Cannonball River
535.27 km | 332.6 mi
Length can differ from official measure!
Kategorie 3
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The Cannonball River (Lakota: Íŋyaŋwakağapi Wakpá) is a 535.27 km | 332.6 mi long tributary of the Missouri River in southwestern North Dakota, USA. It originates in the badlands of the Little Missouri National Grassland north of Amidon in Slope County. The river initially flows east-southeast past towns such as New England, Mott, and Burt before joining Cedar Creek about 24 km southwest of Shields. It then changes direction to the northeast, forming the northern border of Sioux County and the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, and finally flows into Lake Oahe of the Missouri River near the settlement of Cannon Ball.
The river owes its name to the round, cannonball-like sandstone concretions that were once common in its bed and along its banks, but have now become rarer due to erosion and collectors. The Sioux named the river "Inyan Wakagapi," meaning "place of sacred markers" or "stone idol," in reference to nearby rock markers. The river is culturally significant to tribes such as the Mandan, Arikara, Cheyenne, and Lakota, who have lived in the region for centuries. Historically, it was an important landmark for explorers such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, who mentioned it as "La Bullet" in 1804.
The Cannonball River is also known for the 2016–2017 Standing Rock Sioux protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which was proposed to cross under the river near its mouth and sparked concerns about water pollution. Geologically, the river forms a landscape of badlands and grasslands, and along its course, such as the Cannonball Trail in Mott, it offers opportunities for hiking and nature viewing.
The river owes its name to the round, cannonball-like sandstone concretions that were once common in its bed and along its banks, but have now become rarer due to erosion and collectors. The Sioux named the river "Inyan Wakagapi," meaning "place of sacred markers" or "stone idol," in reference to nearby rock markers. The river is culturally significant to tribes such as the Mandan, Arikara, Cheyenne, and Lakota, who have lived in the region for centuries. Historically, it was an important landmark for explorers such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, who mentioned it as "La Bullet" in 1804.
The Cannonball River is also known for the 2016–2017 Standing Rock Sioux protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which was proposed to cross under the river near its mouth and sparked concerns about water pollution. Geologically, the river forms a landscape of badlands and grasslands, and along its course, such as the Cannonball Trail in Mott, it offers opportunities for hiking and nature viewing.
