Eau Galle River

Not to be confused with Eau Gallie River.
Eau Galle River, downstream from the dam in Eau Galle

The Eau Galle River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in western Wisconsin in the United States. It is about 35 mi (56 km) long.[1] Via the Chippewa River, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.

The Eau Galle River was named la Rivière au Galet, "river of the gravely/pebbly banks", by French explorers in the late 17th or early 18th century.[2] Over time the spelling of galet changed to galle, thus causing a 1905 mistake in attribution by Henry Gannett, author of a book on place names in the US, who assumed that the river's name meant "bitter water" in French.[3] There is a persistence of the galet pronunciation in spite of the spelling change to galle.

  1. ^ "AllRefer.com - EAU Galle River, Wisconsin (WI) - (River) - Facts and Information". Archived from the original on 2005-08-31. Retrieved 2005-10-13.
  2. ^ Planning Commission (2002). Comprehensive Land Use Plan for the Town of Eau Galle (PDF). Town of Eau Galle. p. 4.
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 113.