Kaskaskia River
| Kaskaskia River | |
|---|---|
A coal loading facility on the Kaskaskia River near New Athens in St. Clair County, Illinois | |
Kaskaskia River watershed map | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Interstate 74 in Champaign County, Illinois west of Champaign, Illinois |
| • coordinates | 39°59′30″N 88°21′22″W / 39.991698°N 88.3561656°W |
| • elevation | ~840 ft (260 m), (Yankee Ridge) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Mississippi River 10 mi (16 km) northwest of Chester |
• coordinates | 37°58′30″N 89°56′15″W / 37.974942°N 89.937372°W |
• elevation | ~350 ft (110 m) |
| Length | approximately 325 miles (523 km) |
| Basin size | approximately 5,746 sq mi (14,880 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 14,832 cu ft/s (420.0 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| GNIS ID | 426395 |
The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 325 miles (523 km) long, in central and southern Illinois in the United States. The second largest river system within Illinois, it drains a rural area of farms, as well as rolling hills along river bottoms of hardwood forests in its lower reaches. The lower reaches of the river have been canalized to allow barge traffic. In 1819, Vandalia, up the river in the interior of the then new state of Illinois was chosen as its capital, which it served as until 1839.
"Cascasquia" is an alternative, supposedly more French, spelling of "Kaskaskia" that is sometimes encountered. It was named after a clan of the Illiniwek encountered by the early French Jesuits and other settlers. "Okaw River" was an alternative name for the Kaskaskia that persists in place names along the river, including Okawville, and in a major tributary, the West Okaw River.