Platte River

Platte River Nebraska River,[1] Shallow River,[1] Plato/Chato (spa), Meneo'hé'e (chy), Ñíbraxge (iow), Pȟaŋkéska Wakpá (lkt), Ní Btháska (oma), Kíckatus (paw)
Platte River at Mahoney State Park
Map showing the Platte River watershed, including the North Platte and South Platte tributaries
Etymology	French ("flat river") and Chiwere ("flat water")
Location
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Region	Great Plains
Cities	North Platte, Kearney, Grand Island, Fremont, Omaha
Physical characteristics
Source	North Platte River
• location	Confluence of Grizzly Creek and Little Grizzly Creek, Jackson County, Colorado
• coordinates	40°38′23″N 106°24′19″W / 40.63972°N 106.40528°W / 40.63972; -106.40528[2]
• length	716 mi (1,152 km)
• elevation	8,050 ft (2,450 m)
2nd source	South Platte River
• location	Confluence of Middle Fork and South Fork South Platte Rivers, Park County, Colorado
• coordinates	39°00′40″N 105°44′25″W / 39.01111°N 105.74028°W / 39.01111; -105.74028[3]
• length	439 mi (707 km)
• elevation	8,785 ft (2,678 m)
Source confluence
• location	Near North Platte, Lincoln County, Nebraska
• coordinates	41°06′50″N 100°40′33″W / 41.11389°N 100.67583°W / 41.11389; -100.67583[1]
• elevation	2,762 ft (842 m)[2]
Mouth	Missouri River
• location	Cass / Sarpy counties, at Plattsmouth, Nebraska
• coordinates	41°03′14″N 95°52′53″W / 41.05389°N 95.88139°W / 41.05389; -95.88139[1]
• elevation	942 ft (287 m)[1]
Length	310 mi (500 km), West-east
Basin size	84,910 sq mi (219,900 km2)[4]
Discharge
• location	Louisville, 10 miles (16 km) above the mouth[5]
• average	7,037 cu ft/s (199.3 m3/s)[5]
• minimum	131 cu ft/s (3.7 m3/s)
• maximum	160,000 cu ft/s (4,500 m3/s)
Basin features
River system	Missouri River basin
Tributaries
• left	North Platte River, Loup River, Elkhorn River
• right	South Platte River

The Platte River (/plæt/) is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about 310 mi (500 km) long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over 1,050 miles (1,690 km). The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itself is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The Platte over most of its length is a broad, shallow, meandering stream with a sandy bottom and many islands—a braided stream.

The Platte is one of the most significant tributary systems in the watershed of the Missouri, draining a large portion of the central Great Plains in Nebraska and the eastern Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming. The river valley played an important role in the westward expansion of the United States, providing the route for several major emigrant trails, including the Oregon, California, Mormon and Bozeman trails. The first Europeans to see the Platte were French explorers and fur trappers about 1714; they first called it the Nebraskier (Nebraska), a transliteration of the name given by the Otoe people, meaning "flat water". This expression is very close to the French words "rivière platte" ("flat river"), the probable origin of the name Platte River.