Note: The Little River

Little River (Indiana)

The Little River is a stream in Allen and Huntington counties in northeastern Indiana. A tributary of the Wabash River, it is sometimes called the "Little Wabash", which may cause it to be confused with the Little Wabash River of Illinois....

 of northeastern Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 is also sometimes known as the Little Wabash River.

The Little Wabash River is a 240 miles (386.2 km) tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Wabash River

Wabash River

The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...

 in east-central and southeastern Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Via the Wabash and Ohio

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 rivers, it is part of the watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

.

Course

The Little Wabash rises in Coles County

Coles County, Illinois

Coles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,873, which is an increase of 1.3% from 53,196 in 2000. Its county seat is Charleston, which is also the home of Eastern Illinois University....

 near Mattoon

Mattoon, Illinois

Mattoon is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,555 as of the 2010 census. It is a principal city of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.Mattoon was the site of the "Mad Gasser" attacks of the 1940s....

 and flows generally southwardly through Shelby, Effingham, Clay

Clay County, Illinois

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1950, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in Clay County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 13,815, which is a decrease of 5.1% from 14,560 in 2000...

, Richland, Wayne, Edwards

Edwards County, Illinois

Edwards County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 6,721, which is a decrease of 3.6% from 6,971 in 2000...

 and White

White County, Illinois

White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 14,665, which is a decrease of 4.6% from 15,371 in 2000...

 counties, past the towns of Louisville

Louisville, Illinois

Louisville is a village in Clay County, Illinois, along the Little Wabash River. The population was 1,242 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clay County.-Geography:Louisville is located at ....

, Golden Gate

Golden Gate, Illinois

Golden Gate is a village in Wayne County, Illinois, along the Little Wabash River. The population was 100 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Golden Gate is located at ....

, Carmi

Carmi, Illinois

Carmi is a city in White County, Illinois, along the Little Wabash River. The population was 5,240 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of White County.-Demographics:...

 and New Haven

New Haven, Illinois

New Haven is a village in Gallatin County, Illinois, along the Little Wabash River near its mouth at the Wabash River. The population was 477 at the 2000 census.-Geography:New Haven is located at ....

. It enters the Wabash River on the common boundary of White and Gallatin

Gallatin County, Illinois

Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 5,589, which is a decrease of 13.3% from 6,445 in 2000...

 counties, about 4 miles (6 km) southeast of New Haven.

In its upper course in Shelby County, the river is dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

med to form Lake Mattoon

Lake Mattoon

Lake Mattoon is a 1,050-acre reservoir located in Coles County, Illinois, Cumberland County, Illinois, and Shelby County, Illinois. Almost three-quarters of the lake, 765 acres , is located in Shelby County. The reservoir was built to supply tap water to Mattoon, Illinois and Neoga, but also...

 and collects the short West Branch Little Wabash River, which flows for its entire length in Shelby County. Other tributaries include the Fox River

Fox River (Little Wabash tributary)

The Fox River is a tributary of the Little Wabash River in southern Illinois. It rises in Jasper County to the southeast of Newton and flows south past Olney, then joins the Little Wabash at the northeast corner of Edwards County, near Mt. Erie...

, which joins it in Edwards County; the Elm River

Elm River (Illinois)

The Elm River is a tributary of the Little Wabash River in southeastern Illinois in the United States. Via the Little Wabash, Wabash and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.The Elm flows for its entire length in Wayne County...

, which joins it in Wayne County; and the Skillet Fork

Skillet Fork

Skillet Fork is a river in southern Illinois in the United States. It is a tributary of the Little Wabash River; via the Little Wabash, Wabash and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River....

, which joins it in White County.