Frenchman Creek is a spring-fed waterway that begins in Phillips County

Phillips County, Colorado

Phillips County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named in honor of R.O. Phillips, a secretary of the Lincoln Land Company, who organized several towns in Colorado. The county population was 4,480 at U.S. Census 2000...

, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, crosses Chase

Chase County, Nebraska

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 4,068 people, 1,662 households, and 1,163 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 1,927 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...

 and Hayes

Hayes County, Nebraska

-History:Hayes County was formed in 1877. It was named after President Rutherford B. Hayes.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,068 people, 430 households, and 312 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 526 housing units...

 counties in 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 ends at its juncture with the Republican River

Republican River

The Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, flowing through the U.S. states of Nebraska and Kansas.-Geography:...

 in Hitchcock County

Hitchcock County, Nebraska

-History:Hitchcock County was formed in 1873. It was named after the US Senator Phineas Warren Hitchcock.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,111 people, 1,287 households, and 899 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were...

, 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....

. The length of the waterway is approximately 166 miles (267.2 km).

History

Various mills and irrigation works have been built on Frenchman Creek. A 100 barrel roller mill was built on the east side of the falls in Wauneta in 1887 by Blair and Polly. Champion Mill was built on the Frenchman in 1888 by Thomas Scott. Champion Mill is the last functional water-powered mill in Nebraska. Champion Mill ground flour and grain from 1888-1968. The mill was purchased by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in 1969 and is preserved as a state historical park.

Frenchman Creek flows into Enders Reservoir near the village of Enders, Nebraska . Enders Dam was built in 1947-1951 as part of the Missouri Basin Program of the Bureau of Reclamation

United States Bureau of Reclamation

The United States Bureau of Reclamation , and formerly the United States Reclamation Service , is an agency under the U.S...

. Water stored at Enders is diverted into the Frenchman-Cambridge Irrigation district. Enders Reservoir State Recreation Area is a popular location for fishing, hunting and other outdoor recreation activities.

Flows in the Frenchman, and associated releases from Enders Reservoir have declined over the years. The primary cause is believed to be the lowering of water table levels due to groundwater irrigation in the Frenchman Basin. This has reduced the flows of springs that have historically fed the creek. In order to maintain the recreational and wildlife environments on the reservoir, irrigation releases have not taken place since 2002.