White River (Missouri River)

The White River, a major tributary of the Missouri River, flows for approximately 930 kilometers (580 miles) through the U.S. states of Nebraska and South Dakota. The river gets its name from the white-gray color of its water, caused by eroded sand, clay, and volcanic ash carried from its source near the Badlands. The White River originates in northwestern Nebraska, in the Pine Ridge Escarpment north of Harrison, at an elevation of approximately 1,482 meters (4,861 feet) above sea level. From there, it initially flows southeast before turning northeast, passing Fort Robinson and north of Crawford, and crossing the border into South Dakota.
In South Dakota, the White River flows north through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and receives Wounded Knee Creek. It flows between units of Badlands National Park and turns east-northeast and southeast at the northern edge of the reservation, forming the northern boundary of the reservation and the southern boundary of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. About 24 kilometers south of Murdo, the Little White River flows into the White River before the White River continues east and finally empties into the Missouri River at Lake Francis Case about 24 kilometers southwest of Chamberlain. The White River drainage basin covers approximately 26,000 square kilometers, of which about 22,000 square kilometers are in South Dakota. The river traverses a sparsely populated region of hills, uplands, and badlands. Due to the arid climate in its drainage basin, it sometimes has no surface flow except during severe thunderstorms, which can cause intense currents for short periods. Near Chamberlain, however, the river flows year-round. As of 2001, the water quality of the White River was generally good.