Neosho River
| Neosho River | |
|---|---|
 Neosho River near Neosho Rapids, Kansas | |
 Map of the Neosho River and its watershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas, Oklahoma |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Near White City, Kansas |
| • coordinates | 38°47′22″N 96°44′39″W / 38.78944°N 96.74417°W[1] |
| • elevation | 1,450 ft (440 m)[2] |
USGS gage 07191500 near Chouteau, OK[3] | |
| • average | 8,954 cu ft/s (253.5 m3/s)[3] |
| • minimum | 12 cu ft/s (0.34 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 154,000 cu ft/s (4,400 m3/s) |
The Neosho River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Its tributaries also drain portions of Missouri and Arkansas. The river is about 463 miles (745 km) long.[4] Via the Arkansas, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. Its name is an Osage word meaning "clear water."[5] The lower section is also known as the Grand River.
Course
The Neosho's headwaters are in Morris County, Kansas, and it flows southeast through Kansas. In Ottawa County, Oklahoma, the river turns south-southwest for the remainder of its course through Oklahoma. It meets the Arkansas River near the city of Muskogee, about a mile downstream of the confluence of the Arkansas River and the Verdigris River. The area of convergence of the three rivers Arkansas, Verdigris and Neosho is called "Three Forks."
In Oklahoma the Neosho ends at its confluence with Spring River at the Twin Bridges Area at Grand Lake State Park. From that point on it is called the Grand River. The Grand River flows south to the Grand Lake.
Dams
The Neosho has been
Tributaries
In Kansas, the Neosho is joined by the Cottonwood River in Lyon County. In Oklahoma, it is joined by the Spring River in Ottawa County and the Elk River in Delaware County.
Cities and towns along the river
- Americus, Kansas
- Burlington, Kansas
- Chetopa, Kansas
- Chanute, Kansas
- Chouteau, Oklahoma
- Council Grove, Kansas
- Disney, Oklahoma
- Emporia, Kansas
- Erie, Kansas
- Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
- Grand Lake Towne, Oklahoma
- Hartford, Kansas
- Humboldt, Kansas
- Iola, Kansas
- Langley, Oklahoma
- Le Roy, Kansas
- Miami, Oklahoma
- Neosho Falls, Kansas
- Neosho Rapids, Kansas
- Oswego, Kansas
- Parkerville, Kansas
- Pensacola, Oklahoma
- Pin Oak Acres, Oklahoma
- Salina, Oklahoma
- Strang, Oklahoma
- St. Paul, Kansas
- Shaw, Kansas
- Rollin, Kansas
- Petrolia, Kansas
- Bassett, Kansas
- Strauss, Kansas
- Laneville, Kansas
- Montana, Kansas
- Hoag, Kansas
- Saulkner, Kansas
- Harmon, Kansas
Variant names
According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Neosho River has also been known as:
- Grand River, particularly past the confluence of the Neosho and Spring rivers in Oklahoma—see Grand River (Oklahoma)
- Le Grande Riviere
- Nee Ozho River
- Neozhoo River
- Ni-u-sho River
- Niocho River
- Nion-chou River
- Noshow River
- Osage River
- Rio Blanco
- Six Bulls River
See also
- List of Kansas rivers
- List of Oklahoma rivers
- Great Flood of 1951
References
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Neosho River
- USGS topographic maps
- ^ USGS. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 31, 2011
- ^ Muskogee Phoenix. "How places got their names." Archived 2012-07-12 at archive.today June 5, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ "Kansas Water Science Center | U.S. Geological Survey".