The Elkhorn River originates in the eastern Sandhills of Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River

Platte River

The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...

, flowing 290 miles (466.7 km) and joining the Platte just southwest of Omaha

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

, approximately 1 mile (2 km) south and 3 miles (5 km) west of Gretna

Gretna, Nebraska

Gretna is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,355 at the 2000 census. In 2008, its population was estimated to be 6,572. Gretna has the fastest rate of growth of any Nebraska city since 2000.-History:...

.

Located in northeast and north-central Nebraska, the Elkhorn River basin encompasses approximately 7,000 mi² (18,000 km²). The Elkhorn also has several tributaries, including its own North and South forks, Logan Creek, Rock Creek

Rock Creek (Nebraska)

Rock Creek is a tributary of the Elkhorn River that flows south of Wisner, Nebraska and to the west of Beemer. The railway water stop and original plats where the village of Beemer is now located were named "Rock Creek" before Beemer, was incorporated as a village in 1886.-History:It was the site...

 and Maple Creek.

History

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...

 encountered the Elkhorn River near its confluence

Confluence (geography)

In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...

 with the Platte, and referred to it as the 'Come de Cerf'. Located a few miles north of the confluence is the Elkhorn Crossing Recreation Area. This public park, operated by the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, marks the location where thousands of immigrants in the nineteenth century, bound for the west, camped while waiting to cross the river. For years Logan Fontenelle

Logan Fontenelle

Logan Fontenelle , also known as Shon-ga-ska , was a trader of French and Omaha ancestry, who served for years as an interpreter to the US Indian agent at the Bellevue Agency in Nebraska...

 and Joseph LaFlesche

Joseph LaFlesche

Joseph LaFlesche, also known as E-sta-mah-za or Iron Eye , was the last recognized head chief of the Omaha tribe of Native Americans who was selected according to the traditional tribal rituals. The head chief Big Elk had adopted LaFlesche into the Omaha and designated him as his successor....

, young leaders of the Omaha people, owned the ferry that carried people, wagons and animals between the two river banks.