River Bend (Illinois) River Bend (Illinois) The River Bend is a small region in western central Illinois and Southern Illinois that comprises parts of three counties: Madison, Calhoun, and Jersey. The name comes from a section of Mississippi River that flows roughly west to east instead of the usual north to south, causing a bend in the river. In this area, two other major rivers, the Missouri and the Illinois join the Mississippi River. This section of the Mississippi River is known as the Alton Lake The part in Madison County that locals consider part of the River Bend is the section north
Big Thompson River tributary flows east, through the town of Glen Haven, where it merges with the Big Thompson River in the town of Drake, in the Big Thompson Canyon. From Lake Estes, the river descends 1/2 mile (800 m) in elevation through the mountains in the spectacular 25 mi (40 km) Big Thompson Canyon, emerging from the foothills west of Loveland. It flows eastward, south of Loveland across the plains into Weld County and joins the South Platte approximately 5 mi (8 km) south of Greeley. It receives the Little Thompson River approximately four mi (6 km) upstream from its mouth. Water