| Elkhorn River | |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Nebraska |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the Elkhorn River in Nebraska |
| Source1 Location: | Confluence of North Fork and South Fork |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 42.61°N -99.1833°W |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 41.12°N -96.3117°W |
| Length: | 290miles |
| Source1 Elevation: | 2162feet |
| Mouth Elevation: | 1070feet |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 1529cuft/s[1] |
The Elkhorn River is a river in northeastern Nebraska, United States, that originates in the eastern Sandhills and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River, flowing [2] and joining the Platte just southwest of Omaha, approximately 1miles south and 3miles west of Gretna.
Located in northeast and north-central Nebraska, the Elkhorn River basin encompasses approximately 7000sqmi. The Elkhorn has several tributaries, including its own North and South forks, Logan Creek Dredge, Rock Creek and Maple Creek.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered the Elkhorn River near its confluence with the Platte, and referred to it as the "Corne de Cerf". Located a few miles north of the confluence is the Elkhorn Crossing Recreation Area. This public park, operated by the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, marks the location where thousands of immigrants in the nineteenth century, bound for the west, camped while waiting to cross the river.[3] For years Logan Fontenelle and Joseph LaFlesche, young mixed-race men who worked with the Omaha people, owned the ferry that carried people, wagons and animals between the two river banks. LaFlesche had been adopted by Omaha chief Big Elk and named as his successor. Fontenelle, of Omaha-French descent, served the tribe as an interpreter in relations with the US Indian agent and negotiations with the government over cession of lands.