river, rising in three branches (North Loup, Middle Loup, and South Loup rivers) in east-central Nebraska, U.S., and flowing east past Fullerton and Genoa to join the Platte River in Platte county just southeast of Columbus. The Loup River itself is approximately 70 miles (115 km) long; including the North Loup, it is about 280 miles (450 km) in length. Headworks Dam, southwest of Genoa, and Sherman Dam on Oak Creek are part of the Loup power projects. The river's name is the French translation of the Pawnee word skidi, meaning “wolf,” the name of the local branch of the Pawnee tribe.