Salt Creek (Platte River tributary) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Salt Creek
Salt Creek and the Superior St overpass, as seen from the Superior Street Trail, around 38th & Superior in Lincoln, NE.
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Region	Great Plains
City	Lincoln
Physical characteristics
River mouth	Platte River Mahoney State Park, Ashland, Saunders County, Nebraska, United States 1,040 ft (320 m) 41°02′08″N 96°18′42″W / 41.03556°N 96.31167°W / 41.03556; -96.31167
Basin features
River system	Platte River basin

Salt Creek (also known as Káʾit Kiicuʾ in the Pawnee language) is a river in southeast Nebraska. It flows into the Platte River. This creek is about 44 miles (71 kilometers) long.

Salt Creek starts in southern Lancaster County. It then flows north through Saunders and Cass counties. Finally, it joins the Platte River near Mahoney State Park in Ashland.

What Makes Salt Creek Salty?

Salt Creek gets its salty taste from the ground it flows through. This ground is made of a type of rock called Dakota sandstone. This sandstone is porous, meaning it has tiny holes.

The salt itself comes from very old shale rock. This shale was formed millions of years ago during the Cretaceous period. At that time, Nebraska was covered by a huge inland ocean called the Western Interior Seaway.

Animals and Plants of Salt Creek

Long ago, Salt Creek was full of life. In 1861, a person named W.W. Cox explored the area near Lincoln. He said the creek smelled like the ocean.

Cox also reported that many elk and antelope lived nearby. He noted that the river had "wonderfully supplied with fish."

Critically Endangered Species

Today, the water quality of Salt Creek is affected by the nearby city of Lincoln. The creek was changed to help prevent floods in the city. This made the water flow much faster.

Because of these changes and water from the city, some parts of the creek have less life. However, some special animals still live here. One example is the critically endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle. In 2009, there were fewer than 200 of these beetles left.

The Salt Creek tiger beetle is a very rare insect found near the creek.

Rivers That Flow Into Salt Creek

Salt Creek has many smaller streams that flow into it. These are called tributaries. There are fifteen main tributaries that feed into Salt Creek:

• Oak Creek
• Stevens Creek
• Middle Creek
• Antelope Creek
• Elk Creek
• Beal Slough
• Haines Branch
• Cardwell Branch
• Lynn Creek
• Deadman's Run
• Little Salt Creek
• Rock Creek
• Camp Creek
• Wahoo Creek
• Dee Creek

Little Salt Creek is one of the streams that flows into Salt Creek.

See also

In Spanish: Salt Creek para niños