James River (Dakotas)
The James drops approximately 5 inches (130 mm) per 1 mile (1.6 km), and this low gradient sometimes leads to reverse flow. Reverse flow occurs when high inflow from tributaries leads to James River water flowing upstream for several miles above the joining water. This happens most frequently north of Huron, South Dakota.
The river arises in Wells County, North Dakota, approximately 10 mi (16 km) northwest of Fessenden. It flows briefly east towards New Rockford, then generally SSE through eastern North Dakota, past Jamestown, where it is first impounded by a large reservoir (the Jamestown Dam), and then joined by the Pipestem River. It enters northeastern South Dakota in Brown County, where it is impounded to form two reservoirs northeast of Aberdeen.
At Columbia, it is joined by the Elm River. Flowing southward across eastern South Dakota, it passes Huron and Mitchell, where it is joined by the Firesteel Creek. South of Mitchell, it flows southeast and joins the Missouri just east of Yankton.
The James River flows fully across the state of South Dakota, the only river other than the Missouri to do so.
River conditions during normal years include still water on both the James and its tributaries as well as flooding. Floods occur after snowmelt or heavy rains, as water easily breaches the James' low banks, and such floods tend to cover a significant portion of the floodplain. When the river is still, water quality drops.
History
Originally called E-ta-zi-po-ka-se Wakpa ("unnavigable river") in the Sioux language, the river was given the name Riviere aux Jacques in 1794 by Jean Trudeau, a French trader. This name was subsequently anglicized to James River, which was the name used by local English speakers at the time Dakota Territory was incorporated. However, the Dakota Territory Organic Act of 1861 renamed it the Dakota River. The new name failed to gain popular usage and the river retains its pre-1861 name.
See also
- New Rockford Bridge
- List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem)
- List of rivers of North Dakota
- List of rivers of South Dakota
References
- ^ "USGS 06478500 JAMES R NEAR SCOTLAND,SD".
- ^ Hogan, Edward Patrick; Fouberg, Erin Hogan (2001). The Geography of South Dakota (Third ed.). Sioux Falls, SD: The Center for Western Studies – Augustana College. ISBN 0-931170-79-6.
- ^ South Dakota place-names. American guide series. University of South Dakota. 1940.
- ^ http://www.augie.edu/sites/default/files/2008dakconfpapers.pdf
- ^ Project, Federal Writers' (31 October 2013). The WPA Guide to South Dakota: The Prairie State. Trinity University Press. ISBN 9781595342393.