Straight River (southern Minnesota)
Encyclopedia
The Straight River is a tributary
of the Cannon River, 45 miles (73 km) long, in southeastern Minnesota
in the United States
. Via the Cannon River, it is part of the watershed
of the Mississippi River
, draining an area of approximately 450 square miles (1,165 km²) in an agricultural region.
Its name is a translation of Wakpá Owóthaŋna, the Dakota
name for the river. Despite its name, the river flows in a winding course, though its valley is fairly straight. The river provided hydropower
for flour
mill
ing operations in the 19th century.
of the Straight River is considered to be just north of Geneva
in Geneva Township
in northern Freeborn County
, though its headwaters have been altered by the construction of agricultural ditch
es. The river flows northward through Steele County
into southern Rice County
, passing through the cities of Owatonna
and Medford
, to its mouth at the Cannon River in Faribault
.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
has identified the Straight River as a route for canoeing
. The river flows generally through farmland; its narrow riparian
corridor is wooded, predominantly by elm
, willow
, poplar
and maple
. Its course is characterized by occasional riffle
s, with one section of rapid
s in Clinton Falls Township
in northern Steele County. Fish species in the river include northern pike
, crappie
, smallmouth bass
and carp
.
Chief tributaries of the Straight River include Turtle Creek in central Steele County, Maple Creek, which rises from Rice Lake in eastern Steele County and joins the Straight River in Owatonna, Crane Creek, rising in Waseca and flowing into the Straight River to the north of Owatonna, and Medford Creek.
's stream gauge
upstream of Faribault
, the annual mean flow of the river between 1966 and 2005 was 293 cubic feet per second (8 m³/s). The highest recorded flow during the period was 6,080 ft³/s (172 m³/s) on June 12, 2004. The lowest recorded flow was 10 ft³/s (0 m³/s) on October 27, 1976.
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 Cannon River, 45 miles (73 km) long, in southeastern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Via the Cannon River, it is part of the watershed
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...
of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, draining an area of approximately 450 square miles (1,165 km²) in an agricultural region.
Its name is a translation of Wakpá Owóthaŋna, the Dakota
Sioux language
Sioux is a Siouan language spoken by over 33,000 Sioux in the United States and Canada, making it the fifth most spoken indigenous language in the United States or Canada, behind Navajo, Cree, Inuit and Ojibwe.-Regional variation:...
name for the river. Despite its name, the river flows in a winding course, though its valley is fairly straight. The river provided hydropower
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
for flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
mill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
ing operations in the 19th century.
Geography
The sourceSource (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
of the Straight River is considered to be just north of Geneva
Geneva, Minnesota
Geneva is a city in Freeborn County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 555 at the 2010 census. It was named after Geneva, New York.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
in Geneva Township
Geneva Township, Minnesota
Geneva Township is a township in Freeborn County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 439 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...
in northern Freeborn County
Freeborn County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 32,584 people, 13,356 households, and 9,015 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile . There were 13,996 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
, though its headwaters have been altered by the construction of agricultural ditch
Ditch
A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water.In Anglo-Saxon, the word dïc already existed and was pronounced 'deek' in northern England and 'deetch' in the south. The origins of the word lie in digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank...
es. The river flows northward through Steele County
Steele County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,680 people, 12,846 households, and 9,082 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile . There were 13,306 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
into southern Rice County
Rice County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 56,665 people, 18,888 households, and 13,353 families residing in the county. The population density was 114 people per square mile . There were 20,061 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...
, passing through the cities of Owatonna
Owatonna, Minnesota
Owatonna is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,599 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August....
and Medford
Medford, Minnesota
Medford is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,239 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land...
, to its mouth at the Cannon River in Faribault
Faribault, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,818 people, 7,472 households, and 4,946 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,644.8 people per square mile . There were 7,668 housing units at an average density of 605.8 per square mile...
.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recreational trails, and recreation areas as well as managing minerals,...
has identified the Straight River as a route for canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
. The river flows generally through farmland; its narrow riparian
Riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...
corridor is wooded, predominantly by elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
, willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
, poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
and maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
. Its course is characterized by occasional riffle
Riffle
A Riffle is a short, relatively shallow and coarse-bedded length of stream over which the stream flows at higher velocity and higher turbulence than it normally does in comparison to a pool....
s, with one section of rapid
Rapid
A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run and a cascade. A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the...
s in Clinton Falls Township
Clinton Falls Township, Minnesota
Clinton Falls Township is a township in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 452 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
in northern Steele County. Fish species in the river include northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
and carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
.
Chief tributaries of the Straight River include Turtle Creek in central Steele County, Maple Creek, which rises from Rice Lake in eastern Steele County and joins the Straight River in Owatonna, Crane Creek, rising in Waseca and flowing into the Straight River to the north of Owatonna, and Medford Creek.
Flow rate
At the United States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
's stream gauge
Stream gauge
A stream gauge, stream gage or gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water surface elevation and/or volumetric discharge are generally taken and observations of biota may also be...
upstream of Faribault
Faribault, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,818 people, 7,472 households, and 4,946 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,644.8 people per square mile . There were 7,668 housing units at an average density of 605.8 per square mile...
, the annual mean flow of the river between 1966 and 2005 was 293 cubic feet per second (8 m³/s). The highest recorded flow during the period was 6,080 ft³/s (172 m³/s) on June 12, 2004. The lowest recorded flow was 10 ft³/s (0 m³/s) on October 27, 1976.