Shields River

Shields River
Lower Shields River
Map
Location
CountryPark and Meagher County, Montana
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • coordinates46°11′19″N 110°18′40″W / 46.18861°N 110.31111°W / 46.18861; -110.31111 (Shields River)[1]
Mouth 
 • coordinates
45°43′25″N 110°27′27″W / 45.72361°N 110.45750°W / 45.72361; -110.45750 (Shields River)[1]
 • elevation
4,383 feet (1,336 m)[1]
Length65.4 miles (105.3 km)[2]
Discharge 
 • locationnear Livingston
 • average287 cu ft/s (8.1 m3/s)[3]
Basin features
River systemYellowstone River

The Shields River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, 65.4 miles (105.3 km) long, in Meagher and Park Counties Montana in the United States.

It rises in the Gallatin National Forest in the Crazy Mountains in northern Park County. It flows west, then south, between the Bridger Range to the west and the Crazy Mountains to the east, past Wilsall and Clyde Park. It joins the Yellowstone approximately 10 mi (16 km) northeast of Livingston. The Shields River was named for John Shields (explorer), a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.[4]

The river hosts native Yellowstone cutthroat trout and Mountain whitefish as well as introduced brown and rainbow trout.[2]

  1. ^ a b c "Shields River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b "Waterbody Report-Shields River". Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  3. ^ "USGS Surface Water data for Montana: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry,"The origin of certain place names in the United States", Google eBook.