The Winnebago River is a 72 miles (115.9 km) 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 northern Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

. It is a tributary of the Shell Rock River

Shell Rock River

The Shell Rock River is a tributary of the Cedar River in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa in the United States. Via the Cedar and Iowa rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Shell Rock River" as the stream's name...

, part of the Cedar River watershed that flows via the Iowa River

Iowa River

The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about long and is open to small river craft to Iowa City, about from its mouth...

 to 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...

. The Winnebago River rises in Winnebago County, Iowa

Winnebago County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,866 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,194 housing units, of which 4,597 were occupied.-2000 census:...

 north of Leland

Leland, Iowa

Leland is a city in Winnebago County, Iowa, United States. The population was 258 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Leland is located at ....

 and flows south through Forest City

Forest City, Iowa

Forest City is a city in Hancock and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, and the county seat of Winnebago County. The population was 4,151 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 4,362 population in the 2000 census....

, then east and southeast through Mason City

Mason City, Iowa

Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties....

 on its way to the Shell Rock River at Rockford

Rockford, Iowa

Rockford is a city in Floyd County, Iowa, United States, at the confluence of the Shell Rock and Winnebago Rivers. The population was 907 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rockford's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 43.052833, -92.949203...

. Headwater tributaries of the Winnebago River extend north into southern 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...

.

The river was alternately known as Lime Creek, but upon the fame of Meredith Willson

Meredith Willson

Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...

's The Music Man

The Music Man

The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...

, which has a mythical River City widely known to be based on his native Mason City, the locals felt compelled to promote their creek to a river. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names made "Winnebago River" the official name in a 1961 decision.