Wapsipinicon River
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The Wapsipinicon River (locally known as the Wapsi) is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 225 mi (362 km) long, in northeastern Iowa in the United States. It drains a rural farming region of rolling hills and bluffs north of Waterloo and Cedar Rapids.
It rises in northern Mitchell County near the Minnesota border. It flows generally southeast across rural Chickasaw, Bremer, and Buchanan counties, past Independence and Anamosa. Along its lower 25 mi (40 km) it turns east, forming the boundary between Clinton and Scott counties. It joins the Mississippi from the west approximately 10 mi (16 km) southwest of Clinton.
The name of the river derived from a Native American phrase meaning "white potato", so named on account of the large quantity of wild artichokes once found near its banks. Severe flooding on the river in 1993, as part of the larger floods in region, caused widespread damage to the surrounding cropland.
Wapsipinicon State Park is located along its southern bank at Anamosa.
See also
External links
- Wapsipinicon State Park (http://www.state.ia.us/dnr/organiza/ppd/wapsi.htm)
- University of Iowa: Wapsipinicon River (http://wqm.igsb.uiowa.edu/activities/stream/monthly%20sites/wapsi52j.htm)
- History of Buchanan County, Iowa: Wapsipinicon River (http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/historical/1881buchanan/buch_9.htm)