Etymology The Des Plaines River was named by early French
coureurs de bois sometime between the 17th and 18th centuries, after the trees lining the banks of the river. The word , in the 18th-century Mississippi Valley dialect of French spoken at the time, referred to either the
American sycamore or the
red maple, both of which resembled the
European plane tree either in their
palmate leaves or similar bark. This meaning of
plaine survives in Canadian French: or refers to an
Acer rubrum, and
Acer saccharinum is sometimes named a . The English word for the plane tree came from the 14th century Old French word . Since the later 18th century, the French word for the plane tree has evolved into . As the Latin name for the plane tree is , this transformation was likely done as a part of the attempts by late 18th-century French academics to change the spelling of many French words to what was perceived as their Latin origins. A side effect of such action was that the original French meaning of the name applied to the Des Plaines River was obscured. Today, in modern Parisian
French literally means "of the plains" or "of the prairie". This has led to confusion about the meaning of the original French name for the Des Plaines River. Many people today believe that the river was named after the plains and prairies through which the river flows. But, in the 18th-century French dialect, it was more common to use the word "prairie" to indicate a plain, such as
Prairie du Rocher in Illinois and
Prairie du Chien in Wisconsin. Also, as noted above, it is more likely that the river was named in reference to the trees rather than the land. The French, like the Native Americans, traveled primarily by waterways rather than overland. The view of the prairie was nearly always blocked by trees. To this day a large number of both maples and sycamores grow along the Des Plaines River. Although the original French name for the river has survived, its pronunciation has been altered. Today, locals pronounce it in an anglicized way (roughly "dess plains"), rather than according to the French pronunciation. It is also commonly referred to as "The DPR" by locals, citing its initials.
Tributaries Northeast of
Bristol, Wisconsin, Brighton creek flows into the river. Jerome Creek and the Root River both converge with the Des Plaines near
Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
Mill Creek of
Old Mill Creek flows through County Forest Preserve before entering the Des Plaines River. Another tributary of the river near the
Illinois–
Wisconsin border is Osprey Lake, in
Gurnee, Illinois, which flows through a small unnamed creek before dumping into the river. Bull Creek in
Libertyville, Illinois, flows into the Des Plaines near Independence Grove Forest Preserve. In
Lincolnshire, Illinois, Indian creek flows eastward into the Des Plaines River. Near
Chicago Executive Airport, the Wheeling Drainage Ditch of
Wheeling, Illinois flows southeast through the town and adds to the river. McDonald Creek in
Mount Prospect, Illinois flows into the Des Plaines in Dam No. 2 Woods. Southeast of Mount Prospect and due north of
Des Plaines, Illinois, Weller Creek flows south into the DPR. Half a mile east of
O'Hare International Airport, Crystal Creek meanders its way into the Des Plaines. Salt Creek of Hollywood,
a neighborhood in Brookfield, Illinois, begins in Palatine and flows downstream into the river. As the Des Plaines river begins to run parallel to the
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Portage Creek enters the river. Northwest of
Lemont, Illinois, Goose Lake flows directly into the Des Plaines River. The Des Plaines and the Sanitary and Ship Canal finally merge on the edges of
Crest Hill, Illinois. Hickory Creek flows into the Des Plaines at the bottom of the Brandon Road Dam. Rock Run, Cedar Creek, and Jackson Creek all flow into the river near the border of
Joliet, Illinois, and
Channahon, Illinois, east of I-55. The
DuPage River merges with the Des Plaines in Channahon, Illinois. About three miles downstream, the
Kankakee River merges with the Des Plaines River to form the
Illinois River.
Des Plaines River Bridge The Des Plaines River Bridge in
Joliet is a
cantilever bridge that is six lanes wide—three lanes traveling eastbound and westbound. The bridge is signed as part of
Interstate 80. The bridge is located on the south side of Joliet.
Flood control projects A
Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (the Chicago Deep Tunnel) to reduce the harmful effects of floods and the flushing of raw
sewage into
Lake Michigan is semi-operational. It diverts storm water and sewage into temporary holding
reservoirs. The
megaproject is one of the largest
civil engineering projects ever undertaken in terms of
scope, cost and timeframe. Commissioned in the mid-1970s, the project is managed by the
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Completion of the system is not anticipated until 2029, but substantial portions of the system have opened. A modern
flood control study stated that flooding on the Des Plaines River has caused significant damage and adverse economic impacts. The greatest recorded flood, in September 1986, caused an estimated $35 million in damage to 10,000 dwellings and 263 business and industrial sites. A Phase I flood control Project was authorized under the Water Resources Development Act of 1999. Project features include levee, dam, and reservoir expansion at a total cost of $50.5 million (in 2002). On August 24, 2007, the river flooded by over . On September 14, 2008, the river flooded after the area received more than of rainfall over two days.
Crime In the six months prior to his December 1978 arrest, serial killer
John Wayne Gacy discarded the remains of at least four of his thirty-three known victims into the river, after finding no other suitable locations to dispose of them, due to the further twenty-nine known victims being buried in the crawlspace or other locations upon the grounds of his home.
Recreation The Des Plaines River is the site of the Des Plaines River Canoe & Kayak Marathon. The race was founded in 1957 by
Ralph Frese, and is the second oldest continual canoe race in the United States.
Fishing is a common practice along the Des Plaines River with a steady
game fish population of
bluegills,
carp,
catfish,
crappie,
largemouth bass,
northern pike,
smallmouth bass and
sunfish. ==See also==