The White River is a Missouri River

Missouri River

The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...

 tributary that flows 580 miles (933.4 km) through the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

s 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 South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

. The name stems from the water's white-gray color, a function of eroded sand, clay, and volcanic ash carried by the river. Draining a basin of about 10200 mi2, the stream flows through a region of sparsely populated hills, plateaus, and badlands.

The White River rises in northwestern Nebraska, in the Pine Ridge

Pine Ridge (region)

The Pine Ridge is an escarpment between the Niobrara River and the White River in far northwestern Nebraska...

 escarpment

Escarpment

An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...

 north of Harrison

Harrison, Nebraska

Harrison is a village in Sioux County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 279 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Sioux County.-Geography:Harrison is located at ....

, at an elevation of 4861 feet (1,481.6 m) above sea level. It flows southeast then northeast past Fort Robinson

Fort Robinson

Fort Robinson is a former U.S. Army fort and a present-day state park. Located in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska, it is west of Crawford on U.S. Route 20.- History :...

 and north of Crawford

Crawford, Nebraska

Crawford is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 997 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1886 and was named for the late Captain Emmet Crawford who had previously been stationed at nearby Fort Robinson.-Geography:...

. It crosses into southwestern South Dakota and flows north across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...

, then northeast, receiving Wounded Knee Creek

Wounded Knee Creek

Wounded Knee Creek is a tributary of the White River, approximately long, in southwestern South Dakota in the United States. Its Lakota name is '....

 and flowing between units of Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park, in southwest South Dakota, United States preserves of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the United States....

. At the northern edge of the reservation it flows east-northeast and southeast, forming the northern boundary of the reservation and the southern boundary of Buffalo Gap National Grassland

Buffalo Gap National Grassland

Buffalo Gap National Grassland is a National Grassland located primarily in southwestern South Dakota, United States. It is also the second largest National Grassland. Characteristics of the grasslands include mixed prairie and chalky badlands. The grassland is managed by the U.S. Forest Service...

. It receives the Little White River

Little White River

The Little White River is a tributary of the White River, approximately long, in south central South Dakota in the United States....

 about 15 miles (24.1 km) south of Murdo

Murdo, South Dakota

Murdo is a city in Jones County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 488 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jones County. Murdo is named for Murdo MacKenzie, a Texas cattleman, and was the hometown of current Republican U.S...

, and flows east to join the Missouri in Lake Francis Case

Lake Francis Case

Lake Francis Case is a large reservoir behind Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota, USA. The lake has an area of and a maximum depth of . Lake Francis Case has a length of approximately and has a shoreline of . The reservoir is named for former South Dakota Senator...

 about 15 miles (24.1 km) southwest of Chamberlain

Chamberlain, South Dakota

Chamberlain is a city in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,387 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brule County. Chamberlain is home to the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center, which profiles the lives of nomadic Plains Indians...

.

Works cited

• Benke, Arthur C., ed., and Cushing, Colbert E., ed.; Galat, David L.; Berry, Charles R., Jr.; Peters, Edward J., and White, Robert G. (2005). "Chapter 10: Missouri River Basin" in Rivers of North America. Burlington, Massachusetts: Elsevier Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-088253-1.