Lodgepole Creek
Encyclopedia
Lodgepole Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River
, approximately 278 miles (447.4 km) long, in the U.S. state
s of Wyoming
, Nebraska
and Colorado
. Lodgepole Creek drains a basin in the interior of a low plateau which lies between the South Platte Basin
and the North Platte Basin
in the southeastern corner of Wyoming, the southern edge of the Nebraska Panhandle
and several small portions of northeastern Colorado. As its name implies, Lodgepole Creek is a very small stream; for nearly all of its length it flows through the semiarid High Plains
. The Lodgepole Creek Valley has been a major transportation route for over 100 years; the line of the original transcontinental railroad
, the Lincoln Highway
/U.S. Highway 30 and Interstate 80
all run along the stream for much of its length.
of southeastern Wyoming, about 10 miles (16 km) east of Laramie, Wyoming
. The creek flows east, north of Cheyenne
; it enters Nebraska just east of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming
. In Nebraska, it flows to the east past Kimball
, Sidney
and Chappell
; at Chappell, Lodgepole Creek turns to the southeast and flows into Colorado. The stream, by this point flowing south, empties into the South Platte River at Ovid
, 3 miles (5 km) south of the Nebraska/Colorado border.
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
, approximately 278 miles (447.4 km) long, 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...
s of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Lodgepole Creek drains a basin in the interior of a low plateau which lies between the South Platte Basin
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
and the North Platte Basin
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long counting its many curves, It travels about distance. Its course lies in the U.S...
in the southeastern corner of Wyoming, the southern edge of the Nebraska Panhandle
Nebraska Panhandle
The Nebraska Panhandle is an area in the west of the state of Nebraska. A panhandle is an area extending from the rest of a political unit; the Nebraska panhandle is two-thirds as broad as the rest of the state. It is approximately 100 miles east to west and 125 miles north to south...
and several small portions of northeastern Colorado. As its name implies, Lodgepole Creek is a very small stream; for nearly all of its length it flows through the semiarid High Plains
High Plains (United States)
The High Plains are a subregion of the Great Plains mostly in the Western United States, but also partly in the Midwest states of Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota, generally encompassing the western part of the Great Plains before the region reaches the Rocky Mountains...
. The Lodgepole Creek Valley has been a major transportation route for over 100 years; the line of the original transcontinental railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
, the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
/U.S. Highway 30 and Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
all run along the stream for much of its length.
Description
Lodgepole Creek rises on the east slope of the Laramie MountainsLaramie Mountains
The Laramie Mountains are a range of moderately high peaks on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S states of Wyoming and Colorado. The range is the northernmost extension of the line of the ranges along the eastern side of the Rockies, and in particular of the higher peaks of the...
of southeastern Wyoming, about 10 miles (16 km) east of Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
. The creek flows east, north of Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
; it enters Nebraska just east of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming
Pine Bluffs, Wyoming
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,153 people, 482 households, and 332 families residing in the town. The population density was 357.4 people per square mile . There were 517 housing units at an average density of 160.3 per square mile...
. In Nebraska, it flows to the east past Kimball
Kimball, Nebraska
Kimball is a city in Kimball County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,559 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kimball County.-Geography:Kimball is located at , in the southwestern Panhandle....
, Sidney
Sidney, Nebraska
Sidney is a city in Cheyenne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,282 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cheyenne County.-History:The city was named for Sidney Dillon, a railroad attorney...
and Chappell
Chappell, Nebraska
Chappell is a city in Deuel County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 983 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Deuel County.-Geography:Chappell is located at ....
; at Chappell, Lodgepole Creek turns to the southeast and flows into Colorado. The stream, by this point flowing south, empties into the South Platte River at Ovid
Ovid, Colorado
Ovid is a statutory town in Sedgwick County, Colorado, United States. The population was 330 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ovid is located at ....
, 3 miles (5 km) south of the Nebraska/Colorado border.
Early irrigation
The first irrigation in western Nebraska was in the Lodgepole valley, and was practiced by the soldiers under the command of General Dudley of Fort Sidney in 1871. A dam was built across the creek and the waters thus impounded were used to irrigate the tracts of land allotted to the companies. Rivalry existed between the companies is growing the best gardens. Let it be known to the credit of this early tillage that the soldiers raised nice gardens, but the grasshoppers discouraged their efforts. The first produce was intended to supply two hundred and fifty enlisted men and their officers and finally ended in the addition of several hundred dollars worth of produce being sold in town.
When the fort was abandoned in 1894, trees two or three feet in diameter were flourishing. After the valley was settled more densely, ditches were constructed until irrigation was practiced extensively along the borders of the entire creek. The dams averaged from three to ten feet in height and seventy-five to one hundred feet in length, and were located from a half to three-quarters of a mile apart along the course of the stream. The discharge of Lodgepole Creek is small in comparison with many other streams thus utilized in Nebraska. This is explained by the fact that the stream is fed from numerous springs along its entire course and also by the fact of the valley being from one to three miles in width. The irrigation of such land thus being very close proximity to the stream that water reappears promptly, after being spread over the bordering land. It has been observed frequently that when all the flow was being diverted at one point the stream a half mile further down would flow again the same as if no water had been diverted above.
See also
- List of rivers of Colorado
- List of rivers of Nebraska
- List of rivers of Wyoming
External links
- USGS Lodgepole Creek flow data (Bushnell, Nebraska)
- 1864 description of Lodgepole Creek
- Flow data at Ovid, Colorado Colorado Division of Natural Resources