Fox River (Illinois River tributary)
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- This article is about a tributary, beginning in far southeastern Wisconsin, of the Illinois River. For the unrelated Lake Michigan tributary Fox River in central and eastern Wisconsin, see Fox River (Wisconsin).
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in Southern Illinois: the Fox River (Little Wabash tributary) and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.
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[edit] The Fox River in Wisconsin
The Fox River starts near Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin and flows past Waukesha, Big Bend, Waterford, Rochester, Burlington, Wheatland, Silver Lake and Wilmot, for a total of 70 miles (110 km) in Wisconsin.
A major dam in Waterford forms a 1200 acre navigable waterway which is one of the busiest in SE Wisconsin. The river is generally navigable from the Iron Bridge in Tichigan (just south of Big Bend), down to the dam. The river connects several small lakes in this section, and one large lake, Tichigan Lake. This entire area including connected lakes and the Fox are often referred to as Tichigan Lake.
At the southern end of this section, Foxwood Isle separates the main dam to its West, and a spillway to the East. A single lane covered bridge, scheduled to be demolished in late 2006 and replaced by a two lane stone bridge, crosses the Fox at this point.
A small dam is present just a few miles South in downtown Rochester. The river then flows unobstructed through Burlington, where it joins the White River, and on to Wilmot. This is a popular and picturesque day-canoe trip never straying far from the road, but often just out of sight of it.
Flooding is common on this section of the river, especially near Wheatland to the border.
[edit] The Fox River in Illinois
The river enters Illinois where it widens into a large area of interconnected lakes known as the Fox Chain O'Lakes. Fox Lake is the largest city in this area. From the chain, the river flows generally southward for 115 miles (185 km), until it joins the Illinois River at Ottawa. Illinois towns that are on the Fox River include (from north to south): Johnsburg, McHenry, Holiday Hills, Island Lake, Cary, Fox River Grove, Algonquin, Carpentersville, West Dundee, East Dundee, Elgin, South Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora, Aurora, Montgomery, Oswego, Yorkville, Plano, Sandwich, Somonauk, and Sheridan. Collectively, the area surrounding the Fox River is known as the Fox Valley. Around 1 million people live in this area.
Native American tribes that lived near the Fox River included the Potawatomi, Sac, and Fox tribes.
The Fox River has 15 dams, including McHenry Dam, which raises the river slightly to maintain depth in the Fox Chain O'Lakes in northern Illinois.
Early in the history of the State of Illinois, the Fox River provided water for the Illinois and Michigan Canal via a feeder canal, allowing the canal to pass over the Fox River on an aqueduct.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Fox River Basin, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources.
- Fox River Paddling/Fishing page
- Friends of the Fox River
- Fox River CAUSE (WI)
- Waterford Waterway Management District (WI)
- Southeast Fox River Partnership (WI)
[edit] Recreation links
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Municipalities and Communities of McHenry County, Illinois (County Seat: Woodstock) |
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| Cities, Towns and Villages | Algonquin | Barrington Hills | Bull Valley | Cary | Crystal Lake | Fox Lake | Fox River Grove | Greenwood | Harvard | Hebron | Holiday Hills | Huntley | Island Lake | Johnsburg | Lake in the Hills | Lakemoor | Lakewood | Marengo | McCullom Lake | McHenry | Oakwood Hills | Pistakee Highlands (CDP) | Port Barrington | Prairie Grove | Richmond | Ridgefield | Ringwood | Solon Mills | Spring Grove | Sunnyside | Trout Valley | Union | Wonder Lake | Wonder Lake (CDP) | Woodstock |
| Townships | Alden| Algonquin | Burton | Chemung | Coral | Dorr | Dunham | Grafton | Greenwood | Hartland | Hebron | Marengo | McHenry | Nunda | Richmond | Riley | Seneca |
| Points of Interest | Chain O'Lakes State Park | Fox River | Golden Corridor | Moraine Hills State Park | McHenry County College | UP/Northwest Line |
| Airports | Lake in the Hills Airport |
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Municipalities and Communities of Kendall County, Illinois (County Seat: Yorkville) |
|---|---|
| Cities, Towns and Villages | Aurora | Boulder Hill | Bristol | Joliet | Lisbon | Millbrook | Millington | Minooka | Montgomery | Newark | Oswego | Plainfield | Plano | Yorkville |
| Townships | Big Grove | Bristol | Fox | Kendall | Lisbon | Little Rock | Na-Au-Say | Oswego | Seward |
| Points of Interest | Fox River | Farnsworth House | Silver Springs State Park | Little White School House |
| Higher Education | Waubonsee Community College |
| Hospitals | Rush-Copley Hospital |
| Transportation | I-80 · US-30 · US-34 · US-52 · IL-47 · Prairie Parkway |
| Metropolitan area of Chicagoland |  |
|---|---|
| Central City: Chicago Largest cities (over 30,000 in 2000): Aurora • Berwyn • Calumet City • Chicago Heights • Crystal Lake • DeKalb • Des Plaines • East Chicago • Elgin • Elmhurst • Evanston • Gary • Hammond • Harvey • Highland Park • Joliet • Kenosha • Naperville • North Chicago • Park Ridge • Portage • Waukegan • Wheaton Largest towns and villages (over 30,000 in 2000): Addison • Arlington Heights • Bartlett • Bolingbrook • Buffalo Grove • Carol Stream • Carpentersville • Cicero • Downers Grove • Elk Grove Village • Glendale Heights • Glenview • Hanover Park • Hoffman Estates • Lombard • Merrillville • Mount Prospect • Mundelein • Niles • Northbrook • Oak Lawn • Oak Park • Orland Park • Palatine • Schaumburg • Skokie • Streamwood • Tinley Park • Wheeling • Woodridge Counties: Cook • DeKalb • DuPage • Grundy • Jasper • Kane • Kankakee • Kendall • Kenosha • Lake (Illinois) • Lake (Indiana) • LaPorte • McHenry • Newton • Porter • Will |
