| Bighorn River Great Horn River | |
|---|---|
 TheCQA Four Mile Bridge over Bighorn River | |
 Map of the Wind-Bighorn River | |
| Native name | Iisaxpúatahcheeaashisee (Crow) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wyoming/Montana |
| Cities | Dubois,Crowheart,Johnstown,Riverton,Thermopolis,Lucerne,Kirby,Winchester,South Flat,Mc Nutt,Worland,Washakie Ten,Manderson,Basin,Greybull,Fort Smith |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Two Ocean Mountain |
| • location | Wind River Range,Teton County |
| • coordinates | 43°44′50″N110°04′27″W / 43.74722°N 110.07417°W /43.74722; -110.07417[1] |
| • elevation | 9,760 ft (2,970 m) |
| Mouth | Yellowstone River |
• location | Bighorn, Montana,Treasure County |
• coordinates | 46°09′18″N107°28′28″W / 46.15500°N 107.47444°W /46.15500; -107.47444[2] |
• elevation | 2,687 ft (819 m) |
| Length | 185 mi (298 km) |
| Basin size | 22,885 sq mi (59,270 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Bighorn |
| • average | 3,954 cu ft/s (112.0 m3/s)[3] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | East Fork Wind River, Greybull River, Shoshone River |
| • right | Little Wind River, Nowood River, Little Bighorn River |
TheBighorn River is atributary of theYellowstone, approximately 461 miles (742 km) long, in the states ofWyoming andMontana in the western United States. The river was named in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque for thebighorn sheep he saw along its banks as he explored the Yellowstone.[4]
The upper reaches of the Bighorn, south of theOwl Creek Mountains in Wyoming, are known as theWind River. The two rivers are sometimes referred to as the Wind/Bighorn. The Wind River officially becomes the Bighorn River at theWedding of the Waters, on the north side of the Wind River Canyon near the town ofThermopolis. From there, the river flows through theBighorn Basin in north central Wyoming, passing through Thermopolis andHot Springs State Park.
At the border with Montana, the river turns northeast, and flows past the north end of theBighorn Mountains, through theCrow Indian Reservation, where theYellowtail Dam forms theBighorn Lakereservoir. The reservoir and the surroundingcanyon are part of theBighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.
TheLittle Bighorn River joins the Bighorn near the town ofHardin, Montana. Approximately 50 miles (80 km) farther downriver, the Bighorn River ends where it joins the Yellowstone.
The Bighorn River begins as theWind River in the Rocky Mountains at Wind River Lake, near Two Ocean Mountain and the summit ofTogwotee Pass. The Wind River flows southeast receiving the east fork of the Wind River from the north, and enters theWind River Basin, flowing pastDubois andJohnstown, toRiverton, where it receives theLittle Wind River. The river then changes direction to the northeast and then the north, flowing intoBoysen Reservoir, which is formed byBoysen Dam. Below the dam it enters theWind River Canyon, where the river narrows and forms many rapids. At the end of the canyon the Wind River widens out in an area called theWedding of the Waters where it becomes the Bighorn River and enters theBighorn Basin. The Bighorn continues northward, passing throughThermopolis,Worland, andBasin. AtGreybull it receives theGreybull River, and about 30 mi (48 km) north of that confluence it entersBighorn Lake, where it is joined by theShoshone River. North of the confluence with the Shoshone, the reservoir narrows as the river enters theBighorn Canyon, where it crosses intoMontana. At the end of the canyon, the river passes throughYellowtail Dam and Afterbay Dam. The river turns to the northeast and enters theGreat Plains. AtHardin the river is joined by theLittle Bighorn River. Approximately 50 mi (80 km) downriver from the Little Bighorn, inBig Horn County, the Bighorn empties into theYellowstone.
The Bighorn River has also been known as the Great Horn River, Le Corne[2] andIisaxpúatahcheeaashisee in theApsáalooke language which translates to English asLarge Bighorn Sheep River.[5] ItsGros Ventre name isʔɔ́tééíníícááh, 'wild sheep river'.[6] ItsLakota name is Héčhiŋškayapi Wakpá, ‘Bighorn River’.
