The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It runs 430 miles approximately southwest through the state of Wisconsin, originating at Lac Vieux Desert near the border of the upper peninsula of Michigan and joining the Mississippi at Prairie du Chien. It is navigable up to Portage, Wisconsin, 200 miles from its mouth, where it is separated from the Fox River by only 2 miles.
The Wisconsin is dammed in 26 places for hydroelectric power and has been called "the hardest-working river in America."
