Wabash River, with a portage through the marshes near Roberts.
The main tributaries of the Vermilion River join near Danville:
The Vermilion starts with the confluence of the Salt Fork and Middle Fork, to be joined by the North Fork approximately 5 miles (8 km) downstream.
The Salt Fork is the western tributary. It arises north of Urbana, flowing east toward Danville. It was named for the saline springs in its lower reaches. When settlers first arrived in the area, the saline springs were the basis of the dominant industry.
The Middle Fork arises near Roberts, and flows southeast toward Danville. The Middle Fork is notable as the only river in Illinois designated as a National Wild and Scenic River by United States National Park Service. This scenic stream flows through Kickapoo State Park near Danville and is a favorite of Illinois canoeists.
The North Fork arises in Indiana to the northeast of Hoopeston, Illinois. It flows south and southwest toward Danville.
From Danville, the Vermilion River flows to its confluence with the Wabash River to the east of the Illinois/Indiana border.
The following cities, towns and villages are among those in the Vermilion River watershed:
Portions of the following counties are drained by the Vermilion River:
Vermilion County is a county in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois, between the Indiana border and Champaign County. It was established in 1826 and was the 45th of Illinois' 102 counties. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 81,625, a decrease of 2.7% in 2000. It contains 21 incorporated settlements; the county seat and largest city is Danville.
Champaign County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 205,865, making it the 10th-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Urbana.
The Wabash River is a 503-mile-long (810 km) river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows from the headwaters in Ohio, near the Indiana border, then southwest across northern Indiana turning south near the Illinois border, where the southern portion forms the Indiana-Illinois border before flowing into the Ohio River.
The White River is an American two-forked river that flows through central and southern Indiana and is the main tributary to the Wabash River. Via the west fork, considered to be the main stem of the river by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the White River is 362 miles (583 km) long. Indiana's capital, Indianapolis, is located on the river. The two forks meet just north of Petersburg and empty into the Wabash River at Mount Carmel, Illinois.
Vermilion River or Vermillion River or Vermillon River may refer to:
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.
The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately 246 miles (396 km) long, in central Illinois in the United States. It drains a mostly rural agricultural area between Peoria and Springfield. The river is associated with the early career of Abraham Lincoln and played an important role in early European settlement of Illinois, when the area around was known as the "Sangamon River Country". The section of the Sangamon River that flows through Robert Allerton Park near Monticello was named a National Natural Landmark in 1971.
The Embarras River is a 195-mile-long (314 km) tributary of the Wabash River in southeastern Illinois in the United States. The waters of the Embarras reach the Gulf of Mexico via the Wabash, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers. The river drains a watershed around 1,566,450 acres (6,339.2 km2) in an agricultural region. The name comes from French explorers, who used the term embarras for river obstacles, blockages, and difficulties relating to logjams and the like.
The Little Wabash River is a 240-mile-long (390 km) tributary of the Wabash River in east-central and southeastern Illinois in the United States. Via the Wabash and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. It is the third largest tributary after the White River and the Embarras River.
The Saline River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 27 miles (43 km) long, in the Southern Illinois region of the U.S. state of Illinois. The river drains a large section of southeast Illinois, with a drainage basin of 1,762 square miles (4,564 km2). The major tributaries include the South Fork, Middle Fork and North Fork, all lying within the Saline Valley. The once meandering swampy river was important among Native Americans and early settlers as a source of salt from numerous salt springs where it was commercially extracted in the early 19th century.
Boneyard Creek is a 3.3-mile-long (5.3 km) waterway that drains much of the cities of Champaign and Urbana, Illinois. It is a tributary of the Saline Branch of the Salt Fork Vermilion River, which is a tributary of the south-flowing Vermilion River and the Wabash River. The creek flows through the northern sections of the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The newsletter of the university's ACM chapter is Banks of the Boneyard, named after the creek.
The Vermilion River is a 74.8-mile-long (120.4 km) tributary of the Illinois River in the state of Illinois, United States. The river flows north, in contrast to a second Vermilion River in Illinois, which flows south to the Wabash River. The Illinois and Wabash rivers each have a tributary named the Little Vermilion River as well.
The Little Vermilion River is a 59.6-mile-long (95.9 km) tributary of the Wabash River. The Little Vermilion rises in southern Vermilion County, Illinois, flowing eastward past Georgetown, Illinois, into Vermillion County, Indiana, where it joins the Wabash near Newport.
The Middle Fork of the Vermilion River is a tributary of the Vermilion River in Illinois. The Middle Fork rises in Ford County and flows southeast to join the Vermilion near Danville.
The Salt Fork is a tributary of the Vermilion River located in the Central Corn Belt Plains of Illinois.
Sidney Township is a township in Champaign County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,733 and it contained 715 housing units.
Urbana Township is a township in Champaign County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 7,451 and it contained 3,435 housing units.
This article is a timeline of Vermilion County, Illinois history.
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.