St. Marys River (Indiana and Ohio)

The St. Marys River (Shawnee: Kokothikithiipi,[2] in Miami-Illinois: Nameewa siipiiwi)[3] is a 99-mile-long (159 km)[4] tributary of the Maumee River (Miami-Illinois: Taawaawa siipiiwi) in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States.[5] Prior to development, it was part of the Great Black Swamp. Today, it drains a primarily rural farming region in the watershed of Lake Erie.

Saint Marys River
The St. Marys River in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Map of the Maumee River watershed showing the St. Marys River
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesOhio, Indiana
Physical characteristics
Sourceconfluence of East Branch and Center Branch
 • locationnear St. Marys, Ohio
 • coordinates40°32′14″N 84°21′46″W / 40.5372222°N 84.3627778°W / 40.5372222; -84.3627778 (Saint Marys River origin)
 • elevation854 ft (260 m)
Mouthconfluence with the St. Joseph River to form the Maumee River
 • location
Fort Wayne, Indiana
 • coordinates
41°05′00″N 85°07′56″W / 41.0833333°N 85.1322222°W / 41.0833333; -85.1322222 (Saint Marys River mouth)
 • elevation
745 ft (227 m)
Length99 miles (159 km)
Basin size793.1 square miles (2,054 km2)[1]
Basin features
ProgressionSt. Marys River → Maumee River → Lake Erie → Great Lakes → St Lawrence River → Gulf of St. Lawrence
GNIS ID442706

It is formed in southern Auglaize County in western Ohio by the confluence of the short East Branch and Center Branch. It flows briefly west to St. Marys, approaching to within two miles of Grand Lake before turning to the north. In northwestern Auglaize County it turns sharply to the west-northwest, flowing past Rockford and Willshire into Adams County, Indiana. In northeastern Indiana it flows northwest through Decatur, then enters Fort Wayne. It hooks around in its last half mile (0.8 km) to join the St. Joseph River (in Miami-Illinois: Kociihsasiipi) from the west to form the Maumee in downtown Fort Wayne.

The World War II-era US Navy vessel St. Mary's River was named after this river.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Watershed Boundary Dataset, area data covering St. Marys River watershed (8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code 04100004), viewed in The National Map, accessed 2020-05-26.
  2. ^ "Shawnees Webpage". Shawnee's Reservation. 1997. Archived from the original on 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
  3. ^ "myaamiaatawaakani | Myaamia Dictionary". Archived from the original on 2017-08-30. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 19, 2011
  5. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Saint Marys River
edit