The Little Menominee River is a 13.9 miles (22.4 km) tributary of the Upper Mississippi River

Upper Mississippi River

The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of Cairo, Illinois, United States. From the headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, the river flows approximately 2000 kilometers to Cairo, where it is joined by the Ohio River to form the Lower Mississippi...

, which it joins in Jo Daviess County, Illinois

Jo Daviess County, Illinois

Jo Daviess County is a county located in the northwest corner of U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,678, which is an increase of 1.7% from 22,289 in 2000. Its county seat is Galena....

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The Little Menominee rises in Grant County, Wisconsin

Grant County, Wisconsin

Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 49,597. Its county seat is Lancaster. Estimates for 2008 show a population of 49,238...

. It flows south, to the east of the Menominee River

Menominee River (Illinois)

The Menominee River is an tributary of the Mississippi River, which it joins in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. There is also a Menominee River in northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan, and a Menomonee River that flows through metro Milwaukee....

, into Illinois. It crosses the northwestern corner of Illinois for about six miles before joining the Mississippi at the southern end of East Dubuque

East Dubuque, Illinois

East Dubuque is a city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,704 at the 2010 census, down from 1,995 at the 2000 census. East Dubuque is located alongside the Mississippi River. Across the river is the city of Dubuque, Iowa. About three miles north of the city is the...

. The town of Menominee, Illinois

Menominee, Illinois

Menominee is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 248 at the 2010 census, up from 237 at the 2000 census...

 is located on the river.

The name "Menominee" refers to the Menominee

Menominee

Some placenames use other spellings, see also Menomonee and Menomonie.The Menominee are a nation of Native Americans living in Wisconsin. The Menominee, along with the Ho-Chunk, are the only tribes that are indigenous to what is now Wisconsin...

, a Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 people. The name means "good seed" or "wild rice".

The river is part of the Driftless Area of Illinois and Wisconsin. This region escaped the glaciation experienced by areas to the east and west during the last ice age

Wisconsin glaciation

The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....

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