{{Use American English|date=February 2025}} [[File:Big Rib River.JPG|thumb|350px|Big Rib River in winter, near Goodrich.]] [[File:OVERALL VIEW OF SOUTH SPAN, LOOKING FROM WEST TO EAST - Marathon City Bridge, Spanning Big Rib River, on state Trunk Highway 107, Marathon, Marathon County, WI HAER WIS,37-MARA,1-5.tif|thumb|350px|Big Rib River Bridge crossing the river, near Marathon City.]] The '''Big Rib River''' is a river in central Wisconsin.<ref>{{GNIS|1561756}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.riverfacts.com/rivers/14219.html|title = Wisconsin whitewater Big Rib River}}</ref> It originates in northeastern Taylor County at Rib Lake, and flows into Marathon County where it joins the Wisconsin River. "Rib River" is a translation of the Native American name.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chicago and North Western Railway Company|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA119|year=1908|page=119}}</ref>
The Big Rib River flows through Rib Falls then to Marathon City, before it converges into the Wisconsin River at the northeast face of Rib Mountain.
The Dells of the Big Rib River, below Goodrich, are believed to be the rapids where Father René Menard disappeared in 1661 while attempting to reach a band of Huron Indians near Lake Chelsea. He left his partner at the rapids to carry some supplies and was never seen again.<ref>Schmirler, A. A. A., "Wisconsin's Lost Missionary: The Mystery of Father Rene Menard", ''The Wisconsin Magazine of History'', Volume 45, number 2, winter, 1961-1962.[http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/wmh&CISOPTR=22009&CISOSHOW=21949&REC=1]</ref>
Log drives began on the upper Rib River around 1874 and continued to 1923.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ruesch|first=Gordon|editor-last=Kalmon|editor-first=Lars|title=Taylor County Logging and Lumbering|date=January 2012|publisher=Taylor County History Project|page=26-27}}</ref>
==See also== *List of rivers of Wisconsin
==Notes== {{reflist}} {{commons category|Big Rib River}}
{{coord|44|56|44|N|89|40|20|W|type:river_region:US-WI_source:GNIS|display=title}}
{{Clear}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Rivers of Wisconsin Category:Rivers of Marathon County, Wisconsin Category:Rivers of Taylor County, Wisconsin
{{MarathonCountyWI-geo-stub}} {{TaylorCountyWI-geo-stub}} {{Wisconsin-river-stub}}