| Watonwan River | |
|---|---|
 The Watonwan River in Garden City in 2007 | |
 Map of the Blue Earth River watershed showing the Watonwan River | |
| Etymology | Dakota watanwan meaning "fish bait" or "plenty of fish"[1] |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| Counties | Cottonwood, Watonwan, Blue Earth |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Amboy Township, Cottonwood County |
| • coordinates | 44°01′30″N 95°13′12″W / 44.02500°N 95.22000°W[2] |
| • elevation | 1,529 ft (466 m)[3] |
| Mouth | Blue Earth River |
• location | Rapidan Township, Blue Earth County |
• coordinates | 44°04′13″N 94°07′35″W / 44.07028°N 94.12639°W[2] |
• elevation | 879 ft (268 m)[3] |
| Length | 113.2 mi (182.2 km)[4] |
| Basin size | 878 sq mi (2,270 km2)[5] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | near Garden City[6] |
| • average | 391 cu ft/s (11.1 m3/s)[6] |
| • minimum | 1.8 cu ft/s (0.051 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 13,900 cu ft/s (390 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | North Fork Watonwan River |
| • right | South Fork Watonwan River |
The Watonwan River is a tributary of the Blue Earth River, 113 miles (182 km) long, in southern Minnesota in the United States. Via the Blue Earth and Minnesota rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 878 square miles (2,270 km2) in an agricultural region. The Watonwan drains about a quarter of the Blue Earth River's watershed.[7]
The river was the site of the capture of Bob, Cole and Jim Younger (members of the James–Younger Gang) near Madelia in 1876.[8]
- ^ Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 165.
- ^ a b "Geographic Names Information System entry for Watonwan River (Feature ID #653842)". Geographic Names Information System. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ a b Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Watonwan River Major Watershed". Minnesota River Basin Data Center. Minnesota State University, Mankato. 1999-05-31. pp. Streams within the Watonwan River Major Watershed. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Watonwan River Major Watershed". Minnesota River Basin Data Center. Minnesota State University, Mankato. 1999-05-31. pp. General Description. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ a b Mitton, G. B.; K. G. Guttormson; G. W. Stratton; E. S. Wakeman. "Water Resources Data in Minnesota, Water Year 2005 Annual Report". United States Geological Survey. pp. Watonwan River near Garden City, MN. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin". Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. 2005-12-01. pp. Minnesota River Basin: Blue Earth, Watonwan, and Le Sueur River Watersheds. Archived from the original on 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ Waters, Thomas F. (2006). "The Blue Earth: Fool's Copper". The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. pp. 278–287. ISBN 0-8166-0960-8.