{{short description|River in Wisconsin, United States}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox river | name = Crawfish River | image = Crayfish River sign.JPG | image_caption = Highway sign near Hubbleton, Wisconsin }} The '''Crawfish River''' is a tributary of the Rock River, {{convert|80|mi}} long,<ref name=NHD>U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. [http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ The National Map] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329155652/http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |date=2012-03-29 }}, accessed May 13, 2011</ref> in south-central Wisconsin in the United States. Via the Rock River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.
The United States Board on Geographic Names issued a decision clarifying the name and course of the Crawfish River in 1987.<ref>{{Gnis|1578576|Crawfish River}}</ref>
==Course== [[File:Crawfish River Looking East at Dodge County Wisconsin Line.jpg|thumb|right|Crawfish River entering Dodge County just north of Columbus]] The Crawfish River rises in Columbia County and initially flows eastward in a broadly meandering course, collecting the North Branch Crawfish River and passing the city of Columbus. In Dodge County the river turns southward and collects two tributaries, the Maunesha River and the Beaver Dam River, before entering Jefferson County, where it joins the Rock River at the city of Jefferson. Aztalan State Park is along the river in Jefferson County at the site of a 10th - 13th Century Native American settlement.
Among other tributaries, the Crawfish River collects the North Branch Crawfish River,<ref>{{Gnis|1570369|North Branch Crawfish River}}</ref> which also rises in Columbia County and flows through the village of Fall River.
Shortly before merging the Rock and Crawfish rivers cross under Interstate 94. Both rivers flood the nearby land on an annual basis. In 2008, some lanes on I-94 were temporarily closed due to flooding from both rivers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.channel3000.com/news/16571840/detail.html |title=2008 flood |access-date=2009-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091117180827/http://www.channel3000.com/news/16571840/detail.html |archive-date=2009-11-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==See also== *List of Wisconsin rivers
==References== {{Reflist}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20051114042310/http://reference.allrefer.com/gazetteer/C/C11459-crawfish-river.html Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry] *DeLorme (1992). ''Wisconsin Atlas & Gazetteer''. Freeport, Maine: DeLorme. {{ISBN|0-89933-247-1}}.
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Category:Rivers of Wisconsin Category:Rivers of Columbia County, Wisconsin Category:Rivers of Dodge County, Wisconsin Category:Rivers of Jefferson County, Wisconsin Category:Tributaries of the Mississippi River