Why is the platte river important

Over most of its length through Nebraska, it is a muddy, broad, shallow, meandering stream with a swampy bottom and many islands, which is called a braided stream. Its muddy water, many shallow channels and islands and ever-changing mud bars made it too difficult for even canoe travel; consequently, it was never used as a major water transportation route. During long, hot summers, the Platte River is an oasis for wildlife, including pronghorns, mule deer, jackrabbits and remnant populations of prairie dogs and burrowing owls.

Ten million ducks and geese use the Platte River and nearby Rainwater Basin wetlands on their migration. Beavers, river otter, Interior least terns and piping plovers, and species as rare as the pallid sturgeon and as common as catfish call the Platte River home. The Platte faces challenges. Two-thirds of the historic flows in the Central Platte are now used upstream.

The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about mi km long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River , it flows for over 1, miles 1, km. The Platte over most of its length is a muddy, broad, shallow, meandering stream with a swampy bottom and many islands—a braided stream. These characteristics made it too difficult for canoe travel, and it was never used as a major navigation route by European-American trappers or explorers. 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.

Audio tours are also available to rent for a nominal fee. Facilities include a bookstore, interpretative trails and restrooms. The park entrance, visitor center and grounds are handicapped accessible. Many of the structures are partially accessible. For information on hours, fees and more, contact the Fort Laramie Park Headquarters at Skip to main content. Home Encyclopedia. Emilene Ostlind. Lageson, David R.

Roadside Geology of Wyoming. Missoula, Mont. Larson, T. History of Wyoming. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, Nadeau, Remi. Fort Laramie and the Sioux Indians. Englewood Cliffs, N. Mattes, Merrill. Fort Laramie Park History, Accessed Sept.

O'Leary, Ray and Bob Edwards. Buffalo, Wyo. Otteman, Aaron. Accessed online Aug. Parkman, Francis. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, Chapter 7.

May , accessed Aug. Rea, Tom. Norman: The University of Oklahoma Press, Weiser, Kathy. Belote, from Panoramio , used with thanks. Army, is from Wyoming Tales and Trails , used with thanks. Field Trips. Grand Encampment Museum. Saratoga Museum. Fort Fred Steele. Independence Rock State Historic Site. Fort Caspar. National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. Fort Fetterman.