The Battle Creek River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. It is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Kalamazoo River

Kalamazoo River

The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch...

, joining it at Battle Creek, Michigan

Battle Creek, Michigan

Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...

.

The river's drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 is approximately 196750 acre and covers northern Calhoun County

Calhoun County, Michigan

-Interstates:* I-69* I-94* I-194* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Albion.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Battle Creek.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Marshall.-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-37* M-60* M-66* M-78* M-89* M-96* M-99...

, southern Eaton County

Eaton County, Michigan

Eaton County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 107,759. The county seat is Charlotte. Eaton County was named for John Eaton, who was Secretary of War under U.S. President Andrew Jackson, making it one of Michigan's Cabinet counties...

, and southeastern Barry County

Barry County, Michigan

-Highways:* M-37* M-43* M-50* M-66* M-78* M-79* M-89* M-179-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 56,755 people, 21,035 households, and 15,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 23,876 housing units at an average density of...

 in southwest Michigan. The headwaters of the Battle Creek River are at Duck Lake in Clarence Township

Clarence Township, Michigan

Clarence Township is a civil township located in northeast Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,032 at the 2000 census...

 in northeast Calhoun County

Calhoun County, Michigan

-Interstates:* I-69* I-94* I-194* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Albion.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Battle Creek.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Marshall.-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-37* M-60* M-66* M-78* M-89* M-96* M-99...

, and the stream flows north to the city of Charlotte

Charlotte, Michigan

Charlotte is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County....

, then southeast through the village of Bellevue

Bellevue, Michigan

Bellevue is a village in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,365 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Bellevue Township.-Geography:...

 and empties into the Kalamazoo River at the city of Battle Creek. Tributaries of the Battle Creek River include Wanadoga Creek, Ellis Creek, Crooked Brook, Goose Creek, Ackley Creek, Indian Creek, and Big Creek. The river is 53.3 miles (85.8 km) long with an average gradient of 1.25 feet/mile.

The river's name, according to local lore, was given after a survey party, led by Col. John Mullet, engaged in hostilities with some local Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

in the winter of 1823-24.